Country Style Meatloaf Recipe

This easy to make meatloaf recipe is the ultimate comfort food made from few ingredients and that is guaranteed to bring smiles around your table.

Ingredients for this recipe:

For the Meatloaf:

• ¾ loaf Italian Bread, soaked in bread and squeezed
• 1 seeded medium-diced red bell pepper
• 1 seeded medium-diced green bell pepper
• 1 peeled small-diced yellow onion
• 4 finely minced cloves of garlic
• 3 ½ pounds 90/10 ground beef
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• sea salt and pepper to taste

For the Glaze:

• ¾ cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Serves 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Procedures:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Add the squeezed out wet bread to a large bowl along with the peppers, onions, garlic, ground beef, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly until completely combined.
3. Divide the mixture between to 9x5 prepared loaf pans and pack it in tight. You can line one of the pans with bacon as I did in the video for extra flavor if you prefer.
4. In a small bowl mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, and soy sauce until combined and add it to the top of the meatloaf and spread around to coat the top.
5. Bake in the oven at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until cooked throughout and reads 165° internally.
6. Rest for 3-4 minutes, slice, and serve.

Chef Notes:

Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 1 hour ahead of time. Wrap in foil and keep warm in the oven at 200°.

How to Store: Place cooled and covered in plastic for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. It will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.

How to Reheat: Place your desired amount of meatloaf into a pan or on a tray with 2 tablespoons of water and cover with foil and cook at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until hot. You can also heat in the microwave.

This recipe makes enough for 2 loaves and will feed 6 people per loaf.

In the meatloaf glaze, you can swap the brown sugar for regular sugar or honey.

Make sure to press the meatloaf into the loaf pans to compact it so that it does not fall apart when slicing after it is cooked.

Make sure the meatloaf reads 165° internally using a thermometer before removing it from the oven. It is ok if there’s a little pink in there, it’s like eating a medium to medium-well hamburger.