Old Fashioned Recipe for Meatloaf
This is an old fashioned recipe for meatloaf southern style, using fresh ingredients and easy spices. Incredible taste.
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).
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.
Meatloaf Recipe Old Fashioned Southern
Ingredients
Main 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
Topping Ingredients (Meatloaf Glaze)
- 4 tbsp Catsup
- ½ tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Mix main ingredients thoroughly by hand. Place into a greased loaf pan or iron skillet.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, ¼ medium sweet onion
- Bake at 375⁰ in center rack about 50 minutes. When using a small cast iron skillet, cover top with foil. For a loaf pan, leave it uncovered. If using the "Recipe Resizer", be prepared to add an additional 5-10 minutes per pound of ground beef added.
- After initial baking time, drain the grease, add the mixed topping ingredients, and bake 10 more minutes uncovered. Meatloaf generally should be about 160°F internal temp.4 tbsp Catsup, ½ tbsp brown sugar, ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- MUST let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Then, cut and serve.
Notes
What should the internal temperature of a meatloaf be?
160o 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 375oF or 350oF, the time duration can vary between 1 hour (at 375oF) to 1 hour and 30 minutes (at 350oF). 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 150oF 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:
- Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Baked Potatoes
- Green Beans in a Skillet (fast)
- Potatoes with Green Beans
- Corn on the Cob (grilled)
- Corn on the Cob (oven)
- Asparagus with Cherry Tomatoes
- Southern Cooked Cabbage (fast)
- Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
- Cornbread Muffins
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.
Old Fashioned Recipe for Meatloaf Ingredients
Many people did use bread cubes (instead of oatmeal or today’s bread crumbs). It was a good use for stale bread, which is where this came from. People also used to use stale bread for making their own croutons for salads. In this case, it mixed well with ground beef. Homes always had ground beef available because it was so much cheaper than roasts and it was great for children’s favorite dishes. Thus, the era of faster, money-saving home cooking with Hamburger Helper. These are all the reasons this validates this as a true original old fashioned southern recipe for meatloaf.






Nutritional Values of Meatloaf
The nutritional values are shown in the <Print Recipe> option.
Conclusion
Visit DarnGoodRecipes.com™ often for other recipes and related blog articles. And also try this Stroganoff Ground Beef Recipe.
Click here to learn about ground beef from Wikipedia.