Best Meatloaf

ooh my goooooodness, this truly is the best meatloaf I have ever tasted in my life. My husband and two little children loved it. My daughter is a really picky eater especially when it comes to meat, but she ate it all down to the last drop. I absolutely recommend this recipe to every one. I will most definitely be making this again. I can not wait to have a get together so that I can share it with others. I gave this recipe 5 stars only because that was the highest option available. It was greeeaaaattttt!!!!!!!

This recipie was great, I did change it around alittle. I used italian bread crumbs instead of the bread and crackers,and I used garlic powder and onion salt instead of cooking garlic and onion in butter. I also forgot to use the milk. The meat was pretty moist I didn't need it anyway. This was great will use it again. Thanks

This was the first meatloaf I have ever made and the only real change I made was to use Italian Breadcrumbs and a dash of Italian Seasoning and it was phenomenal! I didn't have a meat thermometer, but the timing was perfect! I was so impressed with myself!! ;o) My husband took one bite and said it tasted like his mom's! I take that as a compliment! I think next time I will use 1/2 ground sirloin and 1/2 ground pork as another suggested--it sounds good, but otherwise, it was incredible!

I made this tonight for my family and it was great meatloaf!! The only thing I changed on this recipe was I used ground turkey instead of ground beef (huge beef recall happening right now...don't want to chance the Mad Cow thing!). Anyway...this turkey meatloaf was absolutely fantastic!! Oh yeah...one other thing I did was use a cup of seasoned bread crumbs instead of the sliced bread. My whole family said this was "the best meatloaf I have ever made." So I'm thinking you titled this recipe perfectly! :) Will make this again!! Buon Appetite!

My husband and I (who are NOT big meatloaf fans) loved the heck out of this recipe. It was painfully simple and simply delicious. It's not too ketchupy, which I really like. I might add some seasonings (perhaps an Italian blend) the next time around just to experiment with the taste a little. It was very moist and a certain keeper in my recipe box. Thanks for sharing it!

Having been on the hunt for a good meatloaf recipe for some time now, I am thrilled to have found this one. I took the suggestions of other reviewers and added maple syrup rather then milk, Italian seasoning to the bread crumbs, and mayo instead of sour cream (we never keep sour cream stocked in our house). Although moist, it held together beautifully. I topped it off with a glaze (1/2 cup ketchup, 4 tbsp brown sugar, 3 tbsp whit vinegar) when I turned the oven temperature up for the remaining 15 minutes. Perfect. Will stop the hunt with this one!!

I followed the baking instructions exactly, but not the ingredient list. I added onion powder, garlic powder, left out the bread, and added something I learned from an old roomate: horseradish! While there is no accounting for taste (no such thing as 'too'spicy or 'too' many onions), the baking process seemed to be spot on, especially in regard to turning it up to 400.... thanks.

This was the first time I ever made meatloaf and I was very pleased with how it came out. It was moist and flavorful and just delicious. Even my picky 2 year old liked it. I froze some of the leftovers for later and it worked quite well. I will definitely be making this one again. Update: I used ground sirloin the last time I made this and it was to die for!

Sorry, we tried this exactly and we did not care for it at all - too mushy with all of the different kinds bread crumbs and we did not care for the taste that the tomato sauce gave it. We will stick with our original Meatloaf recipe.

This was by far the best meatloaf I have ever had. I used to hate meatloaf.

if chuck norris was a meat loaf this whoad be the recipe

Every time I make this my family ALWAYS wants more. It's perfect.

Best meatloaf recipe ever! Very moist and delicious. I did add double the onions, and a little more butter and Worcester sauce. Also, I used 1 cup garlic/herb bread crumbs.

This is awesome! I made it exactly as the recipe stated. No milk as I live in FL. It rocks! A keeper for sure, thank you for sharing! FYI I read recipes at this site often and have tried many. NEVER have I felt like registering in order to give a review. I registered to review this one!

This turned out great! I did make quite a few changes, although the actual recipe for the meatloaf itself was nearly same (I used Italian bread crumbs instead of crushed crackers, and eliminated milk, because it was perfectly moist without). I cooked mine in a slow cooker. Meatloaf in a slow cooker is quite easy. Line the slow cooker with 2 sheets of foil, so they cross at the base and there is extra foil hanging over the sides (you will use the foil to pull out the loaf when finished). Then you shape your meat into a loaf, place inside the slow cooker, cover with sauce and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours. The sauce I used included the other half can of tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, about 1 T of worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp prepared mustard, and a bit of brown sugar.

Search No More.!!!! This is simply the best meatloaf I've ever made....hands down. Increased onion to 1 cup; added 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper diced; did NOT add the milk (it didnt need it); to the fiinishing sauce I added 2 tablespoons worcestershire 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon mustard. Cookings times were spot on. Covered with foil and let sit for 10mins before cutting. WOW.!!!! It was perfect and definitely earned its title.

This really was the best meatloaf I've ever eaten, and I never cared for meatloaf before. I did make a few alterations. I omitted the milk and used Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs instead of bread. For the topping, I added parmesan cheese and a little brown sugar. Mouthwatering!

This recipe was fabulous. The first time I made it for my family and they loved it. Then I made it for my sister's husband for his pre-surgery special meal...he said it was better than his Mom's, who was a fantastic cook. Wow! A definite keeper! The only addition I made was a little bit of Worchester sauce in the tomato sauce/ketchup topping. Next time I may use some ground pork as a portion of the meat. Thanks for this wonderful recipe! 5/14/17--Still using this recipe! Special request by daughter home from college. It won't last long around here?? I ha e continued to add worchestershire to tomato sauce topping, sometimes w/ onion and garlic powder. It is ALWAYS delicious! Try it---I do w/ 1lb ground round and 1 lb ground pork, the rest is as written and yummy it is! Thx again, it's a classic in our house??

This was a lot of work just to have my family say "Meh, its ok." I guess I'm just partial to the recipe my mom gave me.

This really is the best meatloaf recipe out there that I have found so far. I added some different seasonings and finely grated some carrots to the mix for a little extra nutrition (neither my husband or son noticed). Son shoveled it down so fast you'd think he was starving. I will add this recipe to my regular dinner recipe rotation.

simply delicious. I am not one to go back to recipes over and over unless it really tastes terrific and my whole family likes it...this is one of those recipes. Thank you Tracy!

This is one of the best meatloafs ever. I've made thousands of them before so this recipe looked pretty much like any other one. So, what makes this one so special? Outside of adding sour cream, I think it was baking at 2 temperatures. in this one, you increase the oven temp from 350 to 400 after 40 minutes and continue baking for 15 minutes, then adding the tomato & ketchup topping and baking at 400 for another 10 minutes. A famous chef once told me that people think he leaves an ingredient out of a recipe, but he does not. It's the heat he says. That makes all the difference. perhaps this is the secret to making this recipe so special. Yum!

I loved this recipe; I think it's aptly named! I used panko bread crumbs instead of the sliced/toasted bread, used numerous cloves of chopped garlic (instead of just two cloves), and added a little more sour cream than the recipe called for. I didn't need to add any milk to moisten the meat (probably due to the extra sour cream), so I omitted it. I was skeptical that the tomato sauce/ketchup topping would be flavorful enough, but it was. The whole meatloaf was really, really good, and I look forward to making it again.

This is a fantastic recipie!! I missed a really great meatloaf we used to get at a restaurant that closed. This is even better. I did exactly what you suggested. I only added a few finely diced green, red, and yellow peppers. WHen it came out you coudn't really see them but it gave the meatloaf a slightly spicier taste. For the tomato sauce, I used an organic sauce from a market that had basil and other lovely subtle ingredients. It gave the meatloaf more complexity and sophistication than simple tomato sauce. Its a keeper!!

This is the best meatloaf I have ever had. The only thing I do different is use canned bread crumbs instead of the toasted, crumbled bread. Follow the recipe exactly and it is perfect every time. It's a staple in my house now. Highly recommended!!!

GREAT recipe! Very moist and overall great flavor. The only change I made was I added a few tablespoons of brown sugar and a cider vinegar to the glaze but that's just personal preference. Thanks!

yum! made it for friends, there were not leftovers for sandwiches!

PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!! I used 1 1/2 cups italian breadcumbs instead of the bread and crackers... but followed everything else exactly. It was sooooooooooo good, we LOVED it. I think the secret's the sourcream! Delicous!!!! Thank you!

My husband and I were not big meatloaf fans growing up, but it was really cold one night and I craved meatloaf. Man! This is fabulous meatloaf!! No changes at all. I make it just like the recipe says and it's great! My middle school kids absolutely love it. My son devours it! I serve with mashed potatoes and peas and it can't be beat.

I did not add the full amount of salt, just a pinch. I used whole wheat bread and I did add about a tablespoon of my homemade italian seasoning to the actual meatloaf and a teaspoon of the italian seasoning to the tomato sauce. It was an easy enough meatloaf to make and it stayed in one piece (which I always struggle with), but it wasn't anything to write home about. I'm sorry. If I hadn't added the spices, it would have been really bland. NOTE: I did not add the milk.

I make this kind of meatloaf all the time. It is definitely by far the best! My family just loves it!

This recipe was one of the best I've made and believe me I'm old enough to assure you that I've made plenty. I debated whether or not to try it but I certainly am glad I did. If your looking for that one good keeper of a meatloaf recipe believe me give this one a shot. I really don't like when everyone gets on there horses and say oh by the way I changed this and that and then it was wonderful but I did change the toast and crackers to crushed seasoned croutons simply because i didn't want to make toast and did not have buttery crackers but this recipe is definately wonderful.... thanks for sharing...

I've been making meatloaf for years and this is by far my favorite recipe! It was tender, baked to perfection and tasted great! My husband loved it, too and he knows his meatloaf. I've already added this to my recipe box.

I'll be very honest and say that this was definitely not the best meatloaf I have ever had or made. I was so bummed!! Followed the recipe very closely and thought nothing much of it either way. Sorry!

I made this as the recipe read tonight. I felt that the sour cream did not need to be used and to much bread. Thanks for sharing....I'm always looking for new recipes to try.

The recipe sounded great, just didn't work for us, very bland

This is the best mealoaf I have ever had. Its is unbelievably moist and flavorful.

Not the best I've ever had. Too runny, even without the milk. If I had not checked the temperature I'd have thought it wasn't done.

This truely is "the best meatloaf I've ever made!" It is so moist and all of the flavors compliment each other.

Loved it, thank you for sharing.

I used to hate meatloaf because I’ve never tasted any good meat loaf in my life. My hubby found this recipe and I made it. I only substituted the sour cream with cream cheese because we did not have the sour cream. The meatloaf smelled good, tasted tender and delicious. This is the best meatloaf I have ever had!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

The only thing I changed was reduce the black pepper based on what others said. Otherwise exactly as written. I have never liked meat loaf. I only took a tiny piece as would be usual for me. I went back for SECONDS!!! Thank You for a great new recipe. My husband has always loved meat loaf and I have looked the world over for a great receipe. You gave it to me. Thanks VERY MUCH.

Great recipe...and as always I tweaked it a little. I added in chopped up jalapenos! Everyone loved it and oh so tastey! I also added chili powder and cayenne pepper.

Okay, but not the best. I toasted three slices of the large rectangular wheat bread. (Probably too much) and seven crackers. It came out tasting bland. My husband liked it though.

this was flippin fantastic! so moist!

This is really good. I cooked mine on a sheet pan instead of in a loaf pan - I think it helps to keep it from getting too greasy or mushy. I followed the rest of the recipe pretty closely, except for doing a bbq/ketchup/horseradish sauce on the top - the guys like the sauce sweet & spicy and I didn't know how the plain tomato & ketchup would go over. Thanks for the recipe! :D

This is the first meatloaf recipe I've tried in a while and my family loved it! I made one minor modification by adding about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley to the recipe. My sons fought over the leftovers so they could take sandwiches to school the next day.

Delicious! This was my boyfriend and I's first attempt at meatloaf and it turned out well. Skip waiting for the meatloaf to be 160 degrees, that wasn't happening for us. If we would have left it in the oven any longer it may have been burnt. Next time we'll add a bit more seasoning to make it that much better. Delicious but a tad bit bland

A very tasty meatloaf thoroughly enjoyed by all the family. I baked for 40 mins then removed loaf from tin onto foil tray. Mixed 1/2tsp dry mustard, 1 tbs brown sugar, 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 tsp curry powder - glazed the loaf and baked at 180deg C for another 30 mins. Thanks for sharing it tracy, is in the 'keeper' file.

I followed exactly as written...no need to change anything....this is my idea of a perfect meatloaf...flavorable yet simple....hubby knows i always try recipes from this sight....during dinner he said "give it 10 stars"....he got confused--lol

wAY TO MOIST..BAD RECIPE

This was a good meatloaf, but nothing too special.

I wasn't a fan of this meatloaf but my kids sure were. I found it tasted somewhat off, maybe it was just me. The meatloaf itself was moist & the texture was great as well. I will be making this again for the kids since they loved it so much.

My husband made this for the family and it was terrific. We have 3 kids, one who is extremely picky and even he gobbled it up. It was simple to prepare with simple ingredients. We will definitely be making this again.

Sorry, but I thought this was not remarkable in any way. Just kind of bland. Didn't even care for the leftovers. Just not enough of a flavor punch. I wouldn't make it again.

This may indeed be the best meatloaf ever.... Excellent! Meatloaf always falls apart on me, and this one did not...thanks for the great recipe!

I won't ever need another recipe for meatloaf again. This one is fantastic! I toasted the bread in the toaster and chopped it up. I didn't use any milk but put in 3/4 of the tomato sauce. For the sauce on top I used the 1/4 tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup ketchup mixed with 1/4 cup brown sugar and a teaspoon of ground mustard.

So good! I didn't have crackers or tomato sauce, so I just used enough bread to look good to me and squirted some ketchup both into the meatloaf then on top at the end.

This is amazing. Period.

Oh wow, this was awesome! I had to improvise slightly with what I had on hand, but just two small changes: Used plain stuffing cubes I had in the freezer in place of the toasted bread and used condensed tomato bisque soup in place of the tomato sauce (added a little less water to the soup than usual to keep it saucy and then used the 15 oz called for in the recipe; also used the soup to coat the top the last 15 mins of cooking). Pressed some whole stuffing cubes into the bottom of the loaf to help soak up some of the juices. This tasted soooo good! Thank you for the recipe!

Good meatloaf, very moist, even my husband liked it. I have used the same meatloaf recipe for 20 years and decided to venture and use something different. It was a good change!

A bit on the bland side but not bad if you are not looking for an overpowering dish. My meatloaf kind of feel apart. I used crumbled italian bread and probably would of had a denser meatloaf if I used a denser breadcrumb such as a country style bread or dinner roll. I will try it this way next time to see if I am more successful. Also, don't add any milk, it will work against you.

I thought this was a good base recipe. I adjusted the recipe slightly to make it 5 star. I used 1.5 lbs ground beef and the other half pound I used ground pork. A little extra cracker crumbs and a squirt of BBQ sauce in the meat mixture...and it's meatloaf heaven!

This is the best meatloaf I ever made too thanks to your receipe! It is so delicious! I've also tried it with ground turkey which is equally amazing!

My family's favorite.

I like the sour cream and butter crackers as you don't see that in your grandma's recipe:) thank you for sharing!!

Very good recipe. I always add more things to any recipe I try (thats just me), but I really liked this one. I will make it again.

I found that this meatloaf was very tasty in flavor but it did not hold together well. I don't think there was enough bread or crackers to hold it together. If I make this again I might try adding more of that or maybe even some rolled oats. Thanks for the variation though :)

super duper meatloaf. my husband is saying '4 and a quarter stars' and he is hard to please! i thought it was very tasty, especially with the topping. moist and yummy and i didnt mind doing the work. recipe says 'serves 12' and that makes for VERY small portions, so if you are watching what you eat, watch the size of your slice if your aim is to stay true to the nutritional content provided. will make again!

Threw it straight on the trash. Soggy meat soup is what it turned out to be. Followed recipe to the letter. Other meatloaf recipe was better. That's what I get for trying something new. Need to learn to stick to what works!

This meatloaf was really awesome. I did make a few changes. First, I added a chopped pasilla pepper to the onion and garlic mixture, replaced the crumbled bread with 1C of stovetop stuffing mix (I used the turkey flavor), 3 table spoons of ketchup to the meat mixture, two table spoons of my favorite BBQ sauce (honey sweet) to the meat mixture, and two table spoons of my favorite BBQ sauce to the ketchup and tomato sauce mixture for the top. I also baked this an additional 15mins longer at 450. Also, adding a couple of slices of bead to the bottom of the pan is ingenuous! Plus, this meatloaf is even better the next day! Really yummy melting a slice of American cheese on top the next day.

I added mozzarella and mushrooms to the middle. I've never been a meatloaf fan, but this is a fantastic meatloaf that I will definitely make again!! Thanks!

I hate to post one of the few negative reviews but this was most definitely not one of my best meat loaves. It was not as moist as I like meatloaf to be and I really didn't like the effect the garlic had on the flavor. It didn't taste savory to me. The garlic gave it a somewhat bitter flavor. My search for the perfect meatloaf continues.

I've never reviewed a recipe, so let that say something in itself. I followed the recipe almost exactly. The only changes were I used Italian breadcrumbs( I didn't have any bread believe it or not) and I omitted the milk. This meatloaf is wonderful! Moist, well seasoned, and delicious. I will always use this recipe. Highly recommend

The title says it all. This is absolutely the BEST MEATLOAF I'VE EVER MADE. I followed the recipe exactly and my whole family loved it. No leftovers.

This was very good!!! It came out great!!! Will make this again!!! Thanks for recipe!!

Absolutely the BEST meatloaf i've ever made/had!

It was really good! i cut back on the tomato sauce a bit. for the top i mixed together ketchup, soysauce, and steak sauce

Excellent...my husband loved this. We used lean ground turkey and still loved it! thx!

Sorry, in my opinion, this was bland and mushy and I didn't use any of the milk. The mush could be related to the cut and moisture of the meat, but there really aren't enough spices to make it flavorful for my family's taste.

This was absolutely delicious! It had alot of flavor and the meat was tender. I will definetly make again.

was not the best meatloaf .... kinda blah

This was the best meatloaf recipe ever! I made it exactly but stuffed it with mashed potatoes. YUM!

I enjoyed the final product but the original recipe could use a little tweaking. I used less tomato sauce and ketchup on the top of the loaf so it would get dried and crunchy. Also, I like to bake the loaf in a broil pan as to keep it from sitting in its own fat. The recipe is great if you tweak it to your taste.

10 stars! I hate meatloaf, and Have made some where around 30 different recipes for it! This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! I will NEVER make another meatloaf! I never rate like this But good job you rock and thanks for posting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great meatloaf, when the family has a taste for meatloaf this is the one I will do over again.

I MADE THIS LAST NIGHT AND WE LOVED IT.. I USED A BLEND THAT WAS ALREADY MIXED UP AT THE GROCERY STORE. BEEF, PORK, AND VEAL. THEY CALLED IT MEATLOAF MIX. I FOLLOWED THE RECIPE EXACTLY EXCEPT FOR THE MEAT. WILL MAKE IT AGAIN..

I finally found a meatload receipe that my son will eat. The only changes I made was that I removed the minced onion and added onion powder to the mixture since my son dislikes onions. I also increased the toasted bread since I used Pepperidge Farm sandwich bread. I had to double the bread to 6 slices. I did not have to use the whole 1/4 cup of milk, only a few teaspoons did the trick. It worked perfectly. I served it with McCain's Mashed Potato Tater Tots for a quick side dish. It worked perfectly! Thanks Justin and Tracy. You should check out my receipe at Allrecipes.com, it's called Sweet Potato Pudding. I used it as a side dish for Thanksgiving but Allrecipes.com lists it under desserts.

Exceptionally tasty! My husband and two young children really enjoyed this meatloaf. I did not add the "optional" 1/4 cup of milk since everything already seemed too moist. I may have had a bit less than 2 lbs of ground beef. It was the best meatloaf we've all had, and it was requested that it remain on our "regular" list of dinner meals from now on. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe.

Last night was the second time I've made this. The first time I made a mistake and didn't add enough breadcrumbs and it fell apart. This time though, I made it with ground turkey (it still turns out excellent) and added enough Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and it was absolutely amazing! Not a single bit left in the pan.

WOW! This is the best meatloaf I've ever made!!! But I added a little red pepper and some diced chili peppers to make it have a bit of a kick. WOW!!!

Absolutely fantastic..my husband and I and my 89 year mom, are soooo picky about meatloaf and for years.. no matter how I made it the way I was taught by my grandmother and mom.. it NEVER was great and then I tried countless other recipes, too no avail!! This recipe blows everything out of the water!!!! I added some bell peppers to the saute of onion and garlic, added a tad bit of pepper flakes and a little bit of Mrs Dash to the meat. For the topping, I added..some brown sugar, 2 or 3 drops of tobacco hot sauce, worchestershire to taste. Lots of that topping, THAT'S FOR SURE! otherwise..it was just like the recipe. albeit I didn't think I needed the milk.

This meatloaf was incredible, my whole family loved it! I have never had such a moist meatloaf before, I will definately be making this recipe a family staple, thaks again!

I've tried many meatloaves and this one is great, simple. Only thing I changed was instead of the bread/crackers hassle, I used 1 cup of Italian bradcrumbs and did not needed the milk, the sour cream was enough. Will make again, thanks!

**My review was hijacked by my auto correct so i am posting again in order to fix it! ** I used mayo instead of sour cream, omitted the crackers altogether, added seasoning salt to taste, also added bbq sauce and a little Catalina salad dressing to the ketchup “mix” because the tomato sauce was a bit strong for me and adding just bbq sauce made it too bbq-y for me. I used the milk that the recipie called for too. As far as the mushiness mentioned in a previous review, I can see how that could happen but for me, I just added the mix little by little to the meatloaf, until I had the consistency that I wanted. The only thing I had a problem with was the cook time. I have a gas stove and things cook super fast so my meatloaf actually over cooked slightly on the edges due to the turn up temp at 400* but it still turned out fabulous and much better than any other meatloaf I’ve ever made...and I’m 40 years old ;)

did not like, very mushy. Way to much tomato sauce

I followed the recipe exactly, however in the last 10 min. of cooking I merely coated the top of the loaf with ketchup. It was already swimming in juice and if I had added as much tomato sauce as the recipe called for I would have had meatloaf soup. Upon first taste I thought this was fine, but certainly not the best I'd ever had. The real beauty of this recipe is in the leftovers. Because is is SO moist, leftovers are delicious - even 3 days after the fact. In fact, I'd say the longer you let it sit in your fridge the better it gets. If you like a nice crust on your meatloaf this is *not* the recipe for you but if you are looking for many days of yummy meatloaf sandwiches, try this one.

I made this recipe exactly as printed, and am giving it 4 stars mainly because of it's incredible moistness. It tasted good too, but I thought it was rather bland; next time I think I'll add mushrooms and diced bell peppers, maybe adding a little more sour cream to keep the 'solids to liquids' ratio. I also thought it was too salty, with the crackers and added salt. Now,my personal preference remarks aside, this is a great recipe, which I will make often, with adjustments to suit my own taste!

Awesome recipe! Everyone loved it and I will definitely be using the recipe from here on. I added a little less than half a green bell pepper to the onions on the stove, and it gave a lot of flavor to the meatloaf. Only had an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, used about 7 in the mix and added about 4 tbsp of ketchup to the remaining oz. Still made a great topping.