Sandra Paula Deen’s old-fashioned meatloaf uses quick-cooking oats instead of breadcrumbs as the binder. One pound of ground beef mixes with chopped onion, bell pepper, canned diced tomatoes, and a beaten egg before the whole loaf goes into the oven. The recipe serves 5 and bakes for 1 hour at 375°F.
Paula Deen published this on her site with 258 reviews, and it earns that number through simplicity. Quick-cooking oats replace breadcrumbs here, and the difference shows in the texture: the finished loaf holds a clean slice rather than falling apart. The glaze of ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard caramelizes across the top during the one-hour bake.
The diced tomatoes go in without their juice, and that detail is the one most people miss. Including the juice makes the mixture too wet for the oats to bind, and the loaf spreads and sags rather than holding together. Draining the tomatoes before measuring gives the oats room to do their job.
Paula Deen Old-Fashioned Meatloaf Recipe
Description
This ranked in Paula Deen’s top 10 recipes for both 2024 and 2025, which says something about how often people make it. Brown sugar in the glaze pulls the ketchup and mustard toward something closer to barbecue sauce, which changes the top crust as it bakes.
Ingredients
Meatloaf
Glaze
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, onion, bell pepper, egg, drained diced tomatoes, and oats in a large bowl. Mix well until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and shape into a loaf.
- In a small bowl, mix the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard together. Spread evenly over the top of the loaf.
- Bake for 1 hour, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
FAQs
What does the brown sugar do in the glaze?
Two tablespoons of brown sugar pull the ketchup and mustard toward a caramelized glaze as the loaf bakes. Without it, the topping stays acidic rather than darkening into the sticky, sweet crust that defines Paula Deen’s version. It also keeps the glaze from drying out over the full hour in the oven.
Can I use leaner ground beef, like 90/10?
Leaner beef works, but the loaf comes out drier since there is less fat to baste the inside during the bake. The tomatoes and oats add moisture but don’t fully replace what fat provides, so 80/20 gives a juicier result. If you use 90/10, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the mix to compensate.
How do I know the meatloaf is fully cooked through?
160°F internal temperature is the reliable check, since loaf thickness and oven calibration both affect timing. A thermometer inserted into the thickest part is the only reliable way to confirm, because the outside can look done while the center still runs pink. The full hour at 375°F covers most loaves, but check at 50 minutes if yours is narrower than typical.
What side dishes work well with this for a family dinner?
Mashed potatoes are Paula Deen’s own recommendation — she suggests “buttery creamed potatoes” on the recipe page itself. Southern biscuits alongside the loaf make good use of the glaze left in the pan as something to soak up. Her buttery Southern biscuits at sandrakitchen.com take about 25 minutes and need no special technique.
What dessert fits after a meatloaf dinner?
Bread pudding is the Southern classic after a meatloaf dinner because it bakes in roughly the same window as post-meal cleanup. Paula Deen’s version uses day-old bread soaked in a custard base with cinnamon, ready in about an hour. Her bread pudding with vanilla sauce at sandrakitchen.com includes the full custard ratio.
