Make the best meatloaf recipe ever with ground beef and pork sausage plus a base of minced carrots, onions, celery, and seasonings. Homemade meatloaf is a staple, so keep this classic recipe on hand.
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Meatloaf is one of author’s dad’s favorite things to cook and anytime he’s making his homemade meatloaf, the kids make their way to their parents’ house for dinner.
How To Make Meatloaf Recipe Taste Amazing
The autor’s dad’s trick to meatloaf? He mixes Italian pork sausage (half sweet, half spicy) in with ground beef. The original recipe came from an old issue of Gourmet (April 1994) and the author’s father has been changing it over the years to his taste (including using Italian sausage instead of plain ground pork). It’s no ordinary meatloaf.
Homemade Meatloaf Recipe Is Worth the Time
It takes a little extra prep time to make the “sofritto” base of minced carrots, onions, celery, and garlic, but it is so so worth it! Like a giant Italian meatball, in loaf form. Meatball meatloaf.
It may look like the sofritto is a time consuming extra step for meatloaf, but you can easily put the vegetables in a food processor or mini chopper to speed up the prep time. The smaller mince size that you can get with the food processor will also help the meatloaf hold together better.
How to Avoid Crumbly Slices of Meatloaf
This meatloaf recipe is tender and moist, which can make it slightly challenging to slice into clean slices that don’t crumble. For a meatloaf that’s easier to slice, knead the meat and vegetable mixture for a couple of minutes before forming it into a compact loaf. Note that this will change the texture of the finished meatloaf, making it denser.
Letting the loaf cool for several minutes before slicing will also help it stay together. You can store leftover meatloaf uncut, then slice it while it’s cold (and easier to cut) before reheating.
How Long To Cook this Meatloaf Recipe
Since meatloaf is quite dense packed into a loaf pan, it takes a little while to bake. It also needs to be baked at a relatively low temperature so the outside doesn’t finish baking and start drying out before the center is done.
Bake this meatloaf recipe for about an hour at 350°F, and then check it with a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf—the center should be at least 155°F when done.
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How Long Does Meatloaf Keep?
Store tightly covered meatloaf in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 1 minute, adding 15 seconds at a time if necessary to heat them through.
TO FREEZE, allow the meatloaf to cool completely. Wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter
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1 cup finely chopped onion
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1 rib celery, finely chopped
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1 carrot, finely chopped
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1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
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3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
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1 1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
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2/3 cup ketchup, divided
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1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
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3/4 pound sweet ground Italian sausage, (or a mix of sweet and hot Italian sausage if you are using links)
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2 large eggs, slightly beaten
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1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
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1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
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Cook the vegetables, season, and add Worcestershire and half the ketchup:
Melt the butter in a large, thick-bottomed skillet, on medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the finely chopped onions, celery, carrot, green onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender, stirring every so often. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup ketchup. Cook for another minute and remove from heat to cool.
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Make the meatloaf mixture:
Once the vegetables have cooled to the touch, place them in a large bowl with the ground beef, Italian sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs and parsley. Use your (very clean) hands to mix them together until everything is evenly distributed.
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Place in the loaf pan, cover with remaining ketchup:
Place the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan (either 4-x 8-inch or 5- x 9-inch) and press to make compact in the pan. Or you can form a free-standing loaf onto a rimmed baking pan. Cover the meatloaf mixture with the rest of the ketchup.
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Bake:
Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf reads 155°F. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to gently lift the meatloaf out of the loaf pan to a serving plate.
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Serve:
Cut into thick slices to serve. The meatloaf makes great leftovers, just chill and reheat. Slices are good in sandwiches as well.
Notes
Italian sausage makes a difference in this meatloaf recipe! We use a combination of spicy and sweet, but it you only have one, choose sweet Italian sausage.
Save prep time by roughly chopping the celery, carrot, onion, green onions, and garlic and pulsing them in a food processor or mini-chopper to get them finely chopped.
You can also use a food processor to make the breadcrumbs: take a couple slices of fresh bread and pulse in until you have crumbs. (Even though the breadcrumbs come after the vegetables in the instructions, pulse them in the food processor first so it is dry when you add the bread.)
| NUTRITION FACTS(PER SERVING) | |
|---|---|
| 713 | CALORIES |
| 44g | FAT |
| 30g | CARBS |
| 49g | PROTEIN |