Great meatloaf doesn’t have to take hours to make. With this method you can have dinner ready, from start to finish, in under an hour! Savory, juicy, and delicious! Plus the leftovers are just the right shape for awesome meatloaf sandwiches too!
*Scroll to the bottom for the FREE PRINTABLE RECIPE!**
Sheet Pan Meatloaf is perfect for Father’s Day! It’s such a yummy, comforting dinner. It’s a crowd pleaser, simple, and doesn’t take a long time to bake.
We also had Nathan’s parents visiting so I wanted to make more food but not have it take forever!
Watch the video! I included a slideshow of some of my favorite pictures of Nathan with our kids and his dad.
Father’s Day For Me
My parents divorced when I was around 5 years old because my dad was a pretty awful person by that point.
I didn’t see him again until right before he died, when I was 12.
Father’s Day used to bother me when I was little. We’d sometimes be asked what we loved about our dad in class at church. I’d ruin the moment and make the teacher feel bad for me when I said something about my actual situation.
As I got older I would just make a general statement about how dads are great. My mom was always adamant about the importance of having a good dad in the home.
She would point out when someone was being a good dad in a movie or at church and she did her absolute best to fill all the roles: mom, dad, protector, comforter, provider, teacher, friend.
She stretched herself thin to be all that for 10 kids.
I missed having a dad of my own to look up to but I had a great mom and a lot of good dad examples around me.
I still appreciated Father’s Day because of that.
These days, I’ve been blessed by my Heavenly Father to have the dads I need in my life.
Nathan is an amazing father to our 6 children. He brings strength, compassion, stability, and so much fun into our lives.
He’s the reason we do all this adventuring and exploring. He’s my amazing best friend and I’m so grateful for him.
And Nathan’s dad is the father I didn’t have. He’s a man of God, kind, wise, and so giving. I’m so grateful for the son he raised, the example he set, and the love and guidance he gives both of us now.
Thanks for letting me get a little heavy with this post. Let’s get into the recipe 🙂
How to Make Fast Meatloaf
Chop an onion and microwave that in a bowl with a stick of butter for 5 minutes or until the onions are all translucent. I like them chunky but you can chop them more finely if you want them to integrate more.
In my video I did two onions because I forgot I wasn’t doubling it and my bowl broke in the microwave. I had to throw it all away just in case there were little pieces of porcelain in the onions.
This has never happened before, by the way. It must have had some kind of fracture in it already from being dropped at some point.
I had to re-chop the onions and I still accidently chopped twice as much as I needed!
It was still delicious in the meatloaf because the butter and the cooking takes away the acrid onion taste. So, double onions is also yummy.
While the onions are in the microwave, put the rest of the saucy stuff together.
If you have some chives, chop up about an 1/8 cup and throw that in the bowl with 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon mustard, and 1/4 tablespoon ketchup.
Toss in the onions and butter when they’re done.
For the bread element, I like to do it one of two ways.
Meatloaf Bread Option 1:
My sister is a genius and uses a package of stovetop stuffing. This provides additional spices for flavoring and breading chunks to fill out the meatloaf and hold it together.
Sometimes the breadcrumbs stay a little hard if they aren’t mixed properly. So, mix them into the wet ingredients really thoroughly before throwing the meat in.
Check out my sister’s Youtube channel: Rebecca Tanner Music. She’s really good and I’m in a couple of her shorter videos too!
Meatloaf Bread Option 2:
The OTHER way I like to make it is to crush a sleeve of Ritz crackers (or saltines) to get 1 cup of crumbs.
Then I mix in 3/4 teaspoon of oregano and 1 1/2 teaspoons of Fiesta Hamburger seasoning.
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Let’s Add the Meat!
Once you’ve got the sauce and breading option mixed together. Toss 1 pound of ground beef and 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork and mix everything really well.
Line a sheet pan that’s around 13 inches by 18 inches with foil or parchment paper.
Here’s a good pan for reference but you can probably find a cheap one at any thrift store: Sheet Pan
Press the meatloaf mixture evenly into the pan.
It’ll be thin. That’s what you want because it’ll cook quickly.
In a smaller bowl, mix together 1 cup of ketchup, 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar (depending on what you like), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and two teaspoons of vinegar.
Spread that mixture evenly over the meatloaf.
Now bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. The topping should start to get little “burnt” spots on it.
How About A Side Dish For Your Meatloaf?
I like Brussel sprouts. They’re delicious.
There’s a stereotypical list of “gross” foods you always hear kids make a big deal about eating in movies and shows:
Liver and onions, lima beans, broccoli, anchovies, Brussels sprouts, etc.
Well I never ate most of these as a kid because my mom was an only child and was made to eat them all the time. She didn’t want to force food she hated on us.
We did eat other vegetables so don’t have a heart attack.
This just means that all those things were fun to discover when I got older.
How To Cook Brussels Sprouts Fast and Easy
The easiest way to make Brussels sprouts is to cook them in the microwave.
Rinse them, chop off the end, then peel off any gross-looking outer leaves.
Chop them in half and throw them into a ziplock bag with some butter chunks and maybe a little more water.
It’s important to chop them in half because they cook faster and they’ll get butter in all the layers. Yum!
Only close the bag most of the way so the bag has a way to vent some of the steam and it won’t explode.
Microwave it for about 6 minutes or until you can slide a fork into a Brussels sprout easily. They should still be very bright green and not mushy.
Now put those in a pretty bowl so no one knows you microwaved them in a bag like a heathen.
Slice up a cheap loaf of French bread and slap some butter on it and you’re got a complete meal!
Go tell your dad or a father figure in your life you appreciate him.
And your Heavenly Father loves you too 🙂
Happy Father’s Day!
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Print it for later!
Sheet Pan Meatloaf
Great meatloaf doesn't have to take hours to make. Savory, juicy and delicious meatloaf, from start to finish, in under an hour!
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion - chopped
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1/8 cup chives - minced
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 package stovetop stuffing
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
Topping
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a 18x13 inch sheet pat with foil or parchment paper.
- Chop the onion and place in a bowl with the stick of butter.
- Microwave for about 5 minutes. The onions should be translucent.
- While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl mix the chives, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and 1/4 cup of ketchup.
- Add the onions and melted butter.
- Add the stovetop and mix thoroughly.
- Add the beef and pork and mix thoroughly.
- Press the meatloaf mixture into the sheet pan.
- In a smaller bowl, mix 1 cup ketchup, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and vinegar.
- Spread this mix evenly over the meatloaf.
- Bake for 30 minutes. The topping will start to get dark brown/black spots and the meat will shrink away from the sides, leaving grease bubbling around the edges.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don't want to use stovetop stuffing you can use: 1 cup of crushed crackers, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons Fiesta Hamburger seasoning. Mix that with all the other ingredients then add the meat.
- You can also cut the slices to fit a sandwich.
- Microwave some halved Brussels sprouts with butter and eat with French bread slices for a complete and easy meal!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 430mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 26g
jamie
This look so amazing and my husband loves meatloaf… trying it out this week, thank you so much for the great recipe.
goodenoughandstuff
Great! I hope he likes it!