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This easy meatloaf recipe is juicy and tender, topped with a sweet, tangy barbecue sauce glaze. It’s simple to make, packed with flavor, kid-friendly, and perfect for a family dinner.
This is the kind of meatloaf I love making on a Sunday night, a little comfort food farewell to the weekend. But it’s easy enough to pull together on a busy weeknight, too, which is probably why I make it so often! I serve it with these creamy mashed potatoes and peas for a classic meatloaf dinner, and I always save a few slices for sandwiches the next day.
Why You’ll Love This Simple Meatloaf Recipe
- Easy to make. Mix everything together, shape the loaf, and let the oven to the rest.
- Barbecue sauce instead of ketchup. It gives the meatloaf a smoky, sweet, and tangy flavor with one simple swap.
- Juicy and tender. No dry crumbly meatloaf here. The inside stays moist while the outside gets nicely browned.
- Great for leftovers. Reheat slices for dinner the next day or make a simple meatloaf sandwich for lunch.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef to help reduce excess grease in the meatloaf.
- Breadcrumbs: You’ll need ½ cup of breadcrumbs. Crushed crackers can also be used in their place.
- Onion: Dice ½ cup of onion. I used white onion, but yellow, sweet, or red onion will also work.
- Egg: Lightly beat 1 large egg before adding it to the meat mixture.
- Garlic: Mince 1 tablespoon of garlic, which is about 3 cloves.
- Italian Seasoning: Use 3 tablespoons of your favorite Italian seasoning blend for extra flavor.
- Salt & Pepper: I use 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Barbecue Sauce: You’ll use ½ cup of prepared barbecue sauce in the meatloaf and another ½ cup for the topping. If you like a sweeter finish, try my brown sugar meatloaf, which has a brown sugar-based glaze.
- Worcestershire Sauce: 2 tablespoons add plenty of savory, umami flavor to the meatloaf.
- Fresh Parsley: Use fresh parsley for garnish.
How to Make This Easy Meatloaf
- Prep Oven & Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with foil and lightly grease the pan and foil. Leave plenty of foil hanging over the sides to make it easier to lift the meatloaf out after baking.
- Make the Meatloaf Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, ½ cup of barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix just until everything is well combined. Do not overmix as this can make the meatloaf tough.
- Shape the Loaf: Transfer the meat mixture to the prepared pan and shape it into a loaf. Spread the remaining ½ cup of barbecue sauce evenly over the top.
- Bake: Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let the meatloaf rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
How Long to Cook Meatloaf
I’ve found that 50 minutes works well for this meatloaf, but the exact cooking time can vary depending on your oven, pan, and ingredients. The most important thing is to check the internal temperature rather than relying on the cooking time alone. If needed, continue baking until the center reaches 165°F.
Recipe Tips
- Avoid overmixing: For tender meatloaf, mix the ingredients just until combined. One easy way to minimize mixing is to stir together everything except the beef first, then add the beef and gently mix until incorporated.
- Sauté the onions: If you have a little extra time, sauté the diced onion until golden and caramelized before adding it to the meat mixture. This adds an extra layer of sweet and savory flavor. You can also grate the onion instead of dicing it.
- Make mini meatloaves: For individual servings, bake the meatloaf mixture in mini loaf pans or a muffin tin. Keep in mind that smaller meatloaves will cook faster, so check their internal temperature early.
What To Serve With Meatloaf
- Homemade bread: Serve warm no knead Dutch oven bread with butter for an easy addition to dinner.
- Roasted vegetables: Add a pan of easy roasted vegetables as a simple side that can cook while the meatloaf is in the oven.
- Potatoes: Meatloaf and potatoes just belong together. Serve it with baked, smashed, or mashed potatoes, or try my crispy hedgehog roasted potatoes.
Easy Meatloaf Recipe
This Easy Meatloaf Recipe is a kid-friendly classic that's easy to make and full of flavor! This sweet, savory, saucy meatloaf is sure to be a hit.
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup barbecue sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Prepare the pan. Line a loaf pan with foil and lightly grease both the pan and the foil. Leave plenty of overlap to make it easier to remove the meatloaf after cooking.
- Make the meatloaf mixture. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, ½ cup of barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix just until well combined, but do not overmix, as this can make the meatloaf tough.
- Shape the loaf. Shape the beef mixture into a loaf in the prepared pan. Spread the remaining barbecue sauce over the top.
- Bake. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Finish and serve. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley, cut, and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 834mg | Potassium: 577mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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How to Store and Reheat Meatloaf
- Fridge or Freezer: Place your leftover meatloaf in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen meatloaf overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven until heated through, or slice the meatloaf and gently warm it in a covered skillet until heated through.
Loved this meatloaf! It’s quick and easy and delicious. Great for sandwiches.
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
3 TBSP of Italian seasoning?
Sounds like that’s way too much!
You would practically use a whole bottle!
Hi!
You can always tweak the amount of salt/seasonings/spices in any recipe. This is what works for us, but if that’s too much Italian Seasoning for your taste, you can definitely use less.
haven’t made alot of meatloaves in my day. but this one looked
easy and i liked the bbq sauce idea. went together very quickly
and just left out the italian spices. put more topping than recom-
mended, but i like alot of sauce. had to leave in for another 10
minutes to reach 165, and it came out wonderful. mashed potatoes
and sweet peas completed the best meatloaf lunch, i’ve probably
ever had. can’t wait to bring leftovers to work and impress my
coworkers.
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I made your meat loaf recipe yesterday and it will be my go to recipe. I used Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce and followed the recipe exactly and then added diced green peppers and sliced mushrooms and it was delicious. For my family I will omit the green peppers and mushrooms as they aren’t fans. I put the mixture in a 9×13 glass baking dish and when I went to take it out and put it in another dish it split. I will use my loaf pan next time as I’m thinking it was the addition of the peppers and mushrooms could have caused it. I had the meat loaf in a sandwich this morning and it’s so good. I really like the way the barbecue sauce is pronounced inside and. on top.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Hi, it almost looks like you used a 9×13 pan. But compared to the spatula it makes me think it’s like a bread loaf pan. Can you help? Also can I use 80/20?
Hi!
It’s a 9×5 glass loaf pan.
Yes, 80/20 is okay to use.
Meatloaf recipe called for too much barbecue sauce inside the meat and didn’t work as topping. The flavor of the meat was barbecue…not as a traditional meatloaf.
This recipe is not good, I made it exactly the way I was supposed to minus the Italian herbs. It got way to wet and the beef tasted like blood, I don’t get it cause the picture looks so good. I almost threw up eating this I’m sorry but it’s awful.
What do you mean it tasted like blood? That means it was rare/raw. Did you cook it long enough? Did you bake it until the internal temperature registered at 165˚F?
Our house enjoys this recipe. I make my own bbq sauce so I tweak the seasonings to fit that, but otherwise have yet to have a kid not eat it.
So glad your whole house enjoys it! 😊 Love that your homemade BBQ sauce makes it your own—and even better that the kids approve too! Thank YOU! 💛
I made the meatloaf recipe and it got rave reviews from my family. Thanks so much for posting such great recipes!!
So happy to hear that! 😍 Love that the meatloaf was a hit with your family. Thanks so much for the kind words and for trying the recipes! 💛
Thank you for sharing them. I been a vegan since 1971pr recipes look just beautiful so maybe I can make it vegan for my self bet it still would be awesome.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you enjoy it! 🥰