The secret to making amazing classic meatloaf is to use a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage, plus plenty of finely chopped herbs and vegetables to keep every bite moist and flavorful.

Topped with the best sweet and tangy glaze, this classic meatloaf recipe is pure homemade comfort.

"I tried this last night and I am over the moon with how flavorful it was. I loved that it contained vegetables and fresh herbs! My husband could not stop going on about how good it was. I will certainly be making this again." -Toni

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

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.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

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.

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!

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Recipe: The Best Classic Meatloaf

This recipe was originally published on alittleandalot.com.

• 3-4 slices bread (enough for 1 & ¼ cups bread crumbs)
• 1 carrot, peeled, ends trimmed, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 rib celery, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 3 teaspoon dry Italian Seasoning
• ¾ cup fresh Italian parsley
• 2 -3 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or grape seed oil
• 1 cup ketchup, divided
• 2 tablespoon + ½ cup dijon mustard, divided
• 16 ounces ground beef, at least 90% lean
• 8 ounces Italian sausage, hot (spicy) or sweet (mild)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco or hot sauce (optional, to taste)
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F (204° C).
2. Add the bread slices to a food processor and process them into fine crumbs. Measure out 1 ¼ cups and add them to a large bowl.
3. Put the carrot, celery, and onion pieces into the food processor along with the garlic cloves, Italian Seasoning, Italian parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Pulse until all the vegetables are finely minced.
4. Add the oil to a skillet and add the chopped vegetables. Set the skillet over medium heat. Once the veggies start to sizzle, cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until the mixture has dried out a bit and the vegetables are just beginning to brown. Add them to the bowl with the bread crumbs. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add ½ cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of dijon, ground beef, Italian Sausage, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, and a couple of dashes of Tabasco (optional) to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. (I like to use my hands to mix the ingredients together, but use a large spoon if you like.)
6. Test the meatloaf mix for seasoning: 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. This will help you know if you need to add more salt, pepper or Tabasco.
7. To bake meatloaf in a meatloaf pan: Add the meatloaf mixture to the pan and use your fingers to press it into an even layer.
8. To bake meatloaf in a broiler pan: Line the bottom of the pan with foil and spray the broiler rack with non-stick spray for easy clean-up. Dump the meatloaf mixture onto the broiler rack and shape it into a loaf that's approximately 8-9 inches long and 4-5 inches wide. Pat together with your hands so it forms a cohesive, sturdy loaf.
9. In a small bowl, stir the remaining ½ cup of ketchup with the remaining ½ cup of dijon mustard and brown sugar. Add a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce if you like. Spread about ⅔ of the glaze over the top of the meatloaf, spreading it all the way to the edges.
10. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the remaining glaze over the top of the meatloaf. Bake for another 25-35 minutes, until a meat thermometer plunged into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees.
11. Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe Notes

What Kind of Pan is Best for Cooking Meatloaf?

I like to bake meatloaf in either a loaf pan that's specifially designed to cook meatloaf, or 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.

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 world after all.

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Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com