Always, moist and flavorful, our old-fashioned meatloaf recipe uses ground beef and pork flavored with onion, celery, and fresh parsley.

Slice of meatloaf on a plate with mashed potatoes and green beans and serving platter of meatloaf in the background.

Despite its mundane reputation, a moist, well-seasoned meatloaf makes a delicious dinner that’s easy to make and always well received. Our old-fashioned recipe is simplicity at its best.

We use a combination of lean ground beef and ground pork to produce a moist, tender texture and add just a few simple ingredients to bring out the natural flavors of the meat.

Slice of meatloaf on a plate with green beans and mashed potatoes.

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

5 from 3 votes
Leave a Review »
Always, moist and flavorful, our old-fashioned meatloaf recipe uses ground beef and pork flavored with onion, celery, and fresh parsley.
Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean ground beef, 10% fat (see notes)
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons celery, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons All-Purpose Seasoning Blend, (or 1-1/2 teaspoons salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Place the beef and pork in a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, onion, celery and parsley, but don’t mix with the meat yet.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and milk together until blended. Add the breadcrumbs, seasoning blend, and pepper. Stir to combine.
  • The mixture should blend easily and have a smooth consistency similar to a thick batter. If you feel it’s too pasty, add an extra tablespoon or two of milk.
  • Add the egg mixture to the meat and combine gently with a wooden spoon or spatula. For best results, don’t overdo the mixing.
  • Coat a 9-1/2 x 5-1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and add the meatloaf mixture, tamping it down gently and smoothing the top.
  • You can bake your meatloaf in the pan if you like, but we prefer to just use the pan as a mold.
  • Line a shallow baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and coat it with nonstick spray. Turn the meatloaf onto the pan and, using your hands, firm and smooth it into shape.
  • Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the meatloaf from the oven to glaze the top.
  • Combine the ketchup and Worcestershire in a small bowl and brush to cover both the top and sides.
  • Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the glaze is set and the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 155°F. Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Tips for Making This Recipe

We use a combination of lean ground beef and ground pork to produce a moist, tender texture for this meatloaf. You can use all ground beef but make sure it has at least 15% fat content to make up for the extra fat in the ground pork. The 10% lean would likely make a rather dry meatloaf on its own.
Author: Lynne Webb
Course: Beef
Cuisine: American
Calories: 364kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 128mg, Sodium: 781mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g
Have you made this recipe?Snap a photo and tag @gourmetconnect in your posts. We love to see what you’ve been making!