My Dad's Favorite Meatloaf
Make the best meatloaf ever with ground beef and pork sausage plus a base of minced carrots, onions, celery, and seasonings. Homemade meatloaf is a staple, so keep this classic recipe on hand.
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- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 15 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 celery rib, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green onion, including the green onion greens
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
- 2 teaspoon salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2/3 cup ketchup, divided 1/3 and 1/3
- 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (chuck)
- 3/4 pound of spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links)
- 2 large eggs, beaten slightly
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (take a couple slices of fresh bread and pulse in a blender until you have crumbs)
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- 1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
- 2
Melt the butter in a large, thick-bottomed skillet, on medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the finely chopped onions, celery, carrot, green onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender, stirring every so often. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup ketchup. Cook for another minute and remove from heat to cool.
- 3
Once the vegetables have cooled to the touch, place them in a large bowl with the ground beef, Italian sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs and parsley. Use your (very clean) hands to mix them together until everything is evenly distributed.
- 4
Place the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan (either 4-x 8-inch or 5- x 9-inch) and press to make compact in the pan. Or you can form a free-standing loaf onto a rimmed baking pan. Cover the meatloaf mixture with the rest of the ketchup.
- 5
Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf reads 155°F. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to gently lift the meatloaf out of the loaf pan to a serving plate.
- 6
Cut into thick slices to serve. The meatloaf makes great leftovers, just chill and reheat. Slices are good in sandwiches as well. Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!