Make a true Southern Meatloaf Recipe from the 1970s. This has all the classic flavors you don’t get anywhere dining out. Keep reading to learn the best of the best. This is part of our Main Dishes, Ground Beef, and Oven Dinners categories.
Ingredients of This Southern Meatloaf 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. So, the best ground beef is to use the 80/20 ratio. Also, that special Southern meatloaf topping is a combination of ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
Optionally, you can crumble up some crackers or use store bought bread crumbs instead of bread cubes. However, cutting up some regular bread slices into cubes is part of the process for maintaining that homemade taste and still keeping it speedy.
Cutting up a slice of bread for Meatloaf recipes is easy.
How To Make Southern Meatloaf Recipe
This is literally a matter of putting all the ingredients into a single bowl and mixing it together by hand. Wash those hands first, of course.
Step 1. Literally just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl by hand.
Then, just shape it into a cast iron skillet or any popular casserole dish or loaf pan. You then just bake it and put the topping on it a few minutes before the end.
Step 2. Shape the ground beef mixture into a skillet, loaf pan, or casserole dish for baking.
One big tip: Make sure you let it sit (unsliced) for about 10 minutes when it’s done and out of the oven. That helps a lot on keeping it to hold together!
Southern 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). So, 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.
Step 3. Bake for 1 hour (375oF) or for 1 1/2 hours (350oF). For the final 10 minutes, spread on the topping.
Step 4. About 10 minutes before baking time ends, spread on the special Southern Meatloaf Topping. See recipe for easy details.
Also, 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.
What should the internal temperature of a classic meatloaf be?
160o F is a good standard internal temperature for a cooked meatloaf.
Classic Meatloaf in Air Fryer
You can make this Southern 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 2 Pounds Meatloaf or More
Easily tap our built-in <Recipe Resizer> selector to double or triple this 1 pound meatloaf recipe. Or, you can tap the <Servings> button and base it on that! Also, it has some other selections for even larger ones. Just keep in mind, it will need some longer baking time for these larger recipes.
What Are Best Sides With Southern Meatloaf?
There are loads of side dishes that go well with meatloaf. So, keep reading to see an easy list with recipe links if needed.
There are all kinds of sides that go great with Meatloaf. However, for Southern Meatloaf, there are some that pair better.
- Firstly, mashed potatoes are the most popular side dish for meatloaf.
- Secondly, green beans and corn are the next most popular meatloaf sides.
- 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
- Cooked Cabbage or Southern Cooked Cabbage
- Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
- French fries from the Air Fryer
Cornbread Sides for Meatloaf
- Large 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread – 12 slices
- Average size 10 inch Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread – 8 good slices
- Small size 6 inch Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread – 4 slices
- Sweet Cornbread Muffins – 6 or 7 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”. Also, 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.
Nutrition of Old Fashioned Southern Meatloaf
This old fashioned Southern meatloaf recipe has about 488 calories and is low on trans fats. Check out all the detailed nutritional values in the recipe card itself.
Southern traditional Meatloaf that holds together for serving.
Conclusion of Southern Meatloaf Recipe
This is Southern Meatloaf Recipe is one of the easiest main courses you can make. So, plan on making it for a super menu change. It’s easy to prepare it and bake it the next day. Also, you can easily use any leftover ground beef that’s thawed out to make this Stroganoff Ground Beef Recipe for dinner the day after the meatloaf. Finally, learn more about ground beef from Wikipedia.
Southern Recipe for Meatloaf
Recipe Resizer
Tap to change Ingredients Size or Nbr of Servings
Keep Screen Active
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 & drain any excess oils. Both reasons keep it holding together later. Then, cut and serve.