Do you love your mamma’s meatloaf recipe but want to go to the next level in flavor? There are several reasons why this is my favorite meatloaf recipe and that I have been using it so many years. It is easy to make with only six ingredients and has an amazing flavor!
The best part is how easy this is. We are making meatloaf with onion soup mix and seasoned croutons. It will save you a ton of prep time and you probably already have these simple pantry items in your kitchen.
Meatloaf is one of life’s all-time comfort foods. I have tried a few other recipes but have never found a recipe that I like better. My favorite meatloaf recipe has a wonderful onion flavor but none of the time-consuming chopping and sautéing of onions. The huge flavor boost is from the package of dry onion soup mix.
Another classic flavor enhancer is ketchup! Some things just never change…. such as meatloaf with ketchup. They just seem to go together and you can’t have one without the other. In this meatloaf recipe a thick layer of that Unami-packed, red tomatoey goodness is liberally slathered over the top as it bakes.
All-beef meatloaf that is easy to make with only six ingredients.
This is how I make my favorite meatloaf recipe:
The Beef: The 50-50 beef mix of lean, grass-fed ground beef and a fattier ground beef give this meatloaf more flavor than by using just all-lean ground beef.
The Binder: Garlic seasoned salad croutons is my choice for the binder. The seasoning in those crisp croutons give an incredible flavor to the meatloaf. The croutons are smashed into crumbs and added to the meat mixture.
Other Binder Choices I have used with great results:
You can substitute 1-1/2 cups of crushed croutons with any of the following:
- Quick cooking oats
- Sourdough English muffin crumbs
- Bread Crumbs
- Cooked einkorn berries
- Cornflakes
The beef is mixed together with the crushed seasoned croutons, dry onion soup mix, eggs and beef broth. It is all shaped into a large loaf with the ketchup slathered on top, then baked for an hour. This makes for a wickedly delicious meatloaf!
A side dish of mashed potatoes is our favorite with meatloaf. As there wasn’t any dripping to make a sauce for our creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. I made a Cabernet wine sauce by boiling beef broth, wine and seasoning, click here for instructions, and served it with the potatoes and meatloaf.
Other potato choices for my favorite meatloaf recipe:
I always make a nice large meatloaf because we all love the leftovers. Especially meatloaf sandwiches with lots of mayo. My favorite meatloaf recipe will make a large meatloaf that is economical and will serve a large family.
Here are some ideas for leftover meatloaf:
- Meatloaf Sandwiches
- Quesadillas with Kamut® Flour Tortillas
- Chopped Meatloaf in Marinara Sauce with Pasta
- Meatloaf Wraps with Sweet Potato Flatbread
We would love to hear from you about your favorite meatloaf recipe! 🙂
Other recipes you may be interested in:
Onion Soup Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean 85% ground beef
- 1 pound 70% ground beef
- 6 ounces garlic-onion seasoned salad croutons
- 2 envelopes onion soup mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup beef broth or water
- ¾ cup ketchup divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Coat a baking sheet with non-stick oil spray
- Add the ground beef to a large shallow bowl and break up with a fork.
- Place the croutons in a closable plastic bag, and crush the croutons with a rolling pin (*See Notes) and add to the bowl with the beef.
- Sprinkle contents of the dry onion soup mix.
- In a separate dish whisk the eggs together with the beef broth, 1/4 cup of the ketchup and pour over the meat mixture.
- Gently combine the mixture with a fork or your hands until evenly mixed. Do not over mix as it will make a dense meatloaf.
- Tip the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and form into an oblong, loaf-size shape. Transfer to the center of the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon the remaining 1/2 cup of ketchup over the top of the meatloaf and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F.
- Transfer to a work space and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You should have 1-1/2 cups of crushed croutons.
- The croutons can also be crushed by pulsing in a food processor.
- Adding the ketchup for the last half of the cooking time will prevent the top from over cooking.
- To keep your meatloaf from cracking on top place a pan of water on the rack underneath your meatloaf.
Nutrition
George Moy
Saturday 10th of December 2022
If you have your meatloaf placed too low in your oven it will cause the top of the meatloaf to crack? Oh, I thought it from not mixing the meat throughly enough before cooking.
Dahn Boquist
Saturday 10th of December 2022
No, that says that if you place a pan of water in the oven then it will help prevent the meatloaf from cracking. The best place to put the pan of water is toward the bottom of the oven.