This meatloaf recipe has been in my family for years. My grandmother actually added it to the cookbook she created which compiled some of her favorite recipes and she is an amazing cook! Although meatloaf is a more old-fashioned food, or so one of my former co-workers told me one time, we grew up eating this with a few special substitutions.
For instance, instead of breadcrumbs, we have always used one sleeve of crushed regular Ritz crackers (I use Aldi brand since that’s what I usually have on hand and it’s so much cheaper). The other thing that my Mom used to do when she made this growing up was she would pour homemade barbecue sauce on top. My husband loves it with the bbq sauce so that’s how I always make it now. What can I say? We are Texan and love everything topped with bbq sauce especially the kind made from scratch. The recipe calls for ketchup too but if I’m running out, I will just sub in some bbq sauce since I usually have a batch made and in the fridge.
I could never find the “Accent” spice (that the original recipe requires) in the store so I have always used Hamburger Deluxe which is basically a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. I’m sure you could just throw some salt and pepper in there and it would still taste delicious if you don’t have this spice or anything similar on hand. I also make my own Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix from scratch and store it in a glass container for recipes like these that call for it. It is cheaper, lasts a lot longer, doesn’t contain preservatives like the packaged kind, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand so I can always whip up a batch quickly if needed for a recipe.
This meatloaf recipe is super easy. All you have to do is mix up the ingredients in a bowl, put it in a pan, shape into a loaf, and stick it in the oven. It’s always best to mix it with your hands so I usually take the ring off of my right hand and use that one so I have a free hand to turn on hot water and pour soap when I’m finished mixing. Your hand will also get freezing cold with the cold ingredients so here’s your warning, haha.
I have never used a loaf pan for my meatloaf. I grew up always using a casserole pan, and I don’t even know if all of it would fit in a loaf pan. It would probably be nice if it fit in one of those special meatloaf pans that lets all the grease drain out but I’m not going to spend money on one of those anytime soon so if you use one of those let me know how it works!
Ann Lander’s World Famous Meatloaf
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (or 1 ½ cups bread crumbs)
¾ cup ketchup
1 tsp. Accent or Hamburger Deluxe (spice)
½ cup warm water
1 pkg. Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix (I make my own)
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce (or bbq sauce to pour over top)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix all ingredients except tomato sauce thoroughly.
Put into loaf pan and shape into a loaf shape.
Pour tomato sauce or bbq sauce over the top.
Bake for 1 hour and enjoy!
An easy side that I like to serve with this meatloaf is Bacon Green Beans. I did not grow up eating practically any type of vegetables so all the veggies I make now are either a recipe I pulled off of the internet, or an attempt at copying a recipe I’ve tasted, or sometimes it’s even just something I’ve made up along the way.
This recipe is a mixture of all of the above. I finally found something the kids will eat (normally) and it always changes depending on what ingredients I have on hand. It is super affordable and easy though so it’s been a great staple side vegetable to add to recipes.
Basically, I start with a few slices of bacon and I chop them up. Hello, I’m a Texan and a Southerner so while this doesn’t have bbq sauce in it (sad face), it does have bacon because everything tastes better with bacon. I basically always have bacon on hand or in the freezer because it’s that important for some my recipes haha.
So, anyway, I chop up a few slices of bacon and sauté them in a skillet with an onion that has been chopped as well. I cook this until the bacon is cooked through and the onion is caramelized, maybe about 10 minutes? Honestly, I have no idea since I just cook until it looks good. Then I add 2 to 3 cans of cut green beans (drained) and let it cook until it is heated through.
Honestly, I hate using canned ingredients because the aluminum can leach into your food but that’s all that Aldi has most of the time and it has a long shelf life so it works for me. I use frozen green beans when I have them on hand but fresh green beans work too.
Sometimes if I don’t feel like making any other side to go with meatloaf, I will chop and cook a couple of potatoes and add them into the green beans as well. The mini red potatoes are the best though since they won’t get mashed up but they are also more expensive so I don’t normally have them on hand. That’s why I usually just peel, dice, and boil a couple of potatoes.
You can add as much or as little bacon and onions as you want and as many green beans as you want. Just add salt and pepper to taste and it’s ready to eat. It’s a pretty budget friendly recipe that tastes pretty dang good!
Bacon Green Beans
4 slices of bacon
1 onion
2-3 cans of cut green beans, drained (frozen or fresh work too)
Salt & Pepper
Heat large skillet over medium heat.
Chop the bacon and onion into approximately one-inch pieces.
Add to skillet and sauté for 10 minutes or until onion is transparent/caramelized and bacon is cooked through.
Add green beans and stir. Cook for 10 min or until heated through. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Optional: Add a couple of diced potatoes(cooked) or a few small red potatoes(cooked) to make stretch the ingredients a little more. Enjoy!
