Easy Meatloaf With Oatmeal (2024)

Meatloaf with oatmeal is one of those recipes that is easy to make, a hearty meal, and can feed the whole family.

The recipe is perfect for cold nights when you want to feed everyone a delicious and filling meal.

The Best Meatloaf Recipe

Do you like meatloaf? I know, it’s not the most glamorous of dishes, but it’s definitely delicious and great comfort food.

And this particular old fashioned meatloaf recipe features oatmeal, which makes it a little bit healthier and a lot more flavorful.

So if you’re looking for a new way to make your favorite comfort food and you’ve always made it with breadcrumbs, give this recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed!

Meatloaf can be made in a variety of ways including with Jiffy Cornbread or the low carb recipe, meatloaf without breadcrumbs.

No matter which homemade meatloaf recipe you choose, you will love the results.

The easy dinner recipe is a family favorite and the kids ask for it on a regular basis.

Meatloaf Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Egg
• Ketchup
• Evaporated milk
• Mustard
• Diced onions
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Minced garlic
• Worcestershire sauce
• Oatmeal

Topping

• Ketchup
• Worcestershire sauce
• Brown sugar

Full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post.

How To Make The Classic Meatloaf Recipe

1. Heat the oven to 350-degrees and grease a 9-inch by 5-inch baking dish.
2. Add the egg to a large bowl and beat.
3. Next, add the ketchup and evaporated milk and mix.
4. Now, add the mustard, diced onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper and mix well.
5. Add the oatmeal and mix.
6. Place the ground beef into the bowl and mix with the ingredients. Use your hands if needed.
7. Fill the baking dish with the meat mixture and bake for one hour.
8. Toward the end of the baking hour, add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar to a small bowl and mix.
9. Remove the meatloaf from the oven (carefully, as it’s hot), and spread the ketchup mixture over the top of the meatloaf mixture.
10. Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake another 45-minutes.

Pre-Heating The Pan (Optional Step)

Learned this trick from a friend: Place the pan in the oven (without the non-stick spray) and allow it to heat up while you are preparing the meatloaf.

The pan will heat up and when you place the meatloaf inside the hot pan, it will start to cook it immediately and sear the sides of the meat, helping hold it together.

This step is totally optional.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Start by adding an egg to a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg and add the ketchup and mix.

Pour the evaporated milk into the bowl and mix.

If you don’t have any evaporated milk, that’s fine. You can use regular milk in this recipe if you’d like and it will work perfectly.

Next, add the mustard.

Add the diced onions.

Add the salt to the bowl.

Next, add the pepper.

Add the minced garlic.

I usually purchase garlic pre-minced that way I don’t have to take the time to mince it.

But, if you have fresh garlic cloves, that will work, as well.

Pour the Worcestershire sauce into the bowl and mix.

Add the oatmeal to the bowl and mix.

For this recipe, I used quick oats, but really any type of oatmeal will work.

The function of the oatmeal is to keep the meatloaf together.

Finally, add the ground beef to the bowl.

In this step, I use my hands to mix all of the ingredients together.

If you’ve placed your pan into the oven before adding the meatloaf, spray it with non-stick cooking spray and press the meatloaf into the greased loaf pan. Be sure to take care because it will be very hot.

Place the meatloaf in the preheated oven and bake for one hour.

If you didn’t preheat the pan and are adding the meatloaf to a cold loaf pan, simply spray with non-stick spray and press the meatloaf into the pan and bake for one hour.

TIP: I place the meatloaf on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil because chances are, the meatloaf will bubble over a little bit and make a mess.

Having the sheet pan covered in tin foil will save you lots of clean up time.

Once you bake the meatloaf for an hour, pull it out of the oven and get your topping ready to spread it on top.

Slice into the meatloaf in a few places so the topping will settle down into it.

Topping

Grab a small bowl and add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.

Next, add the brown sugar to the mixing bowl and mix all three together.

Spread the topping onto the meatloaf and return the baking pan to the oven.

I take my spatula and sort of nudge a little of the topping into the areas that I sliced so the flavor gets down in there.

Bake for another 45-minutes and remove the meatloaf pan from the oven.

Allow the meatloaf to sit for about 15-minutes before slicing and serving.

Checking The Temperature Of The Meatloaf

If you have an instant-read thermometer, slide it into the center of the meatloaf. The internal temperature should be 160-degrees when done.

If You Have Leftovers

If you happen to have some leftover meatloaf the next day, you can make a delicious meatloaf sandwich, reheat the meatloaf, or slice it up and add it to some macaroni.

Optional And Alternative Ingredients

If you want to have a more lean recipe you can switch out the ground beef for ground turkey, lean ground beef, or ground chicken.

You can also switch out some of the ground beef for some ground pork.

Other Optional Ingredients

If you’d like to switch up the way your meatloaf tastes, try adding something different next time. Here are a few ideas.

• Green peppers
• Barbecue sauce
• Fresh parsley
• Parmesan cheese

If you want to add some different flavor, sprinkle a packet of Lipton onion soup mix into the mixture.

Favorite Sides With The Easy Meatloaf Recipe

• Southern fried pan potatoes
• Moist Jiffy cornbread
• Mashed potato cakes
• Crock Pot mac and cheese
• Green beans and bacon
• Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes from Savor The Best

For a more comprehensive list, check out 55 recipes to serve with meatloaf.

One Of Our Favorite Ground Beef Recipes

Meatloaf with oatmeal is one of those recipes that is easy to make, a hearty meal, and can feed the whole family.

It’s perfect for cold nights when you want to feed everyone a delicious and filling meal.

If you want to give this recipe a try, we have all the details for you right here. So go ahead and get cooking; your family will love this meatloaf with oatmeal.

Easy Meatloaf With Oatmeal

Check out the traditional meatloaf recipe card below, grab those ingredients, and start baking! This is a great meal any night of the week.

Then, share your comments below andshare a picture of your meatloaf on the Pinterest Pin! If you made any changes or added something different, be sure to share it with us so we can try it, too!

Easy Meatloaf With Oatmeal

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Meatloaf with oatmeal is one of those recipes that is easy to make, a hearty meal, and can feed the whole family.

Ingredients

Meatloaf

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 12 ounces evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 1/3 cup diced onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup oatmeal

Topping

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

1. Pre heat oven to 350-degrees.
2. (Optional step) - Place 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan into the oven, to heat up, while preparing the meatloaf.
3. Grab a large mixing bowl and add the egg and beat it.
4. Next, add the ketchup, evaporated milk, mustard, onions, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
5. Add the oatmeal to the bowl and mix.
6. Finally, add the ground beef to the mixture and mix well with your hands until combined.
7. Take the loaf pan out of the oven, spray with non-stick spray, and carefully press the oatmeal meatloaf mixture into the pan and return to the oven. (The pan will be VERY hot, so make sure you don't burn yourself).
8. Cook for one hour.
9. After one hour, remove the pan from the oven and make a few small slits in the top of the meatloaf with a knife.
10. In a small bowl, mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar and spread over the top of the meatloaf. Use a spatula or knife to get the sauce down into some of the crevices you cut.
11. Return to the oven and cook for another 45-minutes.
12. When the meatloaf is done cooking, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 15-minutes before slicing.

Notes

TIP: Be sure to place your meatloaf pan on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil for easy cleanup. The grease can bubble over and you won't have a big mess on your hands if you have the cookie sheet underneath.

If you don't want to preheat the pan, simply spray the cold loaf pan with non-stick spray, add the meatloaf to the pan, and bake as directed above.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 435Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 688mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 36g

Nutrition is approximate.

Did you make this recipe?

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