Grandma’s Southern Meatloaf
Grandma’s Southern Meatloaf is an easy, old-fashioned recipe made with ground beef, crackers, onion and ketchup for a tender, comforting family dinner.
Grandma’s Southern Meatloaf is the kind of old-fashioned dinner so many of us grew up eating: ground beef mixed with crushed crackers, eggs, onion, simple seasonings, and ketchup, baked until tender and topped with a generous layer of good old-fashioned ketchup. No fancy glaze. No unusual ingredients. Just meatloaf like Mom used to make.
Isn't it funny how so many of us groaned when we heard it was meatloaf night as kids? Then we grew up. Now meatloaf is comfort food. It's nostalgic. And restaurants put it on their menus as a house specialty and charge accordingly.
Grandma would have been so proud.
The Meatloaf I Remember
My mom's meatloaf was delicious and very much like this recipe.She made it with ground beef, eggs, onion, crushed crackers or sometimes oats, and simple seasonings. There was usually some ketchup or tomato sauce mixed into the meatloaf to keep it moist. And the top?
Ketchup.
That's it. No brown sugar. No elaborate glaze. Just a generous coating of ketchup that baked along with the meatloaf. There's something about ketchup after it spends all that time in the oven. It thickens and concentrates, getting a little darker and almost sticky around the edges. Those edges might be my favorite part.
Why You'll Love This Old-Fashioned Meatloaf
This isn't a restaurant meatloaf that's trying to reinvent itself.
It's the kind we remember from home.
- Simple, inexpensive ingredients
- Crushed saltine crackers instead of breadcrumbs
- Ketchup mixed into the meat for moisture
- Plenty of ketchup baked on top
- Easy to make in a loaf pan or baking dish
- Wonderful with mashed potatoes and vegetables
- Freezes beautifully by the slice
It's an easy Sunday dinner, but it's simple enough for a weeknight, too.
Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a peek at what you're going to need. These are simple ingredients you might already have in your pantry or refrigerator.
- 2 pounds ground beef
- ¾ cup finely crushed saltine crackers
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- ½ cup ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder, optional
- Additional ketchup for the top
How to Make Grandma’s Southern Meatloaf
This is a simple process, time-tested. . .and Grandma approved!
1. Prepare the pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a standard loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
You can also make the meatloaf in a larger baking dish. More on that in a minute—and there's a very good reason you might want to.
2. Mix the meatloaf
Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Add the crushed saltines, eggs, diced onion, ½ cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, if using.
Mix everything together gently with your hands just until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Don't overmix the meat. The more you work and compact ground beef, the denser your finished meatloaf can become.
3. Shape the loaf
Gently shape the mixture into a loaf and place it in the prepared loaf pan.
Don't mash it down firmly into the pan. You want everything to hold together, but you don't want to compress it.
4. Add the ketchup
Spread a generous layer of ketchup over the entire top of the meatloaf. And yes, it should be generous. This is not the moment to economize on ketchup.
5. Bake
Bake the meatloaf at 350°F for approximately 75 to 85 minutes, or until the center reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Cooking time can vary depending on the dimensions of your pan and the thickness of the loaf, so use the internal temperature rather than the clock as your final guide.
6. Let it rest
Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. This helps the juices redistribute and makes the loaf easier to slice without falling apart.
Serve and Enjoy!
This is a delicious meal, perfect with a side dish like our rustic mashed potatoes or panko mac and cheese. Yum!
Want More Ketchup? Use a Baking Dish
I like meatloaf made in a loaf pan. But you know what I might like even better? Meatloaf made in a casserole dish. Why? More ketchup. Spreading the meatloaf into a wider, shallower shape gives you considerably more surface area for ketchup. That means a better ketchup-to-meatloaf ratio in every serving.It also gives you more browned edges, which certainly doesn't hurt.
Gently shape or press the mixture into the baking dish without compacting it excessively, then cover the top generously with ketchup. Because the meatloaf will be shallower than one baked in a loaf pan, begin checking the internal temperature earlier. It's ready when the center reaches 160°F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because baked ketchup is wonderful. As meatloaf cooks, some of the moisture in the ketchup evaporates. The tomato flavor becomes more concentrated, the sugars begin to caramelize, and the topping becomes thicker, darker, and a little sticky.
Around the edges, where the ketchup meets the meatloaf and the heat of the pan? That's especially good. Some recipes tell you to wait and glaze the meatloaf toward the end of cooking. You certainly can, but that's not how I remember Mom making it. For this old-fashioned version, the ketchup goes on before the meatloaf goes into the oven and stays there for the whole ride.
Sure, but we never did. Mom put plain ketchup on her meatloaf, so plain ketchup is what I use for the traditional version. If you prefer a sweeter meatloaf glaze, however, mix a little brown sugar into the ketchup before spreading it over the top. You can also add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or a little prepared mustard. Just don't feel as though you have to make a glaze. Plain ketchup does something pretty wonderful all by itself.
Yes, although this recipe doesn't require it. Many traditional meatloaf recipes use milk to moisten breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs before they're mixed with the meat. This can produce a softer, more tender texture. If that's the style of meatloaf you prefer, add ¼ to ½ cup milk to the mixture. I don't normally put milk in mine. Instead, the ketchup mixed into the meat adds moisture and flavor. The important thing is finding the texture your family likes.
Both are old-fashioned choices. For this recipe, I use crushed saltine crackers, which give me exactly the kind of meatloaf texture I remember. But Mom sometimes used oats, and you can substitute them if that's what you grew up with. Whichever you choose, don't get carried away with the filler. Too many cracker crumbs or oats can absorb too much moisture and make meatloaf heavy and dense. For 2 pounds of ground beef, about ¾ cup finely crushed saltines is a good starting point.
Oh yes! There are some leftovers I happily give away. Meatloaf isn't one of them. Since I usually cook for one, bigger recipes often mean I'm sending food home with som ebody else. But when I make meatloaf, I'm keeping it. Once the meatloaf has cooled, I slice the leftovers into individual portions. Each slice goes into its own small freezer bag, and then I put all of those individual bags into one larger zip-top freezer bag. Then they go into the freezer. Any time I'm craving meatloaf, I can pull out exactly one slice. It reheats beautifully in the microwave, and there's no need to thaw an entire container just because I want one serving. For someone cooking for one, it's one of my favorite ways to freeze leftovers.
Remove one individually wrapped slice from the freezer and take it out of the plastic bag. You can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or reheat it from frozen in the microwave. Cover the meatloaf loosely while reheating to help retain moisture. If you'd like, add another dab of ketchup on top before heating. Heat until the center is piping hot. And there you have it: meatloaf night for one.
What to Serve With Southern Meatloaf
If we're going old-school, I'm not fighting it.
Serve this with:
- Rustic Mashed Potatoes
- Doctored Green Beans
- Honey Cream Corn
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Buttered rolls or biscuits
And don't forget that extra ketchup bottle on the table!
Old-Fashioned Food Becomes New Again
It's funny how food changes as we get older. When you're a kid, meatloaf can seem like the most ordinary dinner imaginable.
"Meatloaf again?"
Then somehow you grow up and start remembering that meatloaf very differently. You remember the smell of it baking. You remember the mashed potatoes alongside it. You remember those ketchup-covered edges. Most of all, you remember Mom making dinner.
Now restaurants proudly put meatloaf on their menus and treat it almost like a specialty meat. I think our mothers and grandmothers would get quite a kick out of that. They knew something we've apparently had to rediscover: A really good meatloaf doesn't need to be fancy.
It just needs to taste like home. And it needs plenty of ketchup.
Thanks for Stopping By!
If you make this delicious meatloaf and love it, please leave a comment or review. And before you go, please pin some photos to your Pinterest boards. That really helps spread the word about our recipes.
About the Cook
Janice grew up eating the kind of meatloaf her mom made—simple, hearty, and always topped with plenty of ketchup. Like a lot of kids, she may not have appreciated meatloaf night nearly as much then as she does now. Today, it's one of those nostalgic meals that tastes like home. Since Janice cooks for one, she freezes leftover meatloaf by the slice so she can enjoy homemade comfort food whenever the craving hits. Some leftovers she happily gives away. Meatloaf isn't one of them!
Grandma's Southern Meatloaf
Grandma’s Southern Meatloaf is an old-fashioned comfort food favorite made with ground beef, crushed saltine crackers, onion, eggs, and ketchup. It’s tender, flavorful, topped with plenty of ketchup, and just like the meatloaf Mom used to make.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- ¾ cup finely crushed saltine crackers
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder, optional
- ½ cup ketchup, or as needed, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a standard loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the ground beef, crushed saltines, eggs, onion, ½ cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to a large bowl.
- Using clean hands, gently mix just until the ingredients are evenly combined. Do not overmix, which can make the meatloaf dense.
- Gently shape the mixture into a loaf and place it in the prepared loaf pan. Avoid packing the meat firmly into the pan.
- Spread about ½ cup ketchup generously over the top.
- Bake for 75–85 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°F.
- Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
For even more ketchup: Instead of a loaf pan, make the meatloaf in a 7×11-inch baking dish. The shallower, wider meatloaf gives you more surface area for ketchup—and more of those delicious ketchup-baked edges. Because it's thinner, begin checking the internal temperature earlier.
Don't overdo the crackers: About ¾ cup of finely crushed saltines is plenty for 2 pounds of beef. Too many crackers can absorb too much moisture and produce a heavy, dense meatloaf.
Make it with oats: Old-fashioned oats can be substituted for the crushed saltines for another traditional variation.
Milk variation: For an especially soft meatloaf, add ¼–½ cup milk. The primary recipe doesn't need it because ketchup adds moisture to the meat mixture.
Brown sugar glaze variation: For a sweeter topping, mix a little brown sugar into the ketchup. You can also add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or prepared mustard. For the traditional version, though, plain ketchup is all you need.
Freezing: Cool the leftover meatloaf and slice it into individual portions. Place each slice in a small freezer bag, then place all the bags inside a larger freezer bag. Freeze and remove individual slices as needed. Meatloaf reheats beautifully in the microwave.
Serving suggestions: Rustic mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, peas, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, or dinner rolls.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 472Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 850mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 35g
