Traditional Beef Meatloaf

There’s nothing quite like the comforting aroma of a traditional beef meatloaf baking in the oven!

This classic dish became an American staple in the late 19th century when home meat grinders made ground meat accessible to everyday families. The dish thrived during hard times like the Great Depression and World War II when cooks needed to stretch limited meat supplies with breadcrumbs, oats, and vegetables. By the 1950s, meatloaf had become a forever iconic American comfort food.

What makes a great traditional meatloaf?

For me a 80/20 ratio (80% lean meat to 20% fat) keeps the meatloaf moist.

Moisture retention from fat: The fat in ground beef melts during cooking, creating pockets of juiciness throughout the meatloaf. Leaner blends (90/10 or 93/7) often result in a drier, less flavorful final product.

Panade: This is basically the glue to your loaf, preventing it from crumbling apart. To make a panade, you soak day-old bread in milk until it becomes pasty. This mixture helps prevent your meatloaf from drying out. I love that I can use up leftover Sourdough Bread in this recipe.

Note: For a gluten-free option, use rice, almond, or oat flour. I prefer rice flour. For a dairy-free loaf, leave out milk and add an extra egg.

Allow Meat Mixture to Rest: This allows all components to become fully incorporated. Salt needs time to fully dissolve and distribute evenly throughout the meat mixture. Allowing your mixture to rest before baking provides consistent seasoning in every bite.

Short on time though? Even a 30-60 minute rest in the refrigerator will provide noticeable benefits compared to mixing and immediately baking.

Simple ingredients

• 80/20 Ground beef
• Day-old bread or gluten-free options- rice, almond, or oat flour
• Egg
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Sauteed carrots and celery
• Butter or Olive oil
• Spices
• Tomato paste

Why I use only tomato paste for the ‘glaze’ and not ketchup

It has this concentrated tanginess that slices through all that rich, savory meat without any unnecessary sweetness getting in the way. Ketchup? Too sugary for my taste. Give me plain tomato paste any day. It lets the meatloaf shine while adding just the right acidic punch.

How to mix the ingredients without overworking the meat

Gentle mixing is crucial to prevent a dense, tough meatloaf. 

1. Make the panade first. Ensure your bread or whichever starch you are using has had time to soak up the milk or egg.
2. Combine all ingredients to panade before the meat. Mixing all the ingredients together eliminates additional mixing with the meat. Doing this first prevents the meat from being overworked and allows for better distribution of the spices. You don’t want a bite of loaf with lots of pepper or garlic, do you?
3. Minimal mixing: Use your fingers in a relaxed claw shape to lift and fold the mixture. When the meat forms a cohesive mass that sticks together with an even distribution of the panade and seasonings, you’re done.

Variations

I have chosen to omit solid vegetables to make this recipe acid-reflux friendly. However, a classic Mirepoix base of finely diced onions, carrots, and celery softened in butter or olive oil until soft adds nice texture and flavor.

Add finely chopped sauteed mushrooms or grated zucchini.

Note: I do not recommend fresh garlic as it can be overpowering. Stick to garlic powder instead.our ingredients to meld before baking and giving the meatloaf proper time to rest afterward are key steps to meatloaf success.

Print Recipe

Traditional Beef Meatloaf

Author: Raise a Fork Cooking Method: Bake, Sheet Pan Category: American, Comfort Course: Main Dishes

Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 45 mins Rest Time 20 mins Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Cooking Temp: 335  F

Description

A traditional beef meatloaf with a sourdough panade & tomato paste. No need to over complicate a dish that has always been simple.

Can be modified to be gluten and dairy free.

Ingredients

Cook Mode Cooking Mode Disabled

Servings

• 2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
• 40 grams crumbled old sourdough bread (for gluten-free: use 2 tbsp of rice, almond or oat flour. I prefer rice flour.)
• 65 grams milk (for dairy-free: omit milk and add an extra egg)
• 1 egg
• ¹⁄₂ tbsp worcestershire sauce

• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil

• 1 celery stalk softened

• 1 carrot softened

Spice Blend

• ¹⁄₂ tsp garlic powder

• ¹⁄₂ tsp onion powder
• ¹⁄₂ tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt

Glaze

• 4 tbsp tomato paste

Instructions

1. Create panade: Tear sourdough bread into small pieces in a bowl, add milk, and let soak 5 minutes until completely soft. Break up with hands.

2. Soften the carrot and celery in butter or olive oil on med-low heat. Cool and set aside. 

3. Add egg, salt, spices, softened carrots and celery, and Worcestershire sauce to panade; mix well.

4. Gently fold in ground beef with hands until just incorporated—stop when mixture forms a cohesive mass and becomes sticky. Do not over mix.

5. Cover and refrigerate 2-12 hours (optional but recommended).

6. Preheat oven to 335°F.

7. Line sheet tray with double layer of parchment paper.
8. Shape mixture into a loaf 2-3 inches high, or use a meatloaf pan.

9. Top with tomato paste and bake for 45-60 minutes until temperature reaches 175°F.

10. Rest 20 minutes before slicing to retain juices.

Note

For best results, prepare meatloaf 1-12 hours ahead to allow flavors to develop. If short on time, proceed directly to baking.

If you are very sensitive to acid, omit the glaze.

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