My mother has always been an avid gardener, and therefore we raised the majority of our own food. Along with having three vegetable gardens we also raised cattle, pigs, chickens, and ducks. That translated into our kitchen producing a wide variety of homemade entrées, side dishes, desserts, and treats that seemed to satisfy everyone’s palate. 

Whenever I think of good old-fashioned comfort food I think of Grandma’s Best Meatloaf Recipe. Probably because it reminds me of my childhood and growing up on a farm. I vividly remember helping my mother make meals for our family. Meatloaf was one of our favorites.  

I didn’t truly appreciate all of that marvelous, healthy, fresh food as a child. However, as an adult, it finally dawned on me the value of such a wholesome beginning. In other words, I certainly do appreciate how healthy my childhood diet was and consequently, a healthy diet has carried over into my adulthood. 

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Old-Fashioned Goodness

In my option there literally are no substitutes when it comes to good old-fashioned comfort foods. Somehow they seem to always hit the spot! (In other words… grandmas usually rock in the kitchen!)

For example, some of our favorites are: 

• Old-Fashioned Vegetable Soup
• Grandma’s Yummy Apple Cake
• Old-Fashioned Double-Dipped Caramel Apples
• Southern Pecan Pie
• Grandma’s Light-as-a-Feather Doughnuts
• Old-Fashioned Praline Apple Bread
• Grandma’s Country Breakfast Cinnamon Rolls
• Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
• Grandma’s Favorite Apple Pie

As previously mentioned, one of our favorite old-fashioned meals is meatloaf with a side salad, mashed potatoes with gravy, fresh garden green beans with bacon. And, for the finale, a yummy skillet pie with a big scoop of ice cream. 

Ground Beef + Sausage

Grandma’s Best Meatloaf Recipe begins by combining 1 pound lean ground beef and 1/2 pound seasoned ground sausage – your choice of mild, medium, or hot. For a gluten-free version simply use a gluten-free brand of sausage. 

Other Ingredients

Secondly, add dried bread crumbs, onion, eggs, milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, dried mustard, basil, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper to the meat mixture. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. 

Bake

Place the meat mixture into a 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 inches (23 x 13 x 7 cm) loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven set to 350 degrees F. I like to use a two-piece loaf pan because the bottom pan catches the excess fat drippings and therefore you can easily discard the excess grease.

Glaze

Meanwhile, make the glaze which is a mixture of ketchup, dark brown sugar, dried mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. You certainly don’t want to miss this step because the glaze adds a hint of sweetness to the meatloaf which is absolutely delightful.  

The next step is to brush the glaze mixture evenly over the top of the hot meatloaf then bake it for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve

Finally, remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes then slice, serve, and enjoy! 

Freezer Friendly

You should also note that you can freeze the meatloaf for use later. Normally I freeze slices rather than the whole entire loaf. That way I can thaw the exact amount of servings I need. 

Also, remember that it’s easy to make this meatloaf recipe gluten-free. 

There are many reasons to love this recipe, but to sum it up, it’s just plain delicious! 

What is your favorite comfort food? 

Linda 

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