🍖 Meatloaf
Meatloaf is minced beef mixed with breadcrumbs soaked in milk, egg and onion, shaped into a loaf and baked, usually under a glaze of ketchup. The result is dense but tender, savoury and slightly sweet from the caramelised topping. It is served in thick slices with mashed potatoes and vegetables, and leftovers often end up in sandwiches.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 800 g minced beef
- 60 g breadcrumbs
- 120 ml milk
- 1 egg
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp ketchup, divided
- salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 180 °C and soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes.
- Mix the beef, soaked crumbs, egg, onion, 2 tbsp ketchup, salt and pepper without overworking.
- Shape into a loaf on a lined tray and brush with the remaining ketchup.
- Bake 55–60 minutes until the centre reaches 70 °C; rest 10 minutes before slicing.
How to make it lighter
- Bake it on a rack or free-form on a tray so the fat drains away instead of pooling in a tin.
- Use lean minced beef and add grated vegetables such as carrot or courgette to the mix.
- Serve one thick slice with vegetables or salad instead of a large mound of mashed potatoes.
History
Mixing minced meat with bread or grain and baking it is an old European practice, but meatloaf as a family dinner is most closely associated with the United States. It became especially popular during the Great Depression and the Second World War, when stretching meat with breadcrumbs saved money. Today it remains a classic of American home and diner cooking.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →