I never have that problem because I make my meatloaf in a shallow lasagna pan and cut it like a sheet cake. That way everyone gets a good taste of the topping and slices always sit nicely on your plate without breaking up:

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs - (tear up soft sliced bread - don't use fine crumbs as for breading)
1 1/2 lb ground meat (beef or pork & beef) (about 700 grams)
1 beaten egg
1 onion chopped fine
1/4 teasp dry Colman's (or similar) mustard
1/8 teasp ground sage
1/2 teasp ground thyme
1 1/2 teasp salt

1/4 teas pepper
1/8 teasp nutmeg
1 chopped green pepper
1 tin condensed tomato soup (eg Campbells's)
3/4 cup grated celery
3/4 cup grated carrot

1) Mix meat with egg, add onion and seasonings and bread crumbs, greens and carrots

2) Add half the tin of soup and mix everything well. Turn into greased loaf pan or glass casserole dish 8.5 x 11 inches and pour remaining soup over the top, smoothing it evenly over all.

3) Bake 350 F (177 C) for 1 1/4 hours.

Source: American Pro Footbal Player's Wife in 1963

My Notes:

1) I use 'tomate frito' instead of the condensed soup. It's a rich fried Spanish tomato purée but otherwise condensed soup is good.
Never use ketchup !
2) I usually double the amount of the ground spices with the exception of salt.

SharonCb

I use a recipe from a cookbook called Kitchen Secrets but I think its sort of crumbly because it has a fair amount of green pepper, celery etc.
All I know is that in the book they say using a ground round(? can't remember) or some specific type of ground (not too dry) is important. I used to make a tasty ground turkey meat loaf but it was pretty dry.
Perhaps his had too many breadcrumbs?

I use 95% lean ground beef for my meat loaf and it is never dry. I think the key is the milk.

Meat Loaf

1 1/2 lbs Ground beef, pork, and/or turkey
1 cup milk
1 tsp fresh or 1/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 slices bread torn into small pieces or 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs (I used Progresso Italian bread crumbs)
1 egg
1 clove garlic finely chopped or 1/8 tsp garlic powder (I use powder)
1 small onion finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients well and shape into a loaf in a pan (I use a Corningware rectangular casserole dish or 9 X 13 dish).
Bake at 350 for 1 to 1 1/4 hours (I do 1 1/2 in the Corningware).

You may add a topping if you like.

You can also shape the meat into six small loaves and bake for 45 minutes, then there is no slicing!

I'm sure this came from The Betty Crocker Cookbook originally, it is probably in multiple editions.

Without seeing the meatloaf recipe that your dc used it's pretty hard to say what went wrong. But 4 eggs with 3 1/2 cups of meat might be part of the problem. What was the binder? One egg would be enough for that amount of meat.

There's only a gazillion recipes for meatloaf floating around because we all have a different notion as to the perfect taste.

Nancy

I'm with Nancy that seems like too many eggs for the amount of meat. Here is my version of meatloaf ,mind you I rarely make it the same way twice. My favourite version is stuffed with cheddar and caramelized onions.

Also find it important to allow the meatloaf to rest before slicing.

Meatloaf

2 slices day old bread Crust Removed And cut into cubes
1/2 cup milk
1 Lb ground veal or beef
1/2 Lb ground pork (or use all beef)
2 eggs beaten
1/4 Cups Chopped Onion
3 garlic cloves crushed
1/4 Cup parsley chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 TBSP Worcestershire

In a shallow bowl, soak the bread cubes in the milk . Using your hands, break the bread into small pieces. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread. In a large bowl, combine the veal / beef , pork, eggs, bread, milk garlic, parsley,salt, and pepper.

Form into a loaf. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. NOTE: let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Variation, cover with tomato sauce for last 30 miuntes.

Variation, add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan to the meatlaf

Variation, use half the meat to form bottom, press down with your hand to form a depression. Add sauted onions and grated cheddar cheese to the depression. Cover with rest of meat mixture ensuring totally sealed.

Variation, as above but use traditional bread stuffing to fill.

I also think way too many eggs. My MIL makes a recipe that uses oats instead of bread, sounds weird but you don't really taste it as oats. I won't say it's my favorite, but it's quite good and I make it to make DW happy - after all everyone's mom's meatloaf is the best, right? Here it is off the top of my head:

1.5 lb ground beef, preferably about 85% lean
1 small (6oz?) can tomato sauce
Good squirt of ketchup
1 cup quick (not instant) oats
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 T dry minced onion
1 t salt
1.4 t pepper

I think that's it. (I doctor it up differently each time a bit.) Mix it, form into a loaf, put in 9x13 pan so that fat can drip out. 350 deg for about 50 minutes.

By the way, Giada's turkey meatloaf with sun dried tomatoes, wrapped in pancetta, served in sandwich rolls with an arugula/mayo spread is absolutely fabulous IMO. User ratings overwhelmingly agree.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pancetta and Turkey Meatloaf Sandwiches

James My Mom always made meatloaf with rolled oats too. As a matter of fact that recipe is almost identical to how she made it but she always added Lea and Perrin and garlic powder.

...and your right , Mom's meatloaf is always the best.

I just wing my meatloaf but I've always used only 1 egg. I just made meatloaf a few days ago.

My Meatloaf

Anywhere from 2-4 lbs of ground chuck
abt 1/2 c. Catsup
2-3 gloves crushed Garlic
1-2 c. dried breadcrumbs (I make my own from bagels and sourdough bread)
5-6 green onion6, finely chopped
2 heaping T. horseradish
1 egg

Options: Rosemary, dash of hot paprika, chopped carrots, green beans, in fact any leftover vegetable, chopped dried tomatoes.

Mix all ingredients and form into a loaf. I bake mine on an alumimum foil wrapped rack. Bake at 350 degrees for a little more then an hour. I bake mine a bit longer then most but we like ours with a nice crispy crust.

Michelle

I'm another person who just 'wings' meatloaf. But a few things remain consistent. I always use 1/2 of ground chuck and 1/2 ground pork. 1 large egg or sometimes 2 smaller eggs. Then throw in whatever I have in the fridge such as:

Worceshire sauce
Squirt of ketsup
Squirt of mustand and/or a pinch of dry mustard
Onions (a must)
Garlic (sometimes)
Green or red pepper (sometimes in the summer out of the garden)
Breadcrumbs (sometimes Italian or sometimes Panko)
Crushed potato chips
Maybe a squirt of Bar-be-que sauce
Sometimes a dash of soy sauce
Sometimes a dash of hot sauce
Salt and Pepper
A dash of italian seasoning or whatever strikes your fancy
Form it in a pan and then flip it over onto a wire rack over a sheet pan.

Bake at 350 for an hour or so...then baste with a combo of honey and barbeque sauce and bake for another 15 minutes.

Always great with potatoes and a veggie. Comfort food extraordinare.

Duane

Tache: I noticed only one used garlic. ???

Try this:

Lou's Meatloaf:

2 lbs. of lean ground beef
1/2 lb. of ground pork or Italian Sausage
1-1/2 cups of chopped dry bread
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of finely chopped Onion
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of Parsley Flakes
3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese

1 egg
1 small can of Mushroom Soup

Mix all the dry ingredients,onions and Spices together.

Blend the 2 meats together and add the dry ingredients.
mix this mess throughout , without overmixing.

Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of Ketsup ( or Spaghetti sauce)
to 1/2 can of the Mushroom soup, beat well.

Mix this into the meat- bread mixture.

Add whatever mushroom soup you need to moisten and
keep everything together.
Don't over mix !!! If there is any soup mix left,add
a tablespoon of ketsup and a little water. Mix this and
pour it over the meatloaf.
Lay some Bacon Strips on top and put it in the oven.
You can add all the vegetables of your choice.

Save me some!!!
LOU

Oats sounds good for those trying to lower cholersterol(sp) points.

The key to a nice moist meatloaf that slices wewll....and slices well the next day too is "filler"...lots of bread crumbs and liquid to soak it up....and enough filler to make a fairly stiff loaf before you bake it. It should NOT sag when you make it into a mound to bake.
Here's a recipe I use for meatloaf for a crowd....the seasonings are geared to a church lunch, so the seasoning is not very sharp....you may want to add some garlic and perhaps more worchestershire sauce.

For each 2 1/2 pounds of meat
Add 2 to 1 1/2 cups bread dry crumbs ( grate your bread and dry in the oven...they must be crisp...or you could use dried bread cubes for stuffing that you have smashed into crumbs)
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups of chopped onions sautéed a bit in oil until softÂ( or 3/4 cups sautéed chopped onions)
3/4 cup of water with 2 teaspoons of beef stock granules and 1 T wÂshire
3 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper may want to add some garlic powder as well...and perhaps some dried chilis...just a teaspoon of each
2 T dark grainy mustard
I add the eggs and liquids to the meat, mix, then add the bread crumbs and dry seasonings.
Mix wellÂadding more bread crumbs if needed
Form into loaf and place into baking pan and bake 1 ½ hours at 350Âuntil inside is 160. Cover with foil and let rest 20 minutes or more before slicing.
The real clue to a good meatloaf is not to use too lean a beef...I use 90% lean and sometimes a mix of 90% and 85% lean

I have always been going to experiment with using ground turkey or chicken and add ing some chopped sauteed celery to the mix and subbing Herb dry stuffing mox for the bread crumbs...
Waddya think?
Linda C

Here's my dad's recipe. He'd make this when he had to feed 3 little kids because mom was off at night school:

About a lb of hamburger or a can of tuna
1 onion, chopped coarsely
ketchup
1 egg
About 8" stack of saltine crackers, crumbled.

Mix it up and shape into a donut in a skillet (hole in the middle so it cooks faster). Bake for a while.

I was traumatized for a long time by my father's cooking and still can't handle anything like a salmon loaf. Years later I actually had good meatloaf my maternal grandmother made (she wasn't a very good cook). I lost the recipe, but it used oats. I usually use oats. They work nicely and definitely soak up all the grease to make it squishy. It's even on the package of Quaker Oats: "Oatmeal takes out cholesterol" or something like that. They probably didn't mean that the oats would hold all the cholesterol and fat in meatloaf...

I'm another believer in using oats. This recipe, called "Prize-Winning Meatloaf", was printed on the Quaker Oats boxes for years.

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (I think the original calls for a couple of tablespoons, but we like it with more)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c. raw oats
1 c. tomato juice
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper

You can add worcestershire or garlic or whatever seasonings you like, but this is a great base. It's never dry, and I've always thought the real 'secret' was the tomato juice instead of the oats.

And as someone else mentioned, baking it in a shallower pan will give much moister results. I use a pie pan. Looks a little strange to have round meatloaf, but it sure tastes better.

For you ketchup lovers, try doctoring a cup or so of ketchup with brown sugar, Lea & Perrins, dry mustard and a little ginger. Just keep adding stuff until it tastes good, then slather the sauce all over the top of the mixture before baking. What's left over will be great on meatloaf sandwiches the next day!

My DC thanks you all very very much. He wants to know if any of you use ready cooked meat? He uses a half pound of fresh sausage and the rest left over meat that he freezes and then grinds for the loaf. He says that he only uses three eggs. He is much taken with all the recipes. I think we will probably be having alot of meat loaf in the next few weeks. I can live with it.

Just said he mostly uses the recipe in Julia Child's How to Cook.

Not sure what you mean by ready cooked meat. Do you mean leftover cooked meat like a roast of beef? That could be another reason for it being loose.

I only use raw ground meats although I often grind it myself.

Happy meat loafing.....

sure wish I had a DC!

I hope this isn't too white trash (no offense to anyone), but my boyfriend's mom does something that I absolutely love, she puts the loaf in muffin pans!! There is no slicing and it is kind of fun. I know she used only one egg and she uses oats to bind it together. She also uses a fattier meat than most which makes sure it comes out of the pans easily. I make fake meat loaf and I use one egg, too, and I use oat bran to bind mine. Unless I am making one of those fancy fake meatloaves that calls for lots of egg, I just use the one. With all the great recipes posted here, you can't go wrong :)
Good luck!

I like my meatloaf plain... Ground beef, ground pork, a little chopped green pepper and black pepper... The last 10 minutes or so I top it off with ketchup... Slices like a roast... No eggs, no bread or cracker crumbs, just MEAT... lol

Rita

Thank you again. No more meat loaf problems. DC is very happy.

Yes it is hard to keep a good chef. I had to marry him but that was fifty six years ago and it has worked out pretty well so all your help has contributed to our health and good eating but is also contributing to our marital well being.
So thanks again....Tache

Here is another option.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Meat Loaf Magnolia
==================
My version of a meatloaf that I had in Magnolia's Restaurant in Charleston, SC. When we got home from vacation I set out to duplicate it because it was the first meatloaf I found that I actually liked. It was different because Magnolia's grilled the slices before serving and it didn't contain ketchup or tomato sauce like so many meatloaf recipes do.

1 1/2 pounds ground veal or mixture of beef and veal

1 small onion finely chopped
1 to 2 cloves of garlic
2 slices Italian/French Bread soaked in milk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoons of dried herbs,
(sage and Thyme, a small amount of rosemary
olive oil

Sauce

Green peppercorns
mushroons
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
. Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add minced garlic and saute for
30 seconds. Do not brown garlic

Soak bread in milk

In a large bowl add meat, dijon mustard, chopped parsley, herbs, onions
and garlic and mix with hands. Squeeze bread to break up and add milk
and bread to mixture. Add eggs. Mix well and season with salt and
pepper. Saute a small piece to check for seasoning. Adjust to taste.

Shape meatloaf into a rectangle about 8 X 4 x 3 inches high and place
in a small roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes and then add a small
amount of broth to the pan to prevent the bottom from becoming to
brown. Bake another 30 minutes and baste with the pan juices. Add
more broth if necessary. Cook another 10 minutes or until the meatloaf
is nicely browned.

Let cool and wrap in foil and refrigerate. Reserve pan juices.

Make a sauce by adding some green peppercorns and sauted mushrooms to
the pan juices.

Heat grill

Slice meatloaf into 1/2 inch thick slices and grill on both sides until
nicely marked and hot.

Serve with mashed potatoes