Comforting and delicious southern meatloaf recipe!
Ground meat combined with evaporated milk, oats, butter, and spices. This traditional southern meatloaf is brought to you with authenticity of a true southerner. There is no holding back on the butter, milk, and eggs!
Southern Meatloaf Recipe
In my honest opinion, this is the best meatloaf recipe! It is actually one of my favorite things to eat at country restaurants and I can honestly say this recipe nails it with flavor and texture.
The best meatloaf recipe!
A wise woman once said to me "there are as many meatloaf recipes as there are cooks!" I honestly can agree with that statement. When we were discussing meatloaf recipes, she gave me some tips and I am sharing those with you!
There are a few key tips when making this recipe so be sure to read the ingredients and method prior to breaking it down in the kitchen.
TRUTH: This might be the end of your journey when it comes to finding the best meatloaf recipe (I'm warning ya)! It is made with real butter, finely minced onions, and obviously ground meat of choice.
Turkey vs Beef
This is a dietary preference. I love how southern meatloaf tastes with ground beef because of the tender end result. But with the detailed turkey recipe listed below, you can achieve the same texture. Please avoid buying grass fed beef if you are not accustomed to the flavor of it.
What kind of ground beef to use
- Avoid Grass Fed (unless you like the flavor)
- 80/20 will give you better results for meatloaf
- Organic Beef is okay to use as long as it is not grass fed (I really don't like the flavor of grass fed meat)
Ingredients
- Ground Beef (80/20) or Turkey
- evaporated milk (not sweetened)
- celery
- onion
- quick oats
- breadcrumbs
- salt
- pepper
- butter
- eggs
- worchestire sauce
- tomato puree
- brown sugar
- garlic (optional-I do not add any but my husband does)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the ground meat
- Add the ground meat and softly mic it together. Do not over knead
- Place the meatloaf in a pan
- Cover with foil paper and cook in the oven
- Remove the foil and top with the tomato mixture
- Cook again
- Let it cool down for about 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving with a vegetable mash such as mashed potatoes.
Pictured Instructions
combine all ingredients except meat 
add the meat to the combined ingredients 
softly mix it together and form it in a pan
Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
📖 Recipe
TURKEY MEATLOAF
Ingredients
TOPPING SAUCE
- 12 oz tomato sauce (use tomato puree for a thicker consistency)
- ½ cup brown sugar
MEATLOAF
- 2 lb ground turkey
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats (quick or regular)
- 2 tablespoon worchestire sauce
- 1 medium onion, very finely diced/chopped (can be food processed)
- 2 ribs celery, very finely diced/chopped
- 6 oz evaporated milk ("unsweetened" condensed milk) can substitute with milk of choice
- salt
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
TOPPING SAUCE
- Combine the tomato sauce/puree with sugar and microwave or heat on a stove top until the sugar has melted.
- Set it aside
MEATLOAF
- Mix all of the ingredients for the meatloaf together, except the ground meat.
- Stir and combine the ingredients well and then add the ground meat to the bowl.
- With a very light hand combine the meat and the ingredients together. KEY TIP: use a very soft/light hand when mixing.
- Place the mixture into a meatloaf/bread pan and gently press down. Again, using a very soft hand.
- Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
- Uncover the foil, cover the meatloaf with the Topping Sauce, and place the meatloaf back in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes.
- Slice/cut and serve with the reserved topping sauce.
Beef Meatloaf Recipe
📖 Recipe
Beef Meatloaf
Ingredients
TOPPING SAUCE
- 12 oz tomato puree (sauce works as a substitute but will not be as thick)
- ½ cup brown sugar
BEEF MEATLOAF
- 2 lb ground beef (80% lean, 20% fat)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- ½ cup old fashioned oats (quick or rolled)
- 2 tablespoon worchestire sauce
- 1 medium onion, dice or food processed extra small
- 2 celery ribs, finely diced
- 6 oz evaporated milk ("unsweetened" condensed milk) can substitute with milk of choice
- salt
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
TOPPING SAUCE
- Combine the ingredients and either microwave or heat on a stovetop until the sugar has melted.
- TIP: If using tomato sauce, be sure to condense to a thicker consistency.
- Set it aside.
MEATLOAF
- Mix all of the ingredients for the meatloaf together, except the ground meat.
- Combine the ingredients well.
- Slowly add the ground meat and mix very gently. KEY: Mix it very lightly
- Place the mixture into a meatloaf/bread pan and gently press down. Again, using a very soft hand.
- Cover the meatloaf tightly with foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Uncover the foil, top with the Topping Sauce (I use about half, but you can use more) and place the meatloaf back in the oven for an additional 25-30 minutes.
- Let the meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Cut serve with the reserved topping sauce.
Notes
- If using a leaner beef, then double the butter and oil quantity.
Mini Meatloaf Option
If you want to make mini muffin meatloafs, then cut the cooking time in half or less. Overcooking them, can lead to dry meatloaf.
scoop into a muffin tin and bake 
top with tomato mixture and cook again
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