Pantry Meatloaf




All the ingredients for Pantry Meatloaf are inside your pantry, except the meat and eggs.  It is not like any meatloaf you have eaten before.  It is one of the first recipes I created.  It has been a favorite ever since.

This is a meal in my house that everyone loves.  I never have left overs.  If there is anything left over, it becomes a meatloaf sandwich.  Those are my favorite!  

The thing that sets this meatloaf apart is it has both sausage and hamburger.  Everything else comes from your pantry, V-8 juice, bread crumbs and Lipton Onion soup.  I always keep hamburger and sausage in my freezer. Eggs are also needed in this recipe, but I have those in my refrigerator too.  Because most of the ingredients come from my pantry, I can make this any time.

Fun Story about Pantry Meatloaf at the end of the post.



How to Make Pantry Meatloaf

1.  This meatloaf starts with regular breakfast sausage and hamburger.  The sausage gives this meatloaf a very unique flavor.  You need one pound of each.  

I buy the three pound Jimmy Dean sausage roll at Costco in the refrigerator case where the bacon is.  Divide the sausage roll into one pound pieces and then put them in a quart size freezer plastic bag.  After putting the meat inside, flatten it out until it fills the bag and is mashed flat.  Seal the bag and then stack in the freezer.  The flat shape creates a perfect way to store.  Label the plastic bag whether it is hamburger or sausage and then put the date you put it in the freezer.

Kitchen Hack for thawing frozen meat.   


Place the frozen meat that was frozen in a plastic bag, in a large bowl of water.  Put enough water in the bowl until it is almost covered.  Turn the bag over every five minutes or so. Before you know it, your meat will be thawed.  I like this method so much better than the microwave.  There are no cooked edges with the water in a bowl method.  

Before getting all your ingredients together, place the frozen meat in the bowl of water.  By the time you get all the other ingredients together, the meat will be thawed. 

2.  Place both sausage and hamburger in a large bowl.  Pour in the V-8 juice, eggs, Lipton Onion Soup Mix and bread crumbs.  Mix with your hands until everything is well combined.  Sometimes ingredients get stuck on the bottom of the bowl, so keep mixing until it is all one color. 

3.  Divide the meat mixture into two even pieces.  Place each into a bread pan.  You do not need to grease the pans because there is enough fat in the meat .  Push the meat down to fit the bottom of the pans.  

This recipe makes two loaves of meatloaf.  One will get eaten right away.  Slice the second loaf into very thin pieces after it cooks for the perfect meatloaf sandwiches.

4.  Mix the ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard and nutmeg in a small bowl.  Divide between the two loaves.  Pour on top and cover the meatloaf.

5.  Place in a 350° oven and bake for 1 hour.

Add some potatoes in the oven for a side dish


6.  If you want some baked potatoes with the meatloaf, wrap each potato in a sheet of tin foil and place along side the meatloaf for an hour.

7.  When making Meatloaf Sandwiches use really good, soft, white bread.   Spread on a layer of mayonnaise on both pieces of bread.  Lay three thin slices of cooked meatloaf on one slice.  Cover with the second slice and eat.  The sandwich is especially delicious if you use warm meatloaf.  You really have to try this!





Let me know on Instagram or Pinterest if you make this.  Post a picture and then tag me @dinasdiner.  I want to know how it turns out.


(Makes two loaf pans)

1 lb. Hamburger
1 lb. Sausage (I use Jimmy Dean in the tube)
2 eggs
12 oz. V8 Juice
1 1/2 C. Bread Crumbs (I use Progresso's Italian Crumbs)
2 pkg. Lipton Onion Soup Mix (dry)

Ketchup Sauce

1/2 C. Br. Sugar
1 C. Ketchup
2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

1. Mix sausage and hamburger in a large bowl.
2. Add the eggs, V8 Juice, bread crumbs and Soup Mix.
3. Use your hands to mix everything until well combined.
4.  Divide the meat mixture into two equal parts and place each piece in a bread pan.
5.  Mix the brown sugar, ketchup, dry mustard and nutmeg.  Divide in half and pour on top of each loaf.
6.  Bake for an hour in a 350° oven.






Mix the sauce together in a separate bowl. 
  
Pour the sauce over the top of the uncooked meatloaf.



Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  I sometimes go to church and leave this in the oven on timed cook with about 10 potatoes wrapped in tin foil.   When I come home all I do is put some frozen peas in the microwave as we are setting the table.  Easy and delicious, dinner is served!



True Story
My husband and I were driving home from a Saturday night church meeting when I said, "I feel like meatloaf." Meaning, it sounded really good for dinner the next day.

My husband began laughing out of control and said, "No one ever feels like meatloaf. That is something your mom makes, but no one likes to eat it."

Over many years of eating my meatloaf, my husband often feels like eating meatloaf, too. My meatloaf is that good!
Wife, Mother of Four, Baker of anything with sugar and flour, Recipe Book Reader, Dinner Maker, Someone that likes to try new recipes and share them with you.