I’ve never met a meatloaf I liked in my life – except this one – my Grandma Thompson’s.
(Not the Monster Cookie grandma – my other grandma – Grandma Jean.)
Browned on the outside, moist and tender on the inside, and made with minimal ingredients – I think meatloaf lovers and haters alike will like this one!
Oh, and no ketchup! I mean, you can if you really like, but Grandma didn’t like tomato-based sauces, so she skipped ketchup on meatloaf and avoided red sauces on spaghetti when my mom was growing up.
Skipping the traditional ketchup while baking gives the meatloaf room to brown beautifully. While Grandma baked hers in a traditional loaf pan (as far as I know), I prefer baking mine on a lined sheet pan to give the loaf maximum surface area for browning. We also prefer a light drizzle of BBQ sauce over ketchup, though a lady from our church growing up made a wonderful homemade sauce that I really enjoy (I’ll share her recipe at the end of the post!).
The only other two small tweaks I made to grandma’s original recipe:
- I use onion powder instead of raw chopped onions inside the loaf
- I start it in the oven at 425°F for the first half of baking, then drop the temperature to 350°F to finish cooking through (this helps it brown on the outside).
How to Make Grandma’s Meatloaf
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground Chuck (80/20) or Ground Round (85/15)
- Pork Sausage
- Quick-cooking oats
- Milk
- Eggs
- Onion powder
- Salt & Pepper
Simple, right? No chopped vegetables or extra filler – just simple ingredients
The milk and oats create a panade that keeps the texture light and tender.
1. Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a quarter or half sheet pan with aluminum foil, then top with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
2. Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk 2 eggs. Add 1 cup of milk and whisk together.
3. Soak the Oats: Stir in 3/4 cup of quick-cooking oats, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix well, then let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes so the oats start absorbing the liquid.
4. Add Meat & Mix: Add 1 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb pork sausage to the wet mixture. Mix gently with clean hands until just combined. (Be gentle so the meatloaf stays tender, and make sure the ground meat is evenly distributed!) Let the mixture sit for 5 more minutes to absorb the remaining moisture.
(This is one food I feel strongly needs hands to mix and not a spatula. It’s just better! Be sure to mix the clumps of meat in well, but gently. It will seem really wet at first, but it will come together. I could only get a picture with one hand because I had to take a picture, but use both hands. 🙂
5. Shape the Loaf: Transfer to your prepared sheet pan and shape into a loaf roughly 2″ high, 5″ wide, 8″ long. Keep it at least 2″ high (about the height of your pinky finger) and gently flatten the top and sides.
6. Bake: Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes until the edges start to brown. Rotate the pan, lower the temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for another 10-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
P.S. A reliable meat thermometer is a must in any kitchen! It makes it so much easier to cook any kind of meat well by knowing the right temperature. Here are a couple of thermometers I like:
Time to Serve Your Meatloaf!
See what I mean? It comes out beautifully browned.
7. Serve: Gently scrape away any cooked bits* from around the base, slice, and enjoy with a light drizzle of BBQ sauce or Charlotte’s homemade meatloaf sauce below!
(*Because an open sheet pan lets moisture and fats render freely rather than trapping them, you’ll notice a pale, brownish liquid seeping out around the edges. This is just a harmless combination of coagulated protein (albumin), rendered fat, and water. It’s completely safe to eat, but I like to scrape it away with a spatula before slicing and serving.)
As I said at the beginning, we prefer a light drizzle of BBQ sauce instead of ketchup.
If you like a ketchup-like sauce, however, you could try this sauce from a lady from my church growing up, Charlotte Hayworth.
Mix the ingredients and either pour over the meatloaf for the last 20 minutes of baking (you won’t get to enjoy the browned meat, though), or heat the ingredients in a small saucepan on low, then serve on the side of the meatloaf or drizzle on top before serving.
Charlotte’s Meatloaf Sauce
½ c. ketchup
1 T. yellow mustard
1 T. molasses or brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire
Accompanying Sides
My favorite sides to accompany this meatloaf include:
- Cacio e Pepe Sautéed Cabbage (pictured)
So simple to make but delicious and healthy! - Lighthouse Inn Potatoes
- Orzo with Smoky Tomato Vinaigrette
- Hash Brown Casserole (Cheesy Potatoes)
- Green bean casserole
- Roasted potatoes
- Saurkraut
Grandma’s Meatloaf (For People Who Think They Hate Meatloaf)
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a quarter or half sheet pan with aluminum foil, then top with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk 2 eggs. Add 1 cup of milk and whisk together.
- Soak the Oats: Stir in 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix well and let it sit for 5–10 minutes so the oats absorb the milk.
- Add Meat & Mix: Add 1 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb pork sausage. Mix gently with clean hands until just combined. (Be gentle so the meatloaf stays tender, and make sure the sausage is evenly distributed!) Let the mixture sit for another 5 minutes to absorb remaining moisture.
- Shape the Loaf: Transfer to your prepared sheet pan and shape into a loaf roughly 2" high, 5" wide, and 8" long. Keep it at least 2" high (about the height of your pinky finger) and gently flatten the top and sides.
- Bake: Bake at 425°F for 15–20 minutes until the edges start to brown. Rotate the pan, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for another 10–20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
