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Sunday dinner was often Mom’s favorite meal of the week. She would prepare meatloaf before church and preset the oven to cook while we were gone. As soon as the car door opened, I can remember the smell of the meal baking.
Meatloaf can often be the brunt of jokes. It can be dry, tasteless, boring, and usually the bottom of a family’s list of favorite foods. My mom’s meatloaf is different: full of hearty flavor and somehow surprisingly light with a melt-away texture.
Let’s face it: meat can be tricky. You would think just mixing together some ground beef with salt and pepper would be pretty easy. But that’s not the case. Ground beef pressed together can become tough and lack flavor.
Mom’s trick for a delicious meatloaf is quick-cooking oats. The difference between quick-cooking oats and old-fashioned oats is simple. Quick-cooking oats are rolled and become smaller than old-fashioned oats. This helps them cook faster and absorb liquid easily. Adding the oats helps bind the meat together and absorb the liquid the meats release during baking. While baking, the oats disappear, leaving a tender and perfectly textured loaf.
To add flavor, I switched up Mom’s method in a few ways:
- Onions. Mom often added raw onion to the mixture. I find sautéing the onion until softened boosts the flavor and is just better than raw onion.
- Tomato juice. Mom always added tomato juice to the meatloaf and I couldn’t agree more. Instead of imparting tomato flavor, the tomato juice balances out the meat and provides a slightly sweet flavor.
At its core, this is a meatloaf with no hidden agenda. And to make it even better, it’s a sheet pan dinner, making it a for-sure winner that couldn’t be easier. Rather than making an entirely separate side dish, I added thickly sliced sweet potatoes around the meatloaf that cook at the same time. During the cooking time, a golden crust forms on the bottom of the sweet potatoes, while retaining a perfectly creamy interior.
Altogether, this sheet pan meatloaf is simple and straightforward with a well-balanced flavor that creates a perfect dinner. Never dry, never tasteless… and definitely not boring!
More Dinner Recipes
- Braised short ribs
- Classic pot roast
- Spinach, quinoa, and salmon bowl
- Sheet pan cod and cauliflower rice
- Spiced pork tenderloin with roasted vegetables
- Roasted salmon with citrus and dill
Watch how to make this sheet pan meatloaf:
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Sheet Pan Meatloaf
Ingredients
For the meatloaf
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef (92% lean preferable)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 large eggs lightly whisked
- 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 2 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the sweet potatoes
- 3 lb sweet potatoes cut in 1-inch slices
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the ketchup sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, adding garlic in the last minute, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.½ cup diced onion, 1 clove garlic
- On a large sheet pan, arrange the sweet potatoes in an even layer, leaving space for the meatloaf. Drizzle with olive oil, rubbing to coat potatoes on all sides. Sprinkle with salt, dried thyme, garlic granules, and black pepper.3 lb sweet potatoes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp garlic granules, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, quick oats, eggs, tomato juice, sautéed onion, salt, and black pepper. Mix until combined and all the ingredients are well mixed together, showing no individual streaks.1 lb ground beef (92% lean preferable), 1 lb ground pork, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats, 1 cup tomato juice, 2 ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Place the prepared meatloaf on the large sheet pan, shaping it into a large loaf. Place in the preheated oven and prepare the ketchup topping.
- In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, and Dijon mustard. Whisk to combine.½ cup ketchup, 2 tsp honey, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Once the meatloaf is browned and reaches 150°F, about 40-50 minutes, spread the ketchup mixture over the top and return to oven to caramelize, 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before cutting.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
This is my go-to recipe for meatloaf – my favorite comfort food! I love this recipe! It’s so easy and delicious. The ketchup spread on top makes it perfection! I make the potatoes too. When I don’t have tomato juice, I use 1/2 cup ketchup mixed with 1/2 cup water as a substitution, and it turns out great. I rarely have ground pork, so I use 2 lbs. beef and it’s really good. For the potatoes, I use a mix of whatever potatoes I have – sweet, russet, gold and it’s delicious. I mix the olive oil and spices/salt/pepper in a dish and brush the mix on the potatoes which is easy and works well. This is the only meatloaf recipe you need. Trust me. It’s so so GOOD!!
Hello Kaleb I love to cook I have found out that my meatloafs always stick to the pan when I use a meatloaf pan so I use a cake pan now and it works great for a 2 pound meatloaf with ingredients thank you Wendy Huntsville Alabama
I’ve been making meatloaf for 40 years and thought I’d perfected the recipe. But this! It is SO much better! I followed the recipe exactly including the cup of tomato juice, which I questioned. Not anymore!
Can I use tomato sauce instead of tomato juice?
My husband does not like meatloaf. I made your sheet pan meatloaf today with the sweet potatoes. I asked him to at least try it, which he did and he said it was really good and ate all that was on his plate. He got up from the table and I noticed he was heading to the meatloaf and had a second helping. My husband and I thank you for the recipe. It was definitely a winner in our house. 😃
Hi Kaleb,
Tried the sheet pan meatloaf and sweet potatoes. Loved it and found it easy to do. My husband loves sweet potatoes although I always prefer a baked potato but I tried these sweet potatoes and loved them. This recipe is definitely going in my recipe box! Love your videos. Thanks
Dory Day in Greensboro,North Carolina.