This recipe for Brown Sugar Meatloaf made an appearance in my first self published cookbook which included all of family’s favorite recipes. The caption in the book read: “So easy, even my 7 year old son can make it.” My son is 17 now. This recipe has been made more times then I can count.
If you’ve never had meatloaf before, you’ll want to give this recipe a try. Don’t be turned off by the idea of eating meatloaf, it’s just like eating a hamburger patty but without the bread and a whole lot of other goodness going on. Since this meatloaf is made from ground beef, it’s very economical to prepare. Even better, it makes a fantastic make a head freezer meal that helps with meal planning.
My girlfriend told me she threw away all her other meatloaf recipes and uses only this recipe. That’s how good it is. She’ll even make this when her parents are coming over for dinner. They love it just as much as she does!! And let’s not even talk about how good it is the next day. Why is it with some foods, they just taste better the next day?
This is the type of recipe that takes the same amount of time to make three batches as it does one. Call me lazy but when I make this recipe I make sure I have enough ingredients to whip up a few of these fabulous make a head freezer meals. That’s the beauty of meal planning. Now when I know I’m going to have a busy day, I’ll take out my Brown Sugar Meatloaf from the freezer the night before and let it defrost in the fridge until I’m ready to start cooking it.
This recipe can also be used to make these adorable meatloaf cupcakes you see in the photos. What a great way to elevate a super frugal meal, pretty it up and serve it up at a party or to your dinner guests. This would also be great for lunch meal planning. I’ve been known to make a batch of these on a Sunday night so I have lunches for a few days that week. Did I mention they taste better the following day?
If you’re looking to frost (top) your Brown Sugar Meatloaf cupcakes, make up a batch of your favorite mashed potatoes and scoop them into an icing bag with an open star piping tip or a round piping tip. Pipe them on top of your meatloaf cupcakes and serve with a side of salad or steamed vegetables. Delicious and easy!!
Brown Sugar Meatloaf
Ingredients
- ½ cup Brown sugar , packed
- ½ cup Ketchup
- 1 ½ lbs Lean ground beef
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Onion soup mix
- ¼ tsp Ground ginger
- ¾ cup Bread crumbs , plain or Italian
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
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Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar.
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In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup.
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Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.
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Note: The meat mixture will be very wet, but don’t worry. It all comes together to create a wonderful gravy that goes well with mashed potatoes.
