MEATLOAF... I don't know how to make it... HELP!

Awww...ok, well, this is how I make my meatloaf.... I take chop meat and put it into a proper sized mixing bowl and set my stove to around 350-375. I then knead the meat with my hands (you may want to take off any rings at this point and wash your hands LOL). Then I grab my igredients, which consist of pepper, parsley, grated parmeson cheese, about 1/4 cup tomatoe sauce, adobo, seasoned salt and one or two eggs, depending on the size of your meatloaf. If you are making a big meatloaf, you may want to put 2 eggs, it's up to your judgement. The egg helps the meat to bind together more smoothly without falling apart while cooking. Ok, so, you want to add the rest of the ingredients to your meat. Only put about two and half quick shakes of each (hey, it's how I measure it, what can I tell ya ;-P). After all the ingredients have been added, knead the meat with your CLEAN hands once again until everything is properly mixed in. Then pat the meat into a nice oval shape and make sure it looks smooth. Put it into a nice fitting baking pan and put it into the oven. I have a meat thermometer that you can buy in the housewares dept. in Walmart and maybe in Target, not sure. The one I have shows the diffrent cooking tempretures for the meat, to show when it is done. This is very helpful in making sure your meat is prepared to the right tempreture. It's not that expensive, less than $10 if I remember correctly, which I am almost sure that I do LOL...You want to check your meatloaf with this thermometer about 30 minutes into it. Anywho, that should make for a pretty darn good meatloaf, at least, that's what my husband tells me ;-P. Have fun! I hope I helped a bit.

I use 1 pound of hamburger, add 1 beaten egg, enough bread crumbs (the packaged ones) and then add finely chopped onion and celery. Instead of tomato soup, I use ketchup and then throw it onto the counter several times to pack it and put ketchup in a row on top, Bake it for an hour or so at 350 or until done. It comes out perfect. There are gazillions of different recipies with different ingredients so it all depends on individual taste.

You poor baby! Meatloaf seems to consist pretty much of whatever the cook wishes to include, ruthinian. It is one of my favorite dishes(just had it on Sunday), and it was the first thing I learned to make as a new bride many years ago. Some people used mixed ground meats but I only use hamburger or ground beef. I add minced onion, minced green bell pepper, egg, diced tomatoes, flour or bread crumbs(to help bind it together), and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together. Bake in a loaf pan at 375* for about 1 hour. I usually top my meatloaf with ketchup at this point(after draining the fat), and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Some people use canned Cream of Mushroom Soup.

Basic meatloaf is ground meat (usually beef, you can mix beef and pork too), bread crumbs, and an egg. Then you can add whatever you like for flavor. My husband doesn't like onion, so I don't put that in, but a lot of people do. Salt, pepper, garlic powder. I usually try to sneak in some veggies - grated carrots, and tomato sauce - since veggies are not high on the hubbies list of foods. My mom uses oatmeal instead of bread crumbs, but I haven't ever done it. It's something that everyone makes differently - just have fun with it.

Dear Ruthinian, It is always a bit difficult if you do not know previously how to cook. If you can follow recipes just follow the one which can choose. Choose the easiest of recipes in the sense that you understand the steps properly. You can go to these sites and select the recipe you want to try out. www.tastymeatloafrecipes.com www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/meatloaf-recipe.html these two sites should help you. I learnt my cooking like this only, select one recipe , follow the steps, understand them and then go ahead. You can do it. All the best

This is the recipe I use http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1926,152188-232203,00.html except I do not use the accent or the water. (I use ground beef...if you use ground chuck with less fat, you may want to add the water.) The ground beef, because of all the fat, adds alot of flavor, but I use a deep baking dish and shape it into a loaf because a loaf pan would never hold the grease/liquids from it. I also poke a few holes in it with my finger to ensure it gets done in the center. Then, remove it from the pan to a platter for about 5 minutes before serving. This firms it up a little and also gets it out of the grease. My family has a hard time eating any other meatloaf recipe because we like this one so much. They all vary in flavor. Oh, and some people put tomato sauce or ketchup over the top of it during the last 10-15 or so of baking...my mom does this and her and my dad don't like it without it. I think it's disgusting- but it's an option for you to consider.

Well I noticed you have several good responses but I thought I'd add mine in as well. I'm sure you've noticed by now that different people make it different ways. A lot depends on the flavor you want once cooked. I prefer to have mine tangy and not sweet. So here is mine now I don't really measure with mine so these are estimates: Take your hamburger and put it in a bowl. Add in a raw egg, about a 1/2 a cup of oatmeal or breadcrumbs, 2 to 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce, about a 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce, about 1/2 a small onion chopped up, then add in parsley, lemon pepper, paprika and garlic powder (I do enough so that it's visible on the other products). If you don't have an onion then onion powder can be used. Now mix it with your hands. If it's too dry add more BBQ sauce and if it's too wet add more oatmeal/breadcrumbs. When you lift up your hand it should look like it went through a meat grinder. It will look gross. Now put it in your pan and cover it all with BBQ sauce. Bake at 350 for about an hour but depending on how deep your pan is this could be less time. Good luck with the dinner.

Well, my meatloaf tastes more like a giant meatball, but my family loves it. I use a pound of hamburger, one egg, some bread crumbs and about 1/4 of a can of tomato soup (undiluted). I squish it all together, then put it in a pan and put the rest of the tomato soup on top. Like I wrote, it pretty much tastes like a giant meatball! But there's never any left.

I made Meatloaf for the first time this week from a recipe book-You should be able to find a good recipe online-good luck!

Ok, I have to ask, since this post was four days ago.. did you end up making it? Did you use a recipe from someone on here? Meatloaf is really easy, the key is making sure you add spices and seasoning and bake it slowly.. other than that, you'd do fine! Let me know how it came out :)

ruthinian go to Cooks.com and askfor meat loaf recipes as there are a zillion and one of them should be just what you want. Meatloaf is not that hard to make but good meat loaf needs two kinds of meat in it,ground pork and ground beef. however I am sure you will find one recipe in cooks.com that will be easy to make and please you. I use their recipes all the time.

I know it's too late to do you any good, but for the future, I'm going to give you a link to a meatloaf that I thought was the best of any I've ever had. My daughter has made it twice using this very recipe and it is wonderful. Despite the name and the ingredients, it isn't spicy at all, just savory and delicious. Here is the link to the recipe...http://www.mexicanmeals.net/beef-pork-lamb-veal/fiesta-meatloaf-recipe-southwestern-beef-recipes-and-pork-recipes-mexican-recipes/viewlink.htm Wow - longer than I thought! LOL Can't cut and paste because I'm too new. Whew!! But, it is very very good. If for some reason the link doesn't work, the recipe is for Fiesta Meatloaf and can be found at www.mexicanmeals.net.