Making meatloaf in the oven is so yesterday. Bread Machine Meatloaf is an easy and family-friendly option for dinner! Clean out your fridge and load up this beefy dish with Italian flavors and a savory tomato sauce.
Why in a bread maker, you ask? Because we can! Bread Machine Meatloaf is easy to set and forget when it isn’t made in an oven. Plus, the delicious Italian flavors will infuse into the beef as it cooks in the machine.
I love that my bread machine makes the best soft white bread, but the best kitchen tools have more than one use. Load this beefy, tomatoey dinner into the machine and forget about it for 40 minutes. While you wait, whip up my Creamy Mashed Potatoes to serve on the side!
This easy meatloaf recipe and its tomato glaze only require a handful of staple ingredients. The entire recipe can be made way ahead of time or thrown together in under an hour. Either way, you end up with a mouthwatering family-friendly dinner.
Meatloaf Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder
- Italian bread crumbs
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Egg
Can I make meatloaf without breadcrumbs?
Breadcrumbs help bind the meatloaf ingredients together, and the Italian spices add sophisticated flavors. Feel free to use crushed saltine crackers or quick oats if breadcrumbs aren’t your thing. I would recommend adding additional spices, like oregano, parsley, and onion powder to replace the missing flavors.
You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs and Worcestershire sauce to make this meatloaf recipe entirely gluten-free.
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- Pasta sauce
- Brown sugar
- Dried mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
All About The Sauce
Can you even call it meatloaf when it isn’t covered in a sweet and smoky glaze? No way!
Traditional oven-baked meatloaf is slathered in a ketchup-based sauce after it cooks. I’m switching things up and combining 4 easy and Italian-inspired ingredients instead. This tomato sauce has depths of flavor and can be used in all sorts of beef-based recipes, like my Homemade Sloppy Joes.
How To Make Meatloaf In A Bread Maker
Prepare The Seasonings: Combine the salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and bread crumbs in a large bowl and mix to combine.
Combine Everything: Add the ground beef, onion, mushrooms, and egg into the bowl. Use a wooden spoon, spatula, or your hands to mix everything until combined.
Prepare The Bread Machine: Remove the kneading blades from the baking pan. Pour the meatloaf mixture into the baking pan and press it down gently with your hands.
Bake: Set the bread machine to COURSE: BAKE. Press START and bake for 40 minutes. Once it’s finished baking, transfer the cooked meatloaf from the bread machine baking pan to a plate or small dish. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
Make The Tomato Sauce: Whisk together the pasta sauce, brown sugar, dried mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl. Tip: Have you ever tried homemade brown sugar?
Serve: Pour the tomato sauce on top of meatloaf, slice, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips And Tricks
- Lean ground beef is the best meat for meatloaf. This will minimize the grease and won’t make a mess!
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for at least 10 minutes after its done cooking. This will help seal in all the juices and keep it from falling apart.
- Clean out your fridge and add extra veggies into the meatloaf. They will add extra juices and flavor as it cooks with the beef. I recommend adding in finely chopped celery, carrots, or zucchini.
How To Store Leftover Meatloaf
Leftover meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food. Store leftovers in an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Extra tomato sauce can be stored in the fridge separately and poured over the reheated meatloaf.
Can You Freeze Meatloaf?
You can freeze uncooked meatloaf by preparing all of the ingredients and placing the mixture in a loaf pan or airtight container, wrapping in plastic wrap and foil, and then freeze.
Place the frozen meatloaf in the fridge to thaw overnight and cook according to recipe instructions.
Love Meatloaf?
Make sure to try my Cheesy Meatloaf recipe too!
Perfectly Paired Side Dishes
Try these tasty side dishes on the side of my homemade meatloaf recipe for a fresh and crowd-pleasing meal:
- Roasted Corn
- Roasted Broccoli
- Salad With Cherry Tomatoes
- Simple Potato Kale Salad
- Cheesy Green Beans
- Slow Cooker Green Beans
- Carrot Casserole
- Roasted Sugar Snap Peas
- Fluffy Bread Machine Rolls
Pin for later:
Bread Machine Meatloaf
PrintIngredients
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- 4 ounce can mushrooms drained and chopped
- 1 large egg
For the tomato sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Combine salt, garlic powder, black pepper and bread crumbs in a large bowl, mix to combine.
- Add ground beef, onion, mushrooms and egg into bowl and continue mixing until everything is combined.
- Remove kneading blades from baking pan. Pour meatloaf mixture into baking pan, pressing it down gently with your hands.
- Set bread machine to COURSE: BAKE. Press START and bake for 40 minutes. Once finished baking, transfer meatloaf from bread machine baking pan to plate or small dish.
- For the tomato sauce: Mix pasta sauce, brown sugar, dried mustard and Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl.
- Pour tomato sauce on top of meatloaf. Serve and enjoy!
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