Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf (The Best Meatloaf Recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

Why milk instead of water in meatloaf? ›

Milk and other dairy products, like heavy cream and buttermilk, contain both water and fat, adding two types of moisture to our meatloaf. There's a long-held theory that milk can tenderize ground meat, and this is the reason often cited for cooking ground meat in milk to make a Bolognese-style ragù.

Binders like eggs or breadcrumbs will certainly help to keep your meatloaf together.

The answer is: it depends. Onions are a great addition to meatloaf because they add a lot of flavor and moisture. Raw onions have a strong, pungent flavor and will give the meatloaf a sharper taste. However, if the onions are cooked before adding them to the meatloaf, they will become sweeter and milder.

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

Eggs. Sure, egg yolks add some rich flavor to a meatloaf, but the real reason we need eggs is for structure—to help bind the meatloaf together. This is especially important since we're making a free-form meatloaf, or one that you shape by hand, versus using a loaf pan.

If you don't use milk in a meatloaf, here's what you might expect: Drier texture: The most noticeable change will be a slightly drier meatloaf. It won't be inedible, but it might be a bit crumblier.

The ratio of ¼ cup water to one tablespoon of flaxseed meal is equivalent to one egg. So to substitute for two eggs in a meatloaf, you'll want to mix ½ cup of water with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal.

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

A neat trick to soak up the grease under your meatloaf is to line the bottom of the pan with bread slices. The bread soaks up the grease as the loaf bakes. When the meatloaf is done, you can either throw out the bread or bake it to make some truly indulgent toast.

What color onion is best for meatloaf? ›

Instead of the pepper and salt, I used Emeril's seasoning and sweet yellow onions. The meatloaves were good, and the onions became even sweeter when baked.

No bells and whistles - just a few ingredients including beef, egg, bread crumbs and a simple tomato-based topping. Use a gentle touch with ground beef. Over-mixing will result in burgers, meatballs or meatloaves with a firm texture.

Use Extra Egg: Eggs act as binders and provide moisture. Add one or two eggs per pound of meat for a moist texture. Make Use of Milk: Soak breadcrumbs in milk before adding them to your mixture. This will keep your meatloaf moist during baking.

Not only does sheet pan meatloaf bake up faster than its traditional loaf-shaped cousin, it also has more surface area, meaning every bite is laden with that deliciously caramelized topping.

Fewer eggs will create a denser and firmer meatloaf that will be more compact and easier to slice, but more eggs can create a more tender and light texture that allows the meatloaf to melt in your mouth.