The Best Meatloaf I've Ever Made
Meatloaf made with ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and garlic. Baked in a loaf pan and topped with a mixture of ketchup and tomato sauce.
Meatloaf made with ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and garlic. Baked in a loaf pan and topped with a mixture of ketchup and tomato sauce.
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
- 3 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup milk (optional)
- 3 slices bread toasted and crumbled
- 7 buttery round crackers crushed
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce divided
- Carbohydrate 2.32747572775271 g
- Cholesterol 57.5450580552568 mg
- Fat 16.5087023216848 g
- Fiber 0.172854056384924 g
- Protein 13.30277678372 g
- Saturated Fat 6.66555251853038 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (93g)
- Sodium 495.176671891328 mg
- Sugar 2.15462167136779 g
- Trans Fat 2.39930740291094 g
- Calories 214 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic 5 minutes, until onion is tender. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, mix the onion and garlic, beef, crumbled bread, crushed crackers, egg, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 can tomato sauce. Gradually stir in the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until mixture is moist, but not soggy. Transfer the mixture to a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and continue baking 15 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining tomato sauce and ketchup. Pour over the top of the meatloaf, and continue baking 10 minutes.
Building the Panade and Managing Moisture
Why does ground beef seize up and release a pool of gray water in the oven? Meat proteins tighten under heat, squeezing out internal liquids unless a panade traps them. Combining toasted bread, crushed crackers, milk, and sour cream creates this protective matrix. Cook the minced onion and garlic in butter over medium heat for five minutes first. Raw alliums introduce excess surface water and retain an acrid bite, whereas sautéed aromatics soften evenly. Extra-lean ground beef lacks fat, making dairy fats from sour cream essential for mouthfeel. Mix the binders gently before adding the meat to prevent tough protein bonds.
Baking Stages and Glaze Chemistry
Baking begins at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for forty minutes to cook the interior safely. Raising the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for fifteen minutes renders remaining surface fat and browns the exterior crust. Combining tomato sauce and ketchup forms the final topping. Apply this glaze during the last ten minutes of baking so the sugars caramelize without burning. Ground beef must reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit before slicing.
