Easy meatloaf

Save rissoles for another night and turn your beef mince into a juicy, tender meatloaf. Made with ingredients you probably already have at home, you can have dinner done in around an hour, with leftover slices for sandwiches the next day!

How to make an easy meatloaf: key tips

As the mince mixture is quite solid, using clean hands to combine all the ingredients makes the job a lot easier. Make sure that you grate or finely chop your vegetables so that the final mixture adheres well and won’t break apart as it cooks. 

Instead of shaping the loaf on the baking tray, you could also place the mixture in a baking paper-lined loaf pan. Your meatloaf will be cooked when it is firm to the touch and only springs back slightly. 

There will probably be a lot of excess liquid on the tray (or in the pan). Rest your meatloaf for about 10 minutes before serving so that some of this liquid is reabsorbed, keeping the meatloaf juicy, then drain away the rest.

Key ingredients in this easy meatloaf recipe

Use whatever beef mince you like for this recipe – regular or lean. You can also use half beef and half pork mince, instead.

The egg is important for binding the mince mixture, as are the fresh breadcrumbs, which also soak up the liquid as the meatloaf cooks, helping to add to the overall moisture.

Dried mixed herbs add to the flavour, but the cook sometimes replaces these with fresh parsley leaves. Be sure to chop them very finely before adding to the mix. Finely chopped fresh garlic, rosemary and/or thyme would also be lovely.

The sauces create the glaze on top of this easy meatloaf, and add a tangy exterior.

Here’s another meatloaf the kids will love, and a whole stack of more beef mince recipes to try.

This recipe was originally submitted by tassiemum, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.