Growing up I never had meatloaf. My mother despises ground beef so a dish like this was something I had to teach myself. There are so many ways to doctor up your meatloaf but I always prefer a good ol traditional recipe. I don’t like wrapping it in bacon or using ground turkey. I keep it simple with a quality ground beef, good seasonings and moist onions. 

A lot of people also use oatmeal in their mixture but that’s a no no to me. You have to soak them in milk and mix it all together and I don’t think it tastes as good as breadcrumbs. I use Italian seasoned panko to give the meatloaf a little crunch and provide some structure. Milk makes it to moist and dulls down the flavor so I always skip it. I use 2 eggs to maintain the moisture and structure. The steps are very simple and the seasonings can be tweaked to your liking easily.

This was by far the most challenging thing to shoot. It’s a big brown hunk of meat so it can only look so pretty! 

Ingredients: 5-7 servings 

• 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef (80/20) you need a little fat to keep things moist 
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned panko
• 1 medium yellow onion diced small
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp worchestire sauce 
• 1 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, onion powder, Garlic powder, and dried oregano
• 2 eggs

It is inportant to have a ground beef with a little fat. It should be 80% lean and 20% fat to keep things moist.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, add all of your ingredients and mix together. 
3. On a baking sheet, line with foil or spray with non stick spray.
4. Transfer beef to baking sheet and form into a log. Do not pack it super tight or it will take forever to cook. Don’t over think it! Just form it evenly and bake at least an hour. Usually takes 1 hr 15 mins. Sprinkle some extra breadcrumbs on top for a crusty crust. 

After it’s done cooking, let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. I made a beef gravy to go over it!