Amish Meatloaf Recipe

I did make some changes to this recipe, based on what I thought needed to be done. For the meat mixture, I used 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/8 cup brown sugar, 1-1/2 cups crackers, added garlic powder and worcestershire. Made only 1/2 the amount of glaze. Baked the loaf for 15 min. longer than recommended. This was absolutely delicious, both hot and cold. I would make it again in a heartbeat, but only with my modifications. Thanks, Duano.

This recipe is a wonderful starting point. I cut the eggs and crackers in half, omitted putting ketchup in with the meat mixture, but added one rib of celery and puréed it with the onion before adding to the meat. Shaped with loaf pan, but turned out onto a foil lined baking dish. I baked for 10 mins at 425 degrees and then turned down to 375 for the rest of the hour. I added cumen instead of mustard (my hubby is allergic) to the ketchup and spread on for the last 15mins of baking. I also spooned off any accumulated fat in the meatloaf baking dish and used it on a cut up yellow potato that I baked alongside the meatloaf for the last 30 mins of baking. If you have a much larger baking dish than I had, I would have just thrown it right in with the meatloaf, making sure to turn them over once for even browning. Enjoy!

I agree there was just too much sugar in the original recipe. I made it as written and then made it again with some changes: I left out the sugar altogether in the meatloaf and only added 2 Tbsp. to the topping. To the meatloaf, I added 1 Tbsp. or Worcestershire, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/3 C. ketchup. To the topping, I also cut down the vinegar to 1 tsp. For those reviewers who said it was too greasy, try this hack: slice an onion into 1/2 inch slices and place them into the bottom of the pan in a single layer, then put the meat mixture on top. This keeps the meat above the grease and adds more flavor! Cut down on the onion in the meatloaf if you wish...I do this for roasts as well, try it!

I didn't have butter crackers, so I substituted saltines (thought the butter crackers would be too sweet anyway). I seasoned the mix much more than called for in the recipe, with black pepper, garlic powder, and Chinese five spice powder. I also mixed in some Worcestershire sauce... But it still tasted flat to me. Also, I cut back on the cracker meal but it still tasted like there was a little too much filler. Despite all of the above, I would make it again and try different adjustments. A little bit of cumin might work; also would highly recommend some Asian fish sauce for umami.

I halved the recipe because I live alone. It made a good meal plus sandwiches for me. I didn’t have enough ketchup, so I used some cocktail sauce to get the total amount needed. It added a nice tang, and I think I would use it again. I still would reduce the sugar a tad, especially to the sauce. I realized when I looked for it that all my bacon was frozen, so I didn’t use it. The top was rather dry, so I would definitely use it next time. Another commenter noted she added bread to the bottom of the pan before putting in the meat loaf mixture to soak up some of the juices. I think I might try that as the top was dry while the bottom was a little mushy. It sounds like a good idea.

I've made adjustments to this recipe that are probably the reason why I'm rating it 5 stars. I added 1 TBSP garlic powder, 1 TBSP onion powder, 2 TBSP liquid smoke (hickory), 2 TBSP worchestshire sauce, 1 green pepper (equal amount to the onion). I only added 2 TBSP of brown sugar to the meat, and halved the amount of the sauce. Because the recipe's amount is way too much for me. The bacon was a really nice touch and candied the texture by baking it covered in sauce. If I would've made the recipe without my additions, it would've been way to sweet for me. My husband LOVED it and so did I. I will make my version again for sure! Oh, and I cooked it for an additional 15-18 minutes also.

Loved this recipe! Made a few modifications. Cut down the cracker crumbs to 1 1/2 cups and added a little granulated garlic and Worcestershire sauce to the meat. Cut the brown sugar down to 1/8 cup and the ketchup to 1/2 cup. Cut the gravy topping in 1/2. I ran out of ketchup so used 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup bbq sauce. I too cooked it 15 extra minutes. 3 strips of bacon...It was fantastic.

My husband said this was better than his mom's! I threw it together in a hurry so missed the vinegar and mustard in the glaze. I did sprinkle a bit of onion soup mix and a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce both in the raw meat and the sauce. I used 4 slices of bacon. Next time I will try to wrap the loaf in bacon, that was my husbands favourite part. It does require longer cooking time with more bacon but well worth the wait. I didn't find it too sweet but I only eyeballed the measurements. I'll perfect it next time.

Trader Joes "Social crackers" work very well with the flavor. This was my first Meatloaf. It was a hit I followed ~Taylor~ 2006 recommendations on changes in the recipe. It Came out perfect also it was still a hit on the second time I cooked it with half ground Turkey and half grass fed ground beef only because thats all I had left in the fridge to cook with this time. I sauted the chopped onion with the two slices of bacon, then diced the bacon for both times. Bacon makes it all the better with anything!

I thought this was a super meatloaf recipe. Although I did make make a few changes due to ingredients on hand. I discovered I only had just less than a cup of crushed crackers so I used oatmeal for for the remaining cup. I also had some celery I wanted to use up, so I chopped up a couple stalks. I love the balance of flavor from Trader Joe's "21 Seasoning Salute" so I shook that several times over the mixture. Finally, since I cooked the loaf in a 9x13 (2lbs is a lot of meat!), I was able to place about 6 strips of bacon on top -a welcomed change by my bacon loving husband. Overall a great recipe. We will be making this one again for sure!

We liked it a lot. I followed the recipe except I only had 1 sleeve of ritz crackers so I added some little square butter crackers to make up the 2-1/2 cups. I put three slices of bacon across the top instead of two and put it on broil for a couple of minutes at the end. I let it rest while we had our salad and it was just right. Moist but still firm. I’ll make it again.

My family went crazy over the meatloaf, I am not crazy about meatloaf, but when I made this, I loved it.

I change the ketchup to BBQ sauce. And cook it in a casserole dish with more bacon on top. Everyone I have made it for has LOVED IT!!!!!

Five stars thanks to Taylor's most helpful review. Delicious! Meatloaf is no longer boring.

This recipe is pure madlad energy.

Turns out perfect everytime, I do omit the bacon 🥓. Other than that everyone loves it!!! Great recipe definitely a keeper

My house smells like heaven right now.

I kept recipe as is, BUT we like a crispy-crust meatloaf, so for the last 15 minutes before the sauce, I up the temp to 400 degrees. After that, I pour the sauce, and I cook it for 15 more minutes. Delicious!

This is probably the tenth time I've made this meatloaf and it never disappoints. It is to die for and I never make changes to the recipe. I don't mess with perfection.

Amazing taste