This is the time of year I consider meatloaf season, and I’ll tell you why. According to the calendar, we have officially crossed over from summer into fall.
And here in the Carolinas, we’ve been treated to a whole run of days where it definitely feels like summer. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the flowers are still out, and everyone is in a great summery mood.
And then just like that, Mother Nature changes her mind and blows a blast of chilly air across your back yard and you realize you really better get cracking on moving your winter clothes into your closet.
On a chilly early fall evening it is a scrumptious and comforting supper that will warm you up right to your toes.
And when the weather turns right around and makes you want to flip on the air conditioner, there’s nothing like a cold meatloaf sandwich made out of the leftovers. See what I mean? Meatloaf season!
How To Make Brown Sugar Meatloaf!
Now THIS meatloaf is particularly wonderful, because it has a little brown sugar action going on. The traditional meatloaf approach is to pack the meat mixture into a loaf pan, spread some ketchup on top, and bake away.
Personally, I don’t like how that dries out the ketchup, so I take a different tack.
First I pack the bottom of the loaf pan with a nice layer of brown sugar. Then I spread some ketchup over it, and THEN comes the meat mixture. Bake it for an hour or so, and when you take it out of the oven, tip the pan over a bowl and let some of the juices run out.
Now be very patient and let your meatloaf sit for about 10 minutes to compose itself. This will give it a chance to solidify a little more, which will make your life easier when you cut it.
After 10 long minutes have passed, flip the pan over onto a cutting board. The brown sugar will have melted into the meatloaf and the ketchup will still be lusciously smooth and soft.
Here’s a quick video to show you how easy this is!
Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for it to be cool enough to cut it (although I promise you this is an essential step if you want nice cooperative slices of meatloaf).
More tips for making brown sugar meatloaf!
You can usually find meatloaf mix (which is simply a combo of ground beef, pork and veal) right next to the regular ground beef in your supermarket. And if you can’t find it, using all ground beef works just fine – I like the 80/20 fat variety for the flavor.
Nope, in this case we need the flavor and the rougher consistency of the brown sugar. You CAN use either light or dark brown sugar – the dark brown sugar will give a little more intensity to the flavor. I like both!
Leftover meatloaf keeps for several days in the fridge – wrap it up well so it doesn’t dry out. There are few things in life as wonderful as a leftover meatloaf sandwich!
Now feel free to slice away…just remember to save some leftovers for those cold meatloaf sandwiches I mentioned.
OTHER MEATLOAF RECIPES WE LOVE!
 There’s meatloaf, and then there’s meatloaf stuffed with cheese! Once you try ricotta meatloaf you’ll never think of meatloaf the same way again. |
 Cheese up your meatloaf with this cheese stuffed, cheese sauced version of the old family favorite. Cheeseburger meatloaf for dinner! Get ready to serve up seconds and thirds. |
 This recipe for easy skillet meatloaf lets you make this suppertime favorite faster and more easily by trading the loaf pan for a skillet! |
Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...
Brown Sugar Meatloaf
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cooling Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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Pin RecipeDescription
Jazz up your meatloaf with a tangy brown sugar topping! This easy recipe for brown sugar meatloaf will have them asking for meatloaf seconds.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (equal parts ground beef, ground veal and ground pork, although all ground beef will work fine too)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Pour the brown sugar into a 9×5 loaf pan and press it into the bottom. Spread the ketchup on top of the sugar.
- Mix all remaining ingredients together and press into the loaf pan on top of the ketchup.
- Bake for one hour. Remove from oven and pour juices into a bowl. Discard juice and let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes.
- Invert loaf onto a platter or cutting board, slice it up and enjoy!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!
I'd love to hear what you think!