How To Make Paula Deen’s Meatloaf

WW Recipe of the Day: Classic Paula Deen Meatloaf - Old Fashioned Homemade Meatloaf

This Paula Deen Meatloaf Recipe is one of my family's favorites. If you are looking for a great old-fashioned, homemade meatloaf, that's easy to make with great flavor, this is it.

I love Paula's approach to simple easy home cooking. The problem is that, though tasty, most of her recipes are far from light or healthy.

This is the homemade meatloaf recipe I make most often these days. It comes from her original The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (affiliate link). I love that it uses oats instead of bread crumbs and has a sweet ketchup based topping.

Paula Deen Meatloaf

How Many Calories and WW Points in this Classic Old-Fashioned Meatloaf?

According to my calculations, each generous serving (¼th recipe) has 324 calories and

7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
6 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

To see your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

Paula Deen Meat Loaf Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 egg
• ½ cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
• 1-¼ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• ⅓ cup ketchup (for the glaze on top)
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (for the glaze on top)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (for the glaze on top)

How to make Paula Deen Meatloaf Step by Step

Meatloaf has long been a family favorite, and this combination is one I come back to again and again. It is moist and flavorful and so easy. If you like  basic old-fashioned meatloaf you will love this one.

Step 1: While most meatloaf recipes are generally pretty easy, this one might just be the simplest there is. First, you preheat the oven to 375°F. And assemble and prep your ingredients.

Step 2: Mix together the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl. (Ground beef, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, an egg, a cup of diced tomatoes, oats, and salt and pepper.)

Step 3: Form the loaf in a baking dish.

Step 4: In a small bowl (affiliate link) stir together ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard for the topping.

Step 5: Spread the topping mixture over the loaf and bake until done. Easy. Peasy.

Here's a Video of Paula Deen Making this Meatloaf which she credits to her Aunt Peggy: 

Do you cover a meatloaf when you're baking it?

I always bake my meatloaf uncovered in a 350F degree to 375F degree oven. Sometimes I bake it in a loaf pan (affiliate link). Other times I form it into a loaf shape and bake it on a larger foil-lined baking sheet (affiliate link) or in a casserole dish (affiliate link). Roasting assorted vegetables at the same time creates a one pan meal. I also sometimes bake mini meatloaves in a muffin tin.

How long does it take to cook a 2 pound meatloaf at 350 degrees?

A 2-pound meatloaf will usually cook in about an hour at 350F degrees. Try to avoid overcooking or the meat will start getting tough and crumbly.

The best way to know when a meatloaf is done is by checking its internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer (affiliate link). When it reaches 155°F, you can pull it from the oven.

Allowing the loaf to rest for a few minutes before you slice and serve gives the juices inside the meatloaf time to redistribute and settle, instead of running out when cut.

What can you use instead of breadcrumbs in meatloaf?

Paula uses quick cooking oats instead of breadcrumbs in this recipe. Other good substitutions for breadcrumbs in meatloaf include:

• Slices of bread soaked in milk
• Cracker crumbs (saltine, Ritz, etc.)
• Crushed cornflakes or bran flakes
• Boxed stuffing mix such as Stovetop
• Cooked rice or quinoa
• Matza meal
• Ground flaxseed
• Almond meal
• Finely chopped vegetables (carrots, squash, cauliflower, celery, spinach, mushrooms, onions, etc.)
• Grated Parmesan cheese

What holds the meatloaf together?

The binders that hold meatloaf together include any liquid, eggs and/or any of the dry ingredients such as oats or breadcrumbs.

Tips for making Paula Deen's Meatloaf, Substitutions & Variations

• Different Meats?
  I used lean ground beef. Ground turkey or a combination of beef, turkey and/or ground pork would work as well.
• No egg?
  Use a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes instead of 1 cup and leave out the egg.
• No diced tomatoes?
  Substitute salsa or tomato sauce.
• No onion?
  Use dried onion flakes instead.
• No green pepper?
  Leave it out.
• Lower sugar?
  Use your favorite sugar substitute in place of the brown sugar in the topping.
• More flavorful?
  Add your favorite meatloaf seasonings such as granulated garlic, thyme, Italian seasoning blend, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, etc.

Meatloaf Serving Suggestions

Some of our favorite sides to serve alongside meatloaf include:

• Skinny Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Skinny Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Baked Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
• Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
• Peas
• Roasted Carrots
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots & Sweet Potatoes
• Lighter Healthier Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese or Light Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Cauliflower

Ways to Use Leftover Meatloaf

• I love to use leftover meatloaf to make a sandwich on light toast with ketchup, mustard, lettuce and pickles.
• Chop it up and mix it with cooked rice to stuff bell peppers.
• Crumble it up and add to a jar of marinara sauce served over pasta or zucchini noodles.
• Use it in place of ground meat to make chili or tacos.
• Chop it up and add it to vegetable soup. 

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4.43 from 38 votes

Classic Paula Deen Meatloaf - Old Fashioned Homemade Meatloaf

There is a variation of this recipe in Paula Deen's The Deen Family Cookbook, called Aunt Peggy's Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf. It is exactly the same except it calls for one can (6 ounces) tomato paste, instead of the cup of diced tomatoes. Experiment to find out which one you like best.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 4

Calories: 324

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ cup chopped onion
• ▢ ½ cup chopped bell pepper
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 cup diced canned tomatoes with their juice
• ▢ ½ cup quick cooking oats

Topping Ingredients

• ▢ ⅓ cup ketchup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Instructions

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
• In a large bowl mix together all meatloaf ingredients well. Place the mixture into a 9x13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and shape into a loaf.
• Mix together the topping ingredients and spread over the loaf.
• Bake for about 45 - 60 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 155 degrees. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Equipment

9x13 Baking Pan

Mixing Bowls

Wooden Spoon

Recipe Notes

Substitutions and Variations:

• Different Meats? I used lean ground beef. Ground turkey or a combination of beef, turkey and/or ground pork would work as well.
• No egg? Use a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes instead of 1 cup and leave out the egg.
• No diced tomatoes? Substitute salsa or tomato sauce.
• No onion? Use dried onion flakes instead.
• No green pepper? Leave it out.
• Lower sugar? Use your favorite sugar substitute in place of the brown sugar in the topping.
• More flavorful? Add your favorite meatloaf seasonings such as granulated garlic, thyme, Italian seasoning blend, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, etc.

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

6 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

Classic Paula Deen Meatloaf - Old Fashioned Homemade Meatloaf

Amount Per Serving (1 /4th recipe)

Calories 324 Calories from Fat 111

% Daily Value*

Fat 12.3g19%

Carbohydrates 20.2g7%

Fiber 2.2g9%

Protein 36.3g73%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: heatlhy meatloaf recipe, meatloaf without bread crumbs, old-fashioned meatloaf

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Source: The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (affiliate link) by Paula Deen

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

If You Like this Old-Fashioned MeatLoaf Recipe You Might Also Like:

• Skinny Mini Meatloaf Muffins
• Basic Meatloaf Recipe
• Southwest Meatloaf Muffins
• Healthy WW Meatloaf Recipe
• WW Turkey Meatloaf with Quinoa

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