How to Cook Grass Fed Ground Beef Meat Loaf

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Our classic meatloaf recipe is comfort food you can feel good about. It's tender, flavorful, and easy to put together, with only 10 minutes of hands-on time. It's weeknight friendly, but totally dinner party-worthy, too. Don't miss it.

Why we love this recipe

Our classic meatloaf recipe is a family favorite that telegraphs love and coziness without unnecessary heaviness. It's:

• Cozy andcomforting
• Reasonably lean, yet super-satisfying
• Tender andflavorful
• Quick andeasy to make
• Prep-ahead friendly, and makes great leftovers

What you'll need

Here's a glance at the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe.

• My favorite ground beef to use for classic meatloaf is 90% lean grass-fed and -finished beef. 90% has enough fat to be tender and flavorful but not so much that it gets messy. Grass-fed beef has tons of flavor and is better for animal welfare, the environment, and your bod.
• If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, use GF breadcrumbs and a GF brand of Worcestershire sauce. To make it dairy-free, you can sub chicken or beef broth for the milk.
• Herbes de Provence are a beautiful blend that typically includes thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and/or bay leaf. It quickly elevates a simple recipe like this one. We use it a lot on this site — you can type it into the search bar to find more ways to use it.

Our favorite sources for meat

For years, I've been sourcing our meat from Butcher Box. We love this curated meat delivery service, which provides grass-finished beef, heritage breed pork, organic chicken, and more from small farms direct to the customer. You can learn more in my extensive Butcher Box review and unboxing.

More recently, we've also become big fans of Cooks Venture for chicken.

How to make it

Here's what you'll do to make this recipe shine. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

1. Sautéing the onions in a little bit of olive oil as the first step (a smart move inspired by the Barefoot Contessa) adds a beautiful depth and mellowness to the final product.
2. After that, you'll mix together all the ingredients except the beef and half the ketchup in a large mixing bowl. Then add the beef and fold it in gently but thoroughly, until the mixture is fairly homogenous but without compacting the meat. This yields a nice light, tender result.
3. Shape the mixture into a loaf on a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan. The more even the shape, the more even the cooking. Brush it with the remaining ketchup.
4. Bake in the center of a 350°F oven for about an hour, until the internal temperature reaches 155° to 160°F.

Expert tips and FAQs

What type of ground beef is best in this recipe?

My favorite ground beef to use for classic meatloaf is 90% lean grass-fed and -finished beef. 90% has enough fat to be tender and flavorful but not so much that it gets messy. Grass-fed beef has tons of flavor and is better for animal welfare, the environment, and your bod.

Can I make this recipe gluten-free and dairy-free?

You sure can. For gluten-free meatloaf, use gluten-free breadcrumbs, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. To make it dairy-free, you can substitute chicken or beef broth for the milk. You don't need to make any further changes.

Can I make it in advance?

You can prep the meatloaf at any time during the day, cover it with foil, and pop into the refrigerator. Spread the ketchup on top just before cooking. You can bake the loaf directly from the fridge — but you may need to add a few minutes to the baking time to compensate for the cold.

How should I store leftovers?

Meatloaf makes great leftovers. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week and reheat or eat in sandwiches. Or slice, wrap well, and freeze for up to three months.

How to serve it

Here are some of our favorite side dishes to serve with meatloaf.

• Mashed potatoes or creamy mashed cauliflower
• Broccolini
• Buttermilk cornbread muffins
• Steakhouse creamed spinach
• Kale salad
• Southern-style collards
• Mac and cheese (Instant Pot or baked)

More great recipes with ground beef

• Shake Shack burgers
• Ground beef tacos
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Bacon weave & blue cheese burgers

Love a good loaf?

Us too. Here are two more of our favorites:

• BBQ meatloaf with ground turkey
• Nut loaf (classic vegetarian meatloaf)

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (56 grams) dry Italian breadcrumbs
• ½ cup (136 grams) ketchup
• ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
• 2 pounds (907 grams) ground beef (90% lean)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
2. Warm the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to become translucent, about five minutes. Cool slightly.
4. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the remaining salt, the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of the ketchup, the milk, the Worcestershire sauce, the herbs, and the cooked onions. Mix well.
5. Add the ground beef. Use a rubber spatula to gently but thoroughly fold the ingredients together, mixing without compressing the meat. This will help keep the meatloaf light and tender.
6. Line a rimmed half sheet pan or other large baking dish with parchment.
7. Turn out the meatloaf mixture into the center of the pan and shape it into an even loaf.
8. Spread the remaining ¼ cup of ketchup over the top of the loaf.
9. Bake for about an hour, until the internal temperature is between 155° and 160°F.
10. Let rest for at least five minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

1. My favorite ground beef to use for classic meatloaf is 90% lean grass-fed and -finished beef. 90% has enough fat to be tender and flavorful but not so much that it gets messy. Grass-fed beef has tons of flavor and is better for animal welfare, the environment, and your bod.
2. To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs and Worcestershire sauce. To make it dairy-free, you can substitute chicken or beef broth for the milk.
3. If evening time is a factor, you can prep the meatloaf earlier in the day, cover it with foil and pop into the refrigerator. Brush with the ketchup just before cooking. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time.
4. Meatloaf makes great leftovers. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week and reheat or eat in sandwiches. Or slice, wrap well, and freeze for up to three months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 400 Total Fat: 23g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 12g Cholesterol: 148mg Sodium: 932mg Carbohydrates: 12g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 5g Protein: 34g

Welcome! I'm Carolyn Gratzer Cope, and Umami Girl is your guide to a life well-lived. UG is a lifestyle site for curious, thoughtful people who seek to make every day a little special and have a great time doing it. We're brimming with real talk about the things that matter most — family, food, home, and adventure — and I hope you'll love digging in. Read More…

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