You Won't Believe Joanna Gaines' Secret Meatloaf Recipe

Meatloaf is great. But the problem with meatloaf is, most of the time there is too much ketchup, or it’s too fatty, or something is missing in the flavor. This Joanna Gaines' meatloaf recipe was tuned to perfection, and the taste was heavenly. What’s better is that there are different variations, all waiting to be tried and tasted by you. Let’s take a look.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips
• Joanna Gaines' Meatloaf Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Ground beef — 4 pounds.
• Cooking oil — 2 tbsp.
• Eggs — 6 pcs., large.
• Onions — 2 pcs., finely chopped.
• Garlic — 4 cloves, minced.
• Fresh parsley — 1 cup, chopped.
• Thyme — 2 tsp., finely chopped.
• Canned tomatoes — 2 cups, diced.
• Salt — as needed.
• Breadcrumbs — 1 cup.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Clean and chop the vegetables as stated.

3. Heat the cooking oil in a skillet.

4. Add the onions and the garlic, and sauté until translucent and golden, about 10 minutes.

5. Add parsley and thyme, and cook until the parsley is soft. Remove from the heat.

6. Combine breadcrumbs, ground beef, eggs, diced tomatoes, and salt in a mixing bowl.

7. Add the vegetable mix on top.

8. Using your hands, mix well until combined.

9. Divide the mixture into two and transfer both halves to separate loaf pans. Press well to fit.

10. Bake for between 60-90 minutes.

11. Once the meatloaves have cooled, cut them into slices and serve.

Substitutions

• Cooking oil — Whether you’re baking, frying, or roasting, olive oil is usually the best. It’s versatile, healthy, and accessible. But you can also opt for canola oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil too.

• Canned tomatoes — Ketchup is commonly used in meatloaf, so you might be surprised when you see the canned tomatoes on the ingredients list. Two cups of canned tomatoes are enough to match the ketchup taste, without overpowering your meatloaf.
  
  Canned tomatoes are not your only alternative. You’ll be fine with using tomato sauce, with salsa and barbeque sauce being other options as well. Keep in mind that the taste will be different than what you’re used to.

• Breadcrumbs — If you have the time, energy, and equipment for it, you can make your own breadcrumbs with the help of a food processor and some stale bread. If not, feel free to go with Panko breadcrumbs.

• Ground beef — Unlike Joanna Gaines' chili recipe, we do not recommend swapping ground beef for ground poultry. Of course, you’re free to try. We should also mention that ideally, your ground beef should have an 80/20 fat ratio.

Variations

• Grandma Zimmern’s — A variation of the Joanna Gaines' meatloaf recipe, this one hits differently and is not your basic meatloaf recipe.
  
  Besides the main ingredients, you’re going to need sherry wine (¼ cup), ground pork (1 pound), heavy cream (¼ cup), and nutmeg (2 pinches). Follow the first five steps again, but this time add some sherry wine and nutmeg to the skillet, along with the vegetables. When you get to step 7, add heavy cream and ground pork to the mixture. Again, mix well using your hands. Follow the rest of the steps, and bake for two hours. Keep in mind that Joanna Gaines recommends having this one with some delicious gravy sauce.

• Salty and cheesy — There is also another variation of Joanna Gaines' meatloaf, in which she adds Worcestershire sauce and grated parmesan cheese. Ketchup replaces canned tomatoes. While you’re on top of the mixing bowl, add Worcestershire sauce and parmesan cheese to the mix. Again, mix well using your hands. Place the mixture into a classic 9x13 baking dish, and drizzle some ketchup over it. Bake for an hour or so.

Equipment

• Loaf pans.

• Measuring spoons and cups.

• Skillet.

• Mixing bowl.

• Meat thermometer, optional.

• Oven.

Storage

• Place any leftover meatloaf in an airtight container. Store it in your fridge, for up to a week at most.

• To freeze the leftover meatloaf, slice it into individual portions. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap or in foil.

• Store it in your freezer, where it will last for up to three months.

Tips

• Use a meat thermometer — We strongly recommend using a meat thermometer to keep a close eye on the cooking time. 

• Mix it well — Although we stand against using ground turkey or ground pork instead of ground beef, you could mix it up. A mix of ground beef and ground chicken would enhance the flavor.