An Easy American Meatloaf Recipe

This easy American meatloaf recipe is delicious hot with chips or cold with salad. It is easy to make and the barbecue sauce topping makes it extra tasty.

For people of a certain generation the word meatloaf conjures up images of a bat out of hell. It has to be  gone when the morning comes. Indeed google agrees, search for meatloaf and you find mentions of the singer rather than the recipe. Meatloaf is very much an American recipe. I often come across references to a classic American meatloaf in books and films. Smiling mums serve it to their children at the dinner table. It always sounds like something exotic.

In reality meatloaf is a recipe that binds mince with other ingredients to make it go further. This is a common way to stretch out expensive ingredients. Every family has their own recipe with their own secret ingredients for the best taste.

Easy American Meatloaf

Mince is such a versatile meat. I use it to make a range of tasty mid-week meals. Classics like spaghetti bolognese and shepherds pie as well as meatballs and beefburgers. These are easy to make and are always tasty. One thing that I had never tried  is a classic American meatloaf.  The idea of a meat taking on a loaf shape is a novel one but it makes is easy to serve.  Any leftovers can be eaten cold with salad so it is a very versatile dish.

The basic meatloaf recipe calls for ground beef or mince. Breadcrumbs act as a filler combining with the meat and soaking up the juice. Onions and garlic add a little flavour and the addition of an egg binds it all together. Seasoning is a must. Mince by itself can be a little bland and the addition of herbs and spices only enhances the flavour. The final touch for the meatloaf is the glaze. A rich barbecue sauce on the top adds a depth of flavour that perfectly complements the mince.

Easy American Meatloaf Recipe

Easy American Meatloaf

A delicious and tasty American meatloaf recipe

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Ingredients

• 700 g beef mince
• 1 egg
• 1 onion
• 250 ml milk
• 110 g breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 5 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp mustard

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180C Gas Mark 4
• Grease a loaf tin
• Peel and chop the onion into small pieces
• Mix together the mince, breadcrumbs, onion egg and herbs and spices.
• Press the mixture into the loaf tin
• In another bowl mix the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup and pour over the meatloaf
• Place in the oven and cook for an hour

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American meatloaf is very easy to make and is very tasty. It is surprising it is not more commonly made in the UK. I suspect this is a cultural thing. The British are more likely to use mince in a shepherd’s pie. I love the fact that you can eat it cold as well. It is lovely with salad.

Why not pin the recipe to try later?

If you are looking for other recipes you can make with mince then why not try cowboy pie which is a twist on shepherd’s pie.