Tender ground beef loaf glazed with apple cider and brown sugar, served with rich, sweet caramelized onion gravy.
Start checking the temperature at 55 minutes; a full 2 lb loaf can take up to 70 minutes depending on your pan and oven. Give the onions their full time. They should be deep golden and jammy before the sugar and flour go in.
Before you start: preheat the oven to 375°F; use 1½ medium yellow onions total: dice ¾ of an onion (about 0.75 cup) for the meatloaf and thinly slice the other ¾ (about 1 cup) for the gravy; measure 0.5 cup apple cider for the meatloaf, 2 tbsp for the glaze and 1 cup for the gravy; have a large bowl, 9x5-inch loaf pan, skillet, whisk and instant-read thermometer ready. The meatloaf can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate, then add about 5 minutes to the bake time and go by the thermometer.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 lb ground beef (85% lean works best)
- ¾ cup yellow onion (finely diced; for the meatloaf (about ¾ of a medium onion))
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups apple cider (0.5 cup for the meatloaf and 1 cup for the gravy)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste for the gravy)
- ½ tsp black pepper (freshly ground; plus more to taste for the gravy)
- 4 tbsp brown sugar (2 tbsp for the glaze and 2 tbsp for the onions)
- 2 tbsp apple cider (for the glaze)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onion (thinly sliced; for the gravy (the other ¾ of the onion))
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beef broth
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 lb ground beef (85% lean works best)
- ¾ cup yellow onion (finely diced; for the meatloaf (about ¾ of a medium onion))
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups apple cider (0.5 cup for the meatloaf and 1 cup for the gravy)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste for the gravy)
- ½ tsp black pepper (freshly ground; plus more to taste for the gravy)
- 4 tbsp brown sugar (2 tbsp for the glaze and 2 tbsp for the onions)
- 2 tbsp apple cider (for the glaze)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onion (thinly sliced; for the gravy (the other ¾ of the onion))
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
Mix the meatloaf
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef (2 lb), diced yellow onion (¾ cup), breadcrumbs (¾ cup), eggs (2 large), apple cider (½ cup), Dijon mustard (2 tbsp), Worcestershire sauce (1 tbsp), fresh thyme (1 tsp), kosher salt (1 ½ tsp) and black pepper (½ tsp).
Mix gently with your hands just until combined; do not overwork.
Equipment: large bowl
Shape and glaze
Press the mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf pan and smooth the top.
Whisk brown sugar (2 tbsp) with apple cider (2 tbsp) and brush the glaze evenly over the top.
Equipment: loaf pan, whisk
Bake, and make the gravy meanwhile
Bake until an instant-read thermometer in the center of the loaf reads 160°F, 55 to 70 minutes. If the top darkens too fast, tent it loosely with foil.
While the meatloaf bakes, melt unsalted butter (3 tbsp) in a skillet over medium-low heat.
Add sliced yellow onion (1 cup) and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and jammy, about 25 minutes. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
Stir in brown sugar (2 tbsp) and cook until it melts into the onions, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle all-purpose flour (2 tbsp) over the onions and stir constantly to cook out the raw flour taste, about 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in apple cider (1 cup) and beef broth (1 cup).
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens, about 4 minutes.
Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
Let the meatloaf rest in the pan before slicing, about 10 minutes.
Equipment: loaf pan, instant-read thermometer, skillet, whisk
Slice and serve
Slice the meatloaf and arrange the slices on a platter.
Spoon the caramelized onion gravy over the slices and serve hot.
Tomorrow's Meal
Meatloaf Patty Melts with Onion Gravy
Leftover meatloaf slices seared crisp in a skillet and pressed between buttered rye with Swiss and the leftover caramelized onion gravy.
You'll need to pick up:
Rye breadSliced Swiss cheese2 tbsp butter for the pan
Quick overview:
- 1.Cut cold meatloaf into 1/2-inch slices
- 2.Sear the slices in a dry skillet over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned and hot through to 165°F
- 3.Warm the leftover gravy in a small saucepan until bubbling
- 4.Butter the bread and layer Swiss, a meatloaf slice and a spoonful of onion gravy between two slices
- 5.Cook the sandwiches in the skillet over medium-low 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and the cheese melts
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Before you start: preheat the oven to 375°F; use 1½ medium yellow onions total: dice ¾ of an onion (about 0.75 cup) for the meatloaf and thinly slice the other ¾ (about 1 cup) for the gravy; measure 0.5 cup apple cider for the meatloaf, 2 tbsp for the glaze and 1 cup for the gravy; have a large bowl, 9x5-inch loaf pan, skillet, whisk and instant-read thermometer ready.
- • Start checking the temperature at 55 minutes; a full 2 lb loaf can take up to 70 minutes depending on your pan and oven.
- • Give the onions their full time. They should be deep golden and jammy before the sugar and flour go in.
- • Go easy on the onion: 1½ onions total, split evenly between the meatloaf and the gravy, is plenty. More makes the loaf wet and the gravy heavy.
- • The gravy is on the sweet side; for a more savory gravy, leave out the brown sugar in the onions or swap half the cider for more broth.
- • The meatloaf can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate, then add about 5 minutes to the bake time and go by the thermometer.
- • Reheat leftover slices covered in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, or in a covered skillet over medium-low with a splash of broth, until hot all the way through.
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