Easiest Meatloaf Ever - meatloaf recipe with variations for award winning meal variety

Meatloaf is an American tradition. My mother never made it for us, but everyone else I knew had meatloaf a couple times a month. As an adult I have made meatloaf for my family only more recently (last few years). I think that is because it is an economical alternative and my husband likes it.

There are many things you can do with meatloaf once you get the basic loaf concept down to an art. The most important part of making the meatloaf is knowing when it feels right. You can make any recipe, but if it does not feel right then you need to know what to do to make it come out perfect every time. Knowing what you want the recipe to be like when you start out and when you finish is the key to being comfortable with anything you cook.

Just remember to relax, cooking should not be a chore. I know lots of you are busy moms and even though meatloaf takes an hour, it actually frees you up to multi-task other things while cooking and is a great dish for the kids to help you with because they can get their hands dirty and it is ok.

The ingredients you choose equal the final outcome. If you choose very lean meat you need to add more moisture to avoid having a dry meatloaf. That is actually science, the science of cooking. The main meatloaf recipe here uses either 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef or chuck.

Although I have shown a pre-sealed package here, my favorite source of meat is Kroger's (my local grocery store) family packs of ground beef. It is always leaner than stated and very fresh, but still has enough fat and moisture to keep the meatloaf at a moist consistency. Grocery stores that package their own meat try to only make up enough packages to meet the demand for that day so that none are left by mid evening (around 7-8pm) so don't shop late if you like that kind of meat. You can purchase a 5lb package and save half for another night.

If you are new to cooking or not good at guessing measurement when it comes to ground meat then by all means, purchase the pre-packaged pack of meat looking for 2.25 to 2.5 lbs and this recipe will come out just fine for you.

This is not rocket science, but a little finesse goes a long way. I will list alternatives with their corresponding moisture needs later.

Next you should pre-heat your oven to 350º and get your utensils out. You will need:

• a 2-cup measuring cup with smaller measurements marked inside or see through with measurements on the outside
• a tablespoon measuring spoon or large spoon from your dining silverwear is fine
• two loaf pans or 8x8 pans (glass or non-stick work best) If you must use a metal pan, check out my other hub on using baking soda to clean it afterwards.
• a large bowl for mixing. If the kids are helping then make it a really big chip bowl.

You should also have a small rubber scraper to get all the ketchup out of the measuring cup.

You should put the meat in the bowl. Add the bread crumbs and soup mix to the bowl. Also add in the black pepper, three eggs, ketchup and brown sugar. Get the milk ready but only add half of the milk at first.

Do not substitute skim milk unless you can add some fat. It is needed when the milk is absorbed by the bread crumbs. The best substitution is 2 tablespoons of flax because that has a nice concentration of Omega-3 in it.

Next, you will mix it all together with your hands. You will continue to mix until every thing is thoroughly incorporated and it feels like a cold loaf of bread dough. If you are having a hard time getting all the bread crumbs to get damp add the rest of the milk. Add more milk by one tablespoon at a time if it still feels dry. It should hold all together but have a damp sheen and can even feel a little loose but not sloppy or falling apart. If it is sloppy just keep kneeding it and add 1/8 to 1/4 cup more bread crumbs to tighten it up.

You will also make a glaze of 1 cup of ketchup and two tablespoons of brown sugar. You can add a teaspoon of beef bouillon granules if you like, but the ketchup with brown sugar is our favorite. Just put it in a bowl and mix together and heat it in a microwave oven for one minute. You can use a small sauce pan and heat through on stove top if you do not have a microwave oven. Let it sit till you need to use it.

When the timer goes off take out side dishes if they are done and pour off fat from the meatloaves if any has collected in the bottom of the loaf pans. At this point the loafs should be 165º internal temperature. The first time or two that you make this you should check the internal temperature with a food thermometer. Spread half of the glaze on each loaf and return to the oven. Cook for an additional 10 minutes and turn off the oven. You can leave the loaves in the oven till you have assembled everything else on the table.

This recipe can serve 5 people easily with an extra loaf to freeze or use another day. We usually have it the next day in lunches taken to work or meatloaf sandwiches made up similar to meatball sandwiches. Our senior in high school also has a microwave oven available for use so it can be taken in a school lunch as well (if they are old enough to use the microwave). It can remain in the refrigerator several days since it is thoroughly cooked through and slices can be reheated quickly for family members who have other activities that encroach on your usual dinner time.

I have not calculated the caloric content or even checked the fat versus protein ratio. But if you follow this recipe each person for a family of five would have four ounces of meat for their main course (precooking weight).