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Southern Meatloaf

Southern meatloaf with cracker crumbs and tender diced sweet onion and bell pepper baked inside, then finished with a tangy-sweet ketchup-mustard glaze. Baked until the glaze caramelizes, sliced thick for a classic comfort food dinner plate.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
rest 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meatloaf
  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.5 cup whole milk
  • 0.5 cup sweet onion finely diced
  • 0.25 cup green bell pepper finely diced
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 0.1 Salt to taste
  • 0.1 black pepper to taste
Ketchup-Mustard Glaze
  • 0.33 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and shape
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan, creating a nonstick surface for easy slicing (visible cue: pan looks lightly coated, not pooling).
  2. Combine ground beef, saltine cracker crumbs, eggs, whole milk, sweet onion, green bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper in one mixture until evenly combined (visual cue: no dry crumb pockets remain).
  3. Press the meat mixture firmly into the loaf pan so the top is smooth and compact (visual cue: a flat, tightly packed loaf surface).
Glaze and bake
  1. Mix ketchup, yellow mustard, and brown sugar, then spread evenly over the top of the loaf (visual cue: glaze forms a complete, glossy layer).
  2. Bake at 350°F for 60–70 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F and the glaze is caramelized (visual cue: top turns deep amber with slight bubbling edges).
Rest and serve
  1. Rest the meatloaf for 10 minutes before slicing to help juices set (visual cue: the loaf holds its shape when you lift a slice).
  2. Slice and serve with classic Southern sides (visual cue: thick slices show the baked-in onion and bell pepper throughout).

Notes

For the cleanest slices, let the loaf rest fully and resist cutting early. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze baked meatloaf slices up to 2 months. If you want a lighter version, swap part of the ground beef for ground turkey while keeping the same cracker-crumb and glaze ratios for a similar texture.