American recipe

Classic Meatloaf

Name: Classic Meatloaf
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American cuisine
Ingredients: 1200 g ground beef, about 15% fat; 180 g yellow onion, finely diced; 120 g celery, finely diced; 20 g unsalted butter; 100 g fine breadcrumbs; 180 ml whole milk; 2 large eggs; 20 ml Worcestershire sauce; 10 g fine salt; 3 g black pepper; 180 g ketchup; 25 g brown sugar; 15 ml apple-cider vinegar

A tender beef meatloaf held together with a milk-soaked breadcrumb panade, seasoned vegetables and egg, then lacquered with a tangy tomato glaze.

United States home cooking

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
Total: 1 hr 35 min
Servings: 8

Classic glazed American meatloaf cut into thick slices — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Renee Comet (Photographer)Source page · Original file · Public DomainCropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1200 g
ground beef, about 15% fat
180 g
yellow onion, finely diced
120 g
celery, finely diced
20 g
unsalted butter
100 g
fine breadcrumbs
180 ml
whole milk
2
large eggs
20 ml
Worcestershire sauce
10 g
fine salt
3 g
black pepper
180 g
ketchup
25 g
brown sugar
15 ml
apple-cider vinegar

Method

01
Soften the vegetables
Melt the butter over medium heat and cook onion and celery for 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent. Cool for 10 minutes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Make the panade
Mix the breadcrumbs and milk and let them stand for 5 minutes until the crumbs are evenly hydrated.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Mix gently
Combine beef, cooled vegetables, panade, eggs, Worcestershire, salt and pepper with your fingertips only until evenly mixed.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Shape the loaf
Shape the mixture on a lined tray into one even free-form loaf about 8 cm high, smoothing cracks without packing it hard.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Mix and brush the glaze
Mix ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar. Brush half over the loaf in an even layer and reserve the rest.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Bake and reglaze
Bake at 175°C for 40 minutes, brush on the remaining glaze, then bake 15–20 minutes more until the centre reaches 71°C.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Rest before slicing
Rest the meatloaf uncovered for 15 minutes so the juices settle and slices hold together.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Slice and serve
Cut into thick slices with a sharp knife and serve while warm, spooning any tray juices around the slices.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Preheat the oven and pan fully so the stated bake time begins from a stable temperature.
Let baked dishes rest before slicing so starches, cheese or custards settle into clean portions.

Common mistakes

Overbaking to chase darker colour can dry the centre before the surface looks dramatically brown.
Cutting while piping hot makes fillings and sauces run before they have time to set.

Substitutions

Use a baking vessel of similar volume if the specified pan is unavailable and begin checking doneness early when its shape differs.
A comparable full-fat dairy product can replace the named one when necessary, but low-fat versions usually set and brown differently.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Meatloaf became a durable American home-cooking staple because ground meat could be stretched with bread, milk and vegetables while still yielding neat family-size portions.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Meatloaf (1) — Photograph by Renee Comet (Photographer); Public Domain.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to American recipes

Classic Meatloaf

Ingredients

Method

Soften the vegetables

Make the panade

Mix gently

Shape the loaf

Mix and brush the glaze

Bake and reglaze

Rest before slicing

Slice and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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Buffalo Wings

Southern Fried Chicken