Easy Meatloaf Recipes

The very word 'meatloaf' conjures up images of comforting food. Everybody seems to have a meatloaf recipe that has come down from their grandmother or mother, plus, there are myriads of variations so that you can cook up a different meatloaf for dinner each night of the year, if you wish. In fact, you can create some of your own. After all, a basic meatloaf comprises just four basic ingredients - the meat, the filler, the seasoning, and the sauce. You can vary each one of them according to your creativity and taste - And voila! - You'll get a meatloaf that you can put your very own name to.

Basic Meatloaf Recipe

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup of barbecue sauce or ketchup
1 cup of milk
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Take a large bowl and put in all the ingredients, except for the ketchup, and mix them well. Put this mixture into a loaf pan without greasing it, and spread sauce or ketchup over it. Bake it, uncovered, for about an hour, until it is no longer pink in the center. After the baking process, let it sit for about five minutes, then remove from pan and slice in order to serve.

Italian Style Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
1 4 ounce can of mushrooms, reserve the juice
1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 bacon strips, center cut
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tbsp bread crumbs, dry
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Fry the bacon until they are crispy, then drain them out and crumble, and set them aside. Add enough water to the mushroom juice so that it makes one cup. Take a large bowl and combine the beef, egg, the half cup of breadcrumbs, garlic powder, mushroom juice, and salt in it, mixing well. Then put the meat mixture on a wax paper and shape it into an 8 by 12-inch rectangle. Then, sprinkle the meat with the two tablespoons of breadcrumbs, thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley. Next, spread the mushrooms, onion, bacon and cheese over the meat evenly. Then, roll the meat into a loaf measuring 8 inches. Put this meatloaf into a glass baking dish and bake for about an hour. Then pour the tomato sauce over it and bake for 15 minutes more. Allow the meatloaf to stand for about 5 minutes, and then slice and serve.

Garlic Flavored Meatloaf Recipe

1 1/2 lb ground chuck of veal
3/4 lb spicy pork sausage, ground
1 cup of onion, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup of scallion, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup of ketchup
1 cup of bread crumbs, fresh
2 large sized eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup of minced parsley leaves, fresh

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the butter in a heavy and large skillet and cook the scallion, carrot, celery, garlic and onion in it, on a moderate heat, for about five minutes. Cover it and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the carrots become tender, say about five minutes more. Add the pepper and salt, 1/3 cup of ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce, and cook for about a minute more.

Then take a large bowl and combine the meats, cooked vegetables, bread crumbs, eggs and parsley. Then, shaping it into a loaf and place it into a rectangular baking dish, and cover the meatloaf with the remaining ketchup. Bake for an hour.