Easy Meatloaf with Onion Soup Mix

DELICIOUS, savory homemade meatloaf with onion soup mix and Worcestershire sauce! Simple ingredients and some time in the oven make this one of the most foolproof homemade meatloaf recipes out there. The almighty packet of onion soup gives us another winning recipe!

Ok, let's talk about shortcut ingredients.

Seasoning packets, canned cream-of-xx soups, bottled sauces for slow cooker meals? THEY ARE ALL AMAZING.

And yet, there's a little pocket of humanity that's all "I prefer to make my own, use natural ingredients, shit all over your shortcuts in the name of my clean-eating ego."

Well, no offense to those folks, but pre-made ingredients are AMAZING and can coax some really yummy flavors out of very regular foods.

Example: ranch dip seasoning sprinkled all over chicken before grilling. Definitely do that.

How To Make Meatloaf With Onion Soup Mix

This French onion meatloaf is one of the great uses for Lipton onion soup - and there are many recipes that use onion soup mix. The oniony, savory, salty flavor is so good on so many proteins, and the packet takes the guesswork out of seasoning a homemade meatloaf.

In short, this is a very, very good meatloaf recipe and should absolutely become on of your new go-tos. It's weeknight friendly, tastes like restaurant meatloaf, and is an all around winning family dinner.

Ingredients

Including salt, there are only NINE ingredients in this meatloaf. Ground beef, bread crumbs, cream, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, ketchup, balsamic glaze, and the majestic onion soup packet. All simple, delicious ingredients.

Ingredient Notes and Variations

• Absolutely feel free to sub ground turkey instead of beef. I've also made this with venison and elk and they are both delicious as well.
• Any kind of bread crumbs works in this recipe!
• If you prefer, the cream can be subbed for milk or half and half.
• The ketchup and balsamic glaze meatloaf topping is SO GOOD, but can be simplified with just ketchup, or the same amount of ketchup + 1 tablespoon EACH of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. All variations are delicious!

Step By Step Instructions

This is a super quick method for meatloaf, but I do mix things in stages to be sure all the seasonings mix evenly into the beef.

1. Preheat the oven. Prep a small baking dish with some cooking spray.
2. Combine the cream and bread crumbs - let sit for 5 minutes to soften (skip if you're in a hurry, no worries).
3. Add everything else EXCEPT the beef and the ketchup and balsamic glaze. Stir to combine, lovely seasoning mixture.
4. Add the beef, mix gently with your hands to combine everything.

At this point, form the meatloaf mixture gently into a football-ish shape. You can also use a loaf pan for this meatloaf, but I prefer a more free form oval loaf shape - this also means MORE CRUSTY EDGES which are a very, very yummy part of meatloaf.

Once the meatloaf is in the pan, combine the ketchup and balsamic glaze and spread that on top of the meatloaf, right down the center. It'll spread a bit as the meatloaf bakes, so don't worry about getting it all the way to the edges.

Now, we bake! 1 hour, rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve. We often don't even bother slicing our meatloaf; just spoon out big scoops of it over rice with any pan juices we can get our hands on.

OMG OMG OMG. This is so, so good. The sweet + savory balsamic ketchup topping, ultra beefy meatloaf made extra yummy with the onion soup mix - it's just a lot of really good dinner things all at once.

Side Dishes For Meatloaf

As to what to serve, we like rice and steamed broccoli with lots of lemon and salt, mainly because I can get both of those things done in 15 minutes or so. Here are some other yummy sides!

• Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
• Crispy smashed potatoes
• Baked cheesy broccoli
• Green salad
• Roasted carrots with bacon

Basically, everything goes with meatloaf. Choose your favorite sides and build your plate!

Make Ahead and Storage Notes

One thing that I LOVE about this meatloaf is that it is so easy to make in advance. I often form it a few days before cooking, or first thing in the morning, then keep it covered in the fridge until I'm ready to bake it. Then, while the meatloaf bakes, I use the time to clean the kitchen, unpack backpacks (read: throw away kid art), make side dishes, etc.

Meatloaf leftovers store REALLY well, store them in the fridge for 3-4 days and microwave right before eating. Or, turn thinner slices into a sandwich!

FRIENDS. I can't tell you enough how utterly delicious this. Totally kid friendly, perfect for make-ahead and for leftovers, all around comforting and easy. A meatloaf winner!

Recipe

Easy Meatloaf with Onion Soup Mix

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings

DELICIOUS, dreamy meatloaf with tons of flavor thanks to a packet of onion soup mix. Seriously so, so good.

5 from 11 ratings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Equipment

• ▢
  Measuring Cups And Spoons
• ▢
  Glass Mixing Bowl
• ▢
  Medium Roasting Dish

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 pounds ground beef
• ▢ ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 onion soup dip mix packet
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ cup ketchup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze I get mine at Trader Joe’s!

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare a medium sized baking dish with some cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the panko and cream and let sit for 5 minutes to soften.
• Add the eggs, onion soup, and Worcestershire to the bowl and stir to combine. Add the ground beef and mix using your hands, working quickly and gently just until everything is combined.
• Carefully form the meatloaf into a gentle oval shape in the baking dish. Keep the overall mixture somewhat loose; just working toward an even oval without pressing too much. Sprinkle the top of the meatloaf with kosher salt.
• Stir together the ketchup and balsamic glaze, and spread that over the top of the meatloaf – it’s ok if some drips down the edges.
• Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes out of the oven before slicing and serving with the pan drippings.

Notes

Use any kind of beef you like! I find that really lean beef (90% or higher) yields a less juicy and more dry meatloaf, so keep that in mind. That said, ground turkey (not ground turkey breast) and super lean beef can be used if needed.

Don’t obsess about the panko – use regular breadcrumbs if that’s all you have.

I cook this in a flat baking dish (any size larger than 8 inches or so works fine!) instead of a loaf pan because I like the crispy edges that the open air of the oven gives. If you prefer to cook this in a loaf pan you can, just add about 10 minutes to the cooking time and/or use a meat thermometer to be sure the meatloaf is cooked through.

Make Ahead: The meatloaf can be made in advance and reheated like you would leftovers. Additionally, you can form it in advance and keep it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days, then uncover, add the ketchup sauce, and bake on the night you’d like to eat it to save some time.

Serving: I love this meatloaf with a quick-cooking green veg and plain white rice (to catch all the drippings from the meatloaf!). After 30 minutes of cooking the meatloaf, start some white rice per the package directions; it’ll be done right about the time the meatloaf is.

For a green veg (think broccolini, thin green beans, asparagus), heat a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the greens for 5 minutes until just slightly browned at the edges and bright green everywhere else, then add ½ cup water and continue cooking until the vegetable is soft and most of the water has evaporated. Sprinkle with salt and squeeze lemon wedges over top, then serve.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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