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Why I Love Sheet Pan Meatloaf
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 onions 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
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
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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!
K; All the ingredients that my own mother used in her meatloaf, but thanks to you, now I have measurements and my meatloaf comes out perfect everytime. Thank you so much! C
I made Moms Meat loaf and nearly cried when I sat down and took my first bite. It tasted like my Mom made it just for me.
I had taken so many short cuts over the years from the topping to the oats it was great to get back to the basics.
p.s. my favorite part was the leftovers…meatloaf sandwich the next day💕
Well, this makes my day, food memories are the best memories. I am honored to bring back your mom’s flavors!
So in here you say tomato juice but I. The recipe you make it looks much thicker like tomato sauce. Which is it!?! Lol. Also could you sub marinara you think?
I just made your meatloaf and it was delicious! The sweet potatoes were amazing. I will make this dish again. It was a huge success with my family and friends. I let my dinner guests know about you. You are delight! I have learned so much from you. Thank you!
Your moms meatloaf with the sweet potatoes on the same cooking sheet!! I never would have thought about putting the veggies on there with the meatloaf.
It does not matter to me if you’re a chef or gardener., (lamp buyer) 👍🏼 ⬅️ You are sharing the interesting things in your life, with us. I really appreciate your transparency. You provide us practical ways to manage our own lives.
Your mom is an authentic sweet lady. I like her! How fortunate y’all are right across the road from each other. I’d like to see Joel behind the scenes a few brief moments! If he doesn’t want to, I’ll just watch you give me tips about my backyard patio, recipes and how to scale your lamps? 😂Please give Kip a lil hug from me. 🐾Im so happy for you Kaleb. Kip is an important “person” in your life.
All the best to you and your family.
Regards,
Nancy James in Texas…. in ice, rain sleet and snow! DFW is shut down for two days due to the weather. So I’m looking for your recipes!
Can you use blender on regular oats instead of instant oats.
I made it using your method but my own meatloaf recipe. Next time I’ll peel the sweet potatoes first. It’s very hard getting the skin off once they’re done.
I love watching you cook. I’m going to make the meatloaf for dinner today. Thank you for being so really down to earth. I am 75 and have cooked for several years. I’m loving making new recipes.
Made this meatloaf tonight. Had never thought to use the quick oats before or sauté the onions first. Loved it! Delicious. Thanks Kaleb💕
My husband said that it was the best meatloaf I had ever made! I didn’t have tomato juice so I added a little sugar free ketchup with water instead and also added bell pepper. We are from LA😁 The sweet potatoes were incredible! Thanks for sharing