When you need to make a one pound meatloaf with the classic flavors you love, this is the meatloaf recipe you want!
This easy meatloaf recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner. Juicy ground beef seasoned perfectly and finished with a BBQ sauce glaze brings big flavor to this one pound meatloaf. It’s great when you don’t need a large meal, but want some classic comfort food.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Video: Meatloaf Tips
Why Make A One Pound Meatloaf?
A one pound meatloaf is great for when you only need to feed 2-4 people. Plus, it doesn’t take too long to prepare and bake.
This meatloaf recipe will work with 1 pound of ground meat, up to 1 and 1/3 pound of ground meat, which is a typical package at the grocery store.
If you need to feed a bigger crowd or want to have leftover meatloaf, you can double the recipe and make two loaves. They can bake together for the same time as in the recipe, just make sure there’s a few inches in between them so they will cook properly.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this meatloaf recipe is short and simple. I used lean ground beef for mine, but you could just ground pork or ground turkey, or use half beef and half another ground meat.
We’re seasoning with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper along with building great flavor with barbecue sauce. Finally, an egg and breadcrumbs are used to help hold everything together.
Tips For Making Meatloaf
Don’t overmix the meat. That’s why we mix together the seasonings and egg first. That makes it easy to mix together with the ground meat without overmixing and making the meat tough.
No need for a loaf pan. I use a sheet pan instead of cooking it in a loaf pan. I find that when I use a loaf pan, it’s hard to get the finished meatloaf out. Also, by doing it on the sheet pan, the sides get exposed to the heat and darken a bit, adding to that amazing flavor. Use parchment paper or a silicone mat so that the meat loaf doesn’t stick to your sheet pan though. And make sure that you press the loaf together firmly so that it will hold together.
Use a thermometer. If you want your meatloaf to be juicy, it’s important that you don’t overcook it. But you also want to make sure that it gets to the safe temperature of 165°F. Inserting a probe thermometer through the middle of the loaf to monitor the temperature is the best way to get it just right. Take the meatloaf out of the oven when it reaches 160°F. Then it will raise in temperature while it rests. See more on resting below.
Finish with high heat. The increase in oven temperature at the end of the cook time is to help caramelize the BBQ sauce glaze.
Let it rest for 10 minutes. This is very important for two reasons. First, as mentioned above, you’ll take the meatloaf out of the oven at 160°F. But the safe temperature that ground meat has to reach before eating is 165°F. The resting time will allow the temperature to rise up. The second reason is that the meatloaf needs to also cool down a little bit inside so that slicing is easier because the liquid inside the meat has calmed down.
More Great Meatloaf Recipes
- Classic Meatloaf Seasoning
- Air Fryer Meatloaf
- Easy Turkey Meatloaf
- Ground Chicken Meatloaf
- Gluten-Free Meatloaf
Podcast Episode: One-Pound Meatloaf
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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One Pound Meatloaf Recipe
When you need to make a one pound meatloaf with the classic flavors you love, this is the meatloaf recipe you want!
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 38 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. BBQ sauce, divided
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- To a large bowl add 1 tablespoon of the BBQ sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and egg. Mix well. Add the meat and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over top. Use your hands to mix it all together thoroughly, trying to not overmix.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the prepared baking sheet. Shape into a 6-inch by 3-inch loaf that’s about 1 and 1/2 inches high. Brush the top, sides, and ends with 1 tablespoon of the BBQ sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the remaining 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce all over the loaf.
- Return to the oven and increase heat to 450°F. Bake until internal temperature is 160°F, about 8-12 more minutes.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 7-10 minutes for better slicing and to make sure the temperature rises to 165°F. Use two metal spatulas to get under the loaf and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into 8 slices and serve.
This is the first Meatloaf I ever learned to make. It is delicious and perfect for two people plus my dog with leftovers. Absolutely love it
I’m so glad you love it, Amber! Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment.
Thanks for the recipe! I didn’t have BBQ sauce but the ketchup was just as yummy! My boyfriend also enjoyed this! Yay!
You’re welcome, Lizzy! Glad you both enjoyed!
Made this and it was SO. Perfect for two people who want leftovers the next day.
Love to hear that, Connie! Thanks for coming back to comment. If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate you adding a 5 star rating which helps others find this recipe too.
Best meatloaf I’ve ever made and my husband didn’t drown it in ketchup!! Haha
Thank you
You’re welcome, Julie! So glad you loved it.
Probably gonna get heat for this, but I like my meatloaf dry. This means cooking it to 175-185 internal degrees. Any higher and even I won’t touch it.
Since I don’t use salt or black pepper, I like to add mustard (mix it in) and fresh dill on top while it cooks. I absolutely love dill almost as much as I do garlic.
Instead of bread crumbs, I just break apart stale bread and mix it in.
No (BBQ) sauce anywhere near my meatloaf. Never gonna happen.
Instead of garlic powder, try cutting up some garlic (fillet knife cuts fresh garlic like butter) into thin pieces and dropping it into the loaf tray as you add the meat mixture. Course, could also add roasted garlic on top of the loaf halfway it’s cooking. Yummm 🙂
Also prefer to just cut up a few rings of onion and cut em up into itty bitty pieces (or use dehydrated onions) and add em to the loaf mixture. And yes, fillet knife as well. Just makes things easier with fillet knives around.
Have 3 fillet knives and 1 steak knife. All I need sharp knife wise.
Aside from those changes, that’s pretty much how I’ve always had my meatloaf. Had to learn how to make it when I was really young since I was the only one in the fam that eats meat well done, lol. Been cooking for myself since I was 6…mylanta, that’s 41 years now….ugh, just typing that makes me cringe.
Thanks for sharing, Thomas!
Simple and perfect, makes a great little meatloaf. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Charlie! Glad you enjoyed.