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Dad's Meat Loaf

Photo Credit
Timolina/shutterstock
Written By: The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors The Almanac Editors and Staff
Yield
8 servings
Category
Meat
Course
Main Dish
Preparation Method
Bake
Sources
User Submitted

The best meat loaf recipes have a taste of nostalgia as you gather around the dinner table with your family. This meat loaf uses a mixture of sausage and ground beef for a delicious meal that everyone is sure to enjoy! We love preparing the meat loaf ahead of time and popping it in the oven when our families start to get hungry in the evening.

From the recipe’s author: “This is how my dad used to make it. Everyone who has eaten it just loves it. I love it because it reminds me of him.”

Find more great weeknight dinners by checking out these 15 quick and easy recipes.

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound hot or mild sausage
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
2 sleeves saltines
ketchup

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Using your hands, mix beef, sausage, eggs, onions, bell peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Add saltines until stiff enough to form a loaf and place in a loaf pan.
  3. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the loaf reads at least 160°F. Spread ketchup on top of the loaf during the last 15 minutes of baking time.

About The Author
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Almanac Editors and Staff

Under the guiding hand of its first editor, Robert B. Thomas, the premiere issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac was published in 1792 during George Washington’s first term as president.Today, the Almanac...
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Comments

<span>Cindy Ivey</span> Mon, 01/11/2021 - 06:24
So when did sausage start being an ingredient for meat loaf? Ruins the taste.
<span>Denise T</span> Sat, 02/04/2023 - 09:40
I didn't know that there was a hard and fast rule as to what was allowed in meat loaf. I wouldn't want the food police catching me putting cinnamon in my chili or shredded carrots in my spaghetti sauce!!!
<span>Comiksitran</span> Fri, 06/23/2023 - 02:37
I'm with you, love the way you think 👍🏻.
<span>Denise T</span> Mon, 02/07/2022 - 09:41
Did you try it? No? Then how do you know the taste is ruined? Meat loaf, like stews, chicken soups, pot roast, etc. are all open to individual interpretation and personal taste. If your particular recipe is so great, why not give it and let us be the judges?
<span>Comiksitran</span> Fri, 06/23/2023 - 02:39
Completely agree with you, but doubt we'll ever see her recipe.
<span>Peter Olsen</span> Wed, 01/22/2020 - 07:56
Got tired of "fancy" meat loafs and down loaded Dad's from the always reliable Almanac. Followed directions precisely and even mom ate two helpings. Simple, reliable and oh sooo good. Can't go wrong!
<span>Dutch Van Der Linde</span> Thu, 01/16/2020 - 05:46
Very tasty meatloaf, reminds me of what my dad used to make for the family before he left for cigarettes, 35 years on and he still hasn't returned.
<span>Glenda Queen</span> Mon, 01/13/2020 - 22:12
My late sister’s meat loaf was the best. She always used crushed saltines. Also - a can of tomato soup instead of tomato paste.
<span>Linda</span> Mon, 01/13/2020 - 14:52
This is exactly how I've always made meat loaf, using crackers. Learned it from my mother. I sometimes use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. Brings out the tomato taste.
<span>Ray Fox</span> Mon, 01/13/2020 - 12:45
large pieces of Mangos (green bell peppers) can go on the top of the loaf ; so flavor cooks into it ,and picky little people didn't have to cull pieces and whine about it.