Easy Family Favorite Meatloaf

My family LOVES this meatloaf!  Okay, I know this seems so... old school... but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  All I know is that when my husband comes home after a long day and finds this cooking, I can almost see the stress of the day visibly melting off of him.  And it's not just him.  The kids love it, too.  Trust me, when I find something that we all love, it's a definite winner!

There are still six of us at home these days, and this super easy gluten free recipe feeds us all!  I usually have one big fat piece left over for someone's lunch.  You can literally throw this together in like, ten minutes with mostly pantry ingredients.  The cooking time gives you a chance to help with homework, fix other sides, catch up on your social media, fold a load of laundry, etc.  You get the point.  Throw it in the oven and do other stuff while it cooks and smells up the kitchen with AMAZING smells.  I adapted the following recipe a bit to suit the pantry needs and tastes of our family.  It's a homerun every time! 

#supereasy #glutenfree

Adapted from YummyHealthyEasy.com

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Ingredients: (serves 6-8)

Meatloaf

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion, cooked in microwave 
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• I use the restaurant style pepper
• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke

Glaze Topping

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1/8 tsp liquid smoke 

Step-by-Step - 

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. 

Mix together all the ingredients for the meatloaf in a large bowl.

2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup diced onions, frozen (see note below)

*I always keep frozen diced onions in the freezer for quick meal prep.  To prepare this recipe, I added about 1 Tbsp water to these and microwaved them for about 2 minutes.  Drain any excess water.  This effectively "cooked" the onions without adding any extra fat or calories.

1/2 cup cooked, diced onions

1/2 tsp restaurant black pepper

1 Tsp kosher salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

3/4 cup quick oats

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 large eggs

1 tsp liquid smoke

 Using your hands, gently mix all the ingredients together.  Do not overmix.  You don't want it to be tough.

Form the meatloaf in the greased loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the glaze and pour over the meatloaf.

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/8 tsp liquid smoke

Spread evenly and place the meatloaf in the preheated oven.

 *I have one child who does not like the glaze, so I leave it off of one piece.  You do what you need to do for your family, right? 😌

Bake for around 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through.

Let cool for several minutes prior to slicing.   It's not the most beautiful dish ever, but it sure does taste good!  It's so tender that it literally falls apart.

Here are some bonus "comfort" recipes:
Zuppa Toscana (copy cat of Olive Garden's recipe)

Crock Pot Pork Chops

Man Chili

Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup

Cheater Cheater Chicken and Dumplings

To find out more about the MenuMusings Cookbook -

Click here to find out more - 

Written Method - 

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.  

Mix together all the ingredients for the meatloaf in a large bowl.

Using your hands, gently mix all the ingredients together.  Do not overmix.  You don't want it to be tough.  

Form the meatloaf in the greased loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the glaze and pour over the meatloaf.  

Spread evenly and place the meatloaf in the preheated oven.  Bake for around 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through.  Let cool for several minutes prior to slicing.