Old Fashioned Recipe for Meatloaf

Name: Meatloaf Recipe Old Fashioned Southern
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef; 1 tbsp brown sugar; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp garlic powder; ¼ tsp ground black pepper; 1 large egg; 1 slices bread (cubed); ¼ medium sweet onion (chopped fine); 4 tbsp Catsup; ½ tbsp brown sugar; ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce (optional)

About This Meatloaf Recipe Southern Style

This is a meatloaf recipe southern style and is adapted from the 1970s. That makes this the original classic recipe for meatloaf, I suppose. I watched my mother make it in the 1960s and I was deep in a food services career in the 1970s. It is a true old fashioned recipe and you will not experience it dining out. It uses individual spices, real diced onions, and bread cubes from bread (not canned bread crumbs).

This recipe is rich with blended flavors that most people never experienced from a meatloaf.

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Meatloaf Recipe Old Fashioned Southern RECIPE

It’s from a time when family living became very busy, time was of the essence, and the desire to maintain homemade flavors for dinner was strong. Using only simple ingredients, it’s rich in flavor because of the real onions, egg, and bread cubes. Yes, it will taste very different if you use store bought bread crumbs instead of bread cubes. Just grab some bread slices and cut up some cubes, like crouton size. It’s all a part of the process for maintaining that homemade taste and still keeping it speedy.

What should the internal temperature of a meatloaf be?

160^o F is a good standard internal temperature for a cooked meatloaf.

Meatloaf Temp and Time

How long does it take to cook a meatloaf? When using either 375^oF or 350^oF, the time duration can vary between 1 hour (at 375^oF) to 1 hour and 30 minutes (at 350^oF). You can use the “Recipe Resizer” for a larger meatloaf. Be prepared to add an additional 5-10 minutes per pound of ground beef added. Also, some baking containers tend to cause the need for increased baking time so, be prepared for that possibility.

Don’t forget the needed rest time of 10 minutes. I know it’s tempting but, it will help the meatloaf to become a bit more solidified for serving.

Meatloaf in Air Fryer

You can make this recipe for meatloaf in air fryer or oven. If making it in an air fryer, the benefit is that you don’t have to drain the excess oil, as it drips through the perforated holes. Be aware that the air fryer cook time might be reduced about 5 to 10 minutes total so you can check the internal temp with your air fryer to determine your final time. When it approaches about 150^oF internal temp, it’s time to add the topping.

Recipe for 2lb Meatloaf or 3lb or More

Yes, your can use our built-in <Recipe Resizer> selector to double this 1lb recipe to become a recipe for 2lb Meatloaf. And it has some other selections for even larger ones. Just keep in mind, it will need some added baking time for these larger recipes.

What are best sides with meatloaf?

There are loads of side dishes that go well with meatloaf. Here they are as an easy list with recipe links if needed:

What makes this classic meatloaf recipe old fashioned?

Older Meatloaf Recipe Names

It uses some particular items that were commonly used decades ago that were in mostly everyone’s kitchen. Some refer to these meatloaf recipes under different terms such as “meatloaf recipe ketchup”. Others might refer to it as “meatloaf recipe brown sugar”. There are a number of meatloaf recipes oatmeal, but not everyone used oatmeal (oats) in it. Some did and it was somewhat popular also.