Easy Weeknight Meatloaf

I think when a lot of people hear meatloaf, they think "ew". I grew up eating meatloaf. It was an extremely practical meal for my mom to cook - affordable, fed many mouths, and was a meal she could put together quickly. That practicality has stuck with me and meatloaf is always on my list of fall/winter meals. It's foolproof in my house right now, too -- my 9 month old (who insists upon feeding herself and eating only "big people" food) and my husband both devour meatloaf. It's practical, tasty, and super easy to make. All wins in my book!

Here's my weeknight meatloaf recipe. Serve it up with your favorite starch - baked potatoes, stuffing, rice pilaf, au gratin potatoes - and a veggie of your choice, and you've got a complete meal.

Weeknight Meatloaf Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
Serves: 5-6
Oven Temp: 375

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (see this blog post for how to perfectly dice an onion every time, with video help!)

1. Add meatloaf to a mixing bowl, dump all ingredients over the top, and mix together with your hands.
2. Form meat mixture into a loaf and place in either an 8x8 pan or loaf pan.
3. Place in oven and let cook for 35-45 minutes. I can tell when mine is done when it's got a nice, brown crust on the outside.

Tips, Ideas, & Tidbits -- 

• You can use ground turkey for this recipe. Ground beef typically adds the most flavor, but if you want to lighten this recipe up, either use 90/10 ground beef or ground turkey. I use 80/20 ground beef; a little fat adds flavor :)
• Another easy seasoning idea: use a packet of dry onion soup mix. This adds a lot of delicious flavor to your meatloaf. 
• Want/need to speed up your cooking time? I usually make mini meatloaf. Form your meat mixture into small loaves (about the size of your hand) and place them on a foiled lined baking sheet. Keep your oven temp the same and this will cut your cooking time down to about 30-35 minutes. Look for that brown crust on the outside still. 
• I used panko breadcrumbs because they have no dairy and I'm still living dairy free for my daughter, but italian bread crumbs are what I typically use because they add more flavor. 
• See this blog post on how to dice an onion perfectly every time!