Mom's Meatloaf with a brown sugar glaze is tender, juicy, and packed with flavor! And I think one of the most comforting of homecooked family dinners you can get. An easy, comforting meal that is quick to prepare and cheap to make. Serve this meatloaf with some mashed potatoes, buttered veggies, and maybe a side of gravy - and you have a dinner the whole family will love.
Mix the ingredients for the brown sugar glaze together and set to one side.¾ cup tomato ketchup 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 3 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon onion powder
Make the meatloaf
Grate the onions and garlic into a large mixing bowl.1 large onion 2 garlic cloves
Add in the breadcrumbs and mix well.1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
Add the remaining ingredients except for the oil into the bowl and use your hands to mix well.2 lb ground beef 2 eggs 2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce ¼ cup tomato ketchup 2 beef bouillon cubes ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley/chives 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon black pepper
Squeeze gently and form the mixture into a loaf shape, smoothing over any cracks.
Grease your loaf tin with oil. (see note 6 for sizes).1 teaspoon oil
Transfer your meat to the oiled loaf tin and brush it with about ⅓ of the glaze.
Cook in the oven for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, remove from the oven, and if there is excess fat in the tin, gently pour it away.
Brush the meatloaf with ⅓ more of the glaze and cook for another 30 minutes.
Let it stand for 10 minutes before carefully turning it out.
Brush the meatloaf with the remaining glaze and cut into slices for serving.
Notes
I like to use a standard brown onion, but a white, yellow or red onion will work.
Italian breadcrumbs have so much flavor, but you can substitute them with regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs.
Tomato ketchup adds moisture and flavor to the meatloaf. BBQ sauce will also work.
I use beef OXO cubes, which I crumble in the packet before I unwrap them, but any crumbly beef stock cube will work. Alternativly, use 2 teaspoon of a beef bouillon powder. Or use 2 teaspoon of 'Better than bouillon' paste but whisk it into the ketchup to help it mix throughout the meat. (beef/mushroom/vegetable/roasted onion are all good in this)
Any oil will work here; it is just to grease the loaf pan lightly.
My loaf tin is 9x5x2.5" (23x13x6 cm). Anything around this size will work well.