Best Classic Meatloaf with Sausage (2024)

Why This Recipe Works

• Using a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage creates an exceptionally moist and tender meatloaf.
• Finely chopped herbs and vegetables add flavor and moisture. No dry meatloaf here!
• Baking meatloaf in a meatloaf pan or broiler pan keeps it from being greasy.
• Ketchup, dijon mustard, brown sugar and a dash of hot sauce make the best sweet and tangy glaze.

This is the kind of meatloaf that might have shown up on my Grandma's table if I was at her house for dinner. (She made amazing meatloaf, which is not surprising because everything she made was delicious.)

The recipe includes a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage plus plenty of finely chopped herbs and vegetables, some bread crumbs, eggs, and of course, a slightly sweet and tangy ketchup glaze.

Most meatloaf recipes call for some ground pork in addition to ground beef. The pork is an essential ingredient to really good meatloaf because it contributes both flavor and fat.

Since the pork contributes enough fat to keep the meatloaf moist and tender, you can use lean ground beef.

Why does a combination of lean ground beef and fatty pork make the best meatloaf?

Pork fat tastes better. That's all there is to it.

Swapping out plain ground pork for Italian Sausage means you get all the goodness of ground pork and even more flavor. And, in most cases, when presented with the opportunity to add more flavor, I'm gonna take it.

Personally, I like to use hot (spicy) Italian Sausage in my meatloaf. But, if you want to keep yours on the mild side, choose sweet (mild) sausage.

The Secret to Moist and Tender Meatloaf

Good meatloaf is not just a giant loaf shaped hamburger. (Which might be good? I dunno. Probably not.)

Meatloaf should be the kind of thing that's so tender and juicy that it's almost difficult to keep on your fork. No one wants to eat a slab of dry, flavorless ground meat.

So what's the secret to making the best moist and tender meatloaf?

• A mix of lean ground beef and Italian Sausage
• Plenty of finely chopped fresh herbs and veggies

If you use a food processor, this does NOT mean a lot of time spent chopping. Just cut the veggies in chunks and add them to the food processor with a handful or fresh parsley and some dried Italian herbs and let the machine do all the work. Hooray for modern kitchen appliances!🙌

It's also important to cook the herbs and vegetables for a bit before adding them to the meatloaf mix. This allows the flavors of the herbs and spices to "bloom", which opens up their flavors. It also caramelizes the vegetables, which adds even more flavor.

How To Make Really Good Classic Meatloaf

#1. Add a couple slices of bread to a food processor and pulse until they are ground into crumbs. Fresh bread crumbs act as a binder so your loaf doesn't just fall apart.

#2. Remove the bread crumbs from the food processor and add carrots, celery, onion, garlic cloves, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Pulse until all the vegetables are finely minced.

See Also

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#3. Cook the chopped veggies and herbs in a bit of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the vegetables are just starting to brown then dump them into a bowl with the bread crumbs. Let them cool down a bit.

#4. Add everything else to the bowl: ketchup, dijon mustard, ground beef, Italian Sausage, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and a couple of dashes of Tabasco. Mix it all up. I like to use my hands, but use a large spoon if you prefer.

#5. Test the meatloaf mix for seasoning. This is a very important step that will help you know if the meatloaf needs more seasoning before you cook it.

• Heat a teaspoon or two of oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot and shimmering, add a tablespoon size patty of meatloaf mixture to the pan.
• Let it cook through, turning it over a time or two so that it browns on both sides.
• Remove from the pan and taste.If you think it needs more salt, pepper or Tabasco, add it now.

#6. Press the mixture into a meatloaf pan, or shape it into a loaf and set it on top of a broiler pan. Then make the glaze by stirring ketchup, dijon mustard, and brown sugar together. Spread about ⅔ of the glaze over the top of the meatloaf and pop it in the oven to bake.

After 30 minutes, remove the meatloaf from the oven and spread the rest of the glaze over the top. Bake for another 25-35 minutes, until a meat thermometer plunged into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees.

What Kind of Pan is Best for Cooking Meatloaf?

Classic Meatloaf is generally baked in a loaf pan. This is great, except that getting the meatloaf out of the pan can be challenging.

I've also found that, cooking meatloaf in a traditional loaf pan doesn't give any fat that renders while baking anywhere to go, which can result in a slightly greasy loaf.

There's a couple of good options for dealing with these problems:

1. Bake meatloaf in a loaf pan that's specifically designed to cook meatloaf
2. OR cook meatloaf on a broiler pan

Loaf pans that are designed to cook meatloaf come with a handy insert that allows excess fat to drain as the meatloaf bakes. The insert also includes little handles, making removing meatloaf from the pan super easy.

Baking meatloaf on the rack of a broiler pan also allows excess fat to drain while the meatloaf bakes and makes it easy to slice and serve the meatloaf after baking.

If you bake your meatloaf on a broiler pan, it's really important to cover the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil and spray the rack with a bit of non-stick baking spray. These two simple steps will make clean up ridiculously easy.

The BEST Ketchup Glaze for Classic Meatloaf

I absolutely LOVE a slightly sweet and tangy ketchup-based glaze on my meatloaf. I love it so much that I usually make a bit extra so that I can drizzle it over my slice before eating it. If that's you, I suggest doing the same.

The glaze in this meatloaf recipe is super easy and contains only 3 ingredients, plus a dash of tabasco if you, like me, want your glaze to have a bit of a kick. Simply mix some ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl, add a dash or two of tabasco, and spread it over the meatloaf.

I like to spread about ⅔ of the glaze over the meatloaf, spreading the rest over the top about halfway through baking. This allows plenty of time for the glaze to seep slightly into the top of the meatloaf AND keeps the glaze from burning.

See Also

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad (Lightened Up!)

Fun Fact About the Origin of Meatloaf

Even though many of us think of classic meatloaf as an American dish, its origins are in Germany, Scandinavia, and Belgium. German Americans get the credit for introducing it to this country.

Americans DO get credit for adding ketchup - that favorite American condiment (that was actually brought to us by the Chinese).

It's a small worldafter all.

What to Serve with Meatloaf

These are my favorite side dishes to serve with meatloaf:

• Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
• Homemade Dinner Rolls
• Crispy Fried Potatoes {Country Potatoes}
• 10-Minute Au Gratin Potatoes
• Simple, Perfect Roasted Potatoes
• Glazed Carrots with Brown Sugar and Butter

And for dessert, these classic oatmeal raisin cookies are hard to beat!

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