Lois's Meat Loaf

This is the kind of meatloaf that sat on a thousand Sunday supper tables in the 1970s and still delivers. A blend of ground beef, pork, and veal (sold as meatloaf mix), held together with Italian breadcrumbs, eggs, and a packet of onion soup mix. The soup mix is the shortcut that does all the seasoning work, so the ingredient list stays short without the flavor suffering.

Mixing is where the texture is made or broken. Combine everything just until it comes together, no further. Overworking the meat compacts it and leaves you with a dense, rubbery loaf instead of a tender, juicy one. The ¾ cup of water keeps things loose and moist; it looks like too much but disappears during the bake.

The ketchup glaze on top is optional but classic. It caramelizes into a sticky, slightly sweet crust that’s half the reason anyone eats meatloaf in the first place.

Kitchen Tips

• Use an instant-read thermometer to check doneness: 160°F (71°C) internal is the target. Overcooked meatloaf dries out fast.
• Shape the loaf a little wider than tall for more crust-to-meat ratio and more even cooking.
• Rest the meatloaf 10 minutes out of the oven before slicing. Cutting too early means all the juices end up on the cutting board.
• Leftovers make incredible sandwiches. Slice cold, griddle briefly, and stack with mustard on good bread.

Variations

• Swap ketchup glaze for a mix of ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard for a BBQ-style sweet-tangy crust.
• Add a handful of grated Parmesan or finely diced bell pepper for more flavor complexity.
• Use all ground beef if meatloaf mix isn’t available, but expect a slightly denser loaf.