Try this meatloaf recipe or contribute your own.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
- 3 slices bread toasted and crumbled
- 7 buttery round crackers crushed
- 3 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce divided
- 1/4 cup milk (optional)
- Carbohydrate 29.2521087330326 g
- Cholesterol 690.540696663081 mg
- Fat 198.124427860218 g
- Fiber 2.15824867280439 g
- Protein 159.88772140464 g
- Saturated Fat 79.9901902223646 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1126g)
- Sodium 5942.80006269594 mg
- Sugar 27.0938600602282 g
- Trans Fat 28.7977288349312 g
- Calories 2574 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic 5 minutes, until onion is tender. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, mix the onion and garlic, beef, crumbled bread, crushed crackers, egg, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 can tomato sauce. Gradually stir in the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until mixture is moist, but not soggy. Transfer the mixture to a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and continue baking 15 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining tomato sauce and ketchup. Pour over the top of the meatloaf, and continue baking 10 minutes.
Overmixing ground meat remains the single most common error cooks commit when preparing loaves, resulting in a dense, rubbery texture rather than a tender slice. When binders like breadcrumbs, crackers, and dairy are incorporated into extra-lean beef, gentle handling ensures the protein strands do not tighten prematurely. By treating the meat with minimal agitation, pockets of air remain intact, allowing the moisture from the sour cream and milk to distribute evenly throughout the 5x9 inch pan without compressing the mixture into a dense brick.
The Science of Freezing and Reheating
Leftover portions freeze exceptionally well when wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored inside a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to three months. Thawing the loaf entirely in the refrigerator overnight prevents uneven heating in the center during the subsequent warm-up phase. When bringing the chilled slices back to serving temperature, cover the baking dish with foil in a 325 degrees F oven for 20 minutes to retain moisture before removing the cover to crisp the exterior glaze.
Adjusting Yields for Smaller Households
Scaling this formulation down requires careful attention to the egg and liquid ratios, as halving a single egg proves difficult unless beaten thoroughly and measured by volume. Dividing the base mixture into a muffin tin creates individual portions that bake in roughly 25 minutes at 350 degrees F while yielding built-in portion control for single-serving meal prep. Extra-lean beef shrinks less during high-heat finishing phases compared to higher fat percentages, meaning your yield remains remarkably consistent whether baked as one large centerpiece or split into smaller vessels.
