Momma’s Meatloaf Recipe

I feel like meatloaf gets a bad rap. Just its name sounds a little off putting. However, it is hands down one of my favorite main dishes. A well done meatloaf can be so delicious and when paired with side dishes like Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes it can be heavenly.

Meatloaf has been one of my favorite dinners since I was a kid. Birthday meals were made to request and mine was always the same: Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, and green beans. Still to this day, I make it for myself if I can’t get to my momma’s for my birthday. It doesn’t get any more southern or delicious than this simple and beautiful meal.

Tonight it was this meal that graced our dinner table, and my kids love it just as much as I do. It is a rare night indeed when all three kids agree on dinner being good and they crush it without fussing and mussing. Dinners like these make dinner time so much less stressful and enjoyable.

It is also an easy to make main dish. Mom Hack for nights when you just don’t feel like cooking: I have been known to forego the peppers and onions and reduce the ketchup and just add a pre-made salsa. Makes for a delish option when you don’t want to take the time to chop and sauté those veggies. It is literally already done for you and just hanging out in a jar in your fridge.

How this Meatloaf Comes Together

To make this simple dish, start with diced peppers and onions in a cast iron skillet over medium heat with a little oil. Sauté over medium heat until the veggies are translucent. Let them cool slightly.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine ground beef with ketchup, eggs, mustard, and oatmeal. Add the cooled veggies and mix all together by hand. Don’t overwork the meat. You just want it to come together and be mixed. Overmixing can make it tough.

Place back into your cast iron skillet and form into a loaf. You can also bake in a traditional loaf pan, but why dirty up another dish if you don’t have to? Bake covered at 400 degrees for about an hour and twenty minutes or until a fork inserted comes out clean.

Oatmeal?

I have only ever known meatloaf to be made with oatmeal. When I met my husband, he informed me that it was weird and that meatloaf should be made with breadcrumbs. I will be honest, I think he is crazy. I like the texture that the oatmeal adds to the meatloaf. Personally, I think that meatloaves made with breadcrumbs tend to be oily and have a mushy consistency. Not my jam.

Oatmeal is what I know and love. What can I say? If you prefer breadcrumbs, feel free to substitute them for the oatmeal.

Enjoy!

I hope you give this meatloaf recipe a try and enjoy it as much as we do. If you do give it a go, let me know what you think by leaving a comment or sharing! You can also check us out on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more recipes and just general farm house shenanigans.

Easy Meatloaf Recipe

A deliciously easy recipe for a moist and scrumptious meatloaf

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup onion finely chopped
• ½ cup red pepper finely chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1 cup oatmeal quick cooking work best (not instant)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until soft and translucent, cool slightly
• Meanwhile in a seperate bowl add remaining ingredient
• Add onions and peppers to the meat mixture and incorporate well with your hands being careful to not overmix.
• Shape into a loaf and bake in a cast iron skillet or loaf pan at 400°F for 1½ hours or until knife inserted comes out clean

Keyword meatloaf

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