Meatloaf with Cornbread Mix is a 2-pound beef meatloaf held together with 1 cup of corn muffin mix instead of breadcrumbs. Evaporated milk, milk, ketchup, yellow mustard, onion, garlic and Worcestershire sauce season the loaf, and a ketchup and Worcestershire topping goes on halfway through. It bakes in a 9×5-inch loaf pan at 350°F and serves 8.
How to make it: Mix the liquids and seasonings in a large bowl, work in the ground beef with your hands, then mix in the corn muffin mix last. Pack it into the loaf pan and bake 1 hour. Cut a few slices through the top, spread on the ketchup topping and bake 1 more hour, until the center reads 160°F. Let it stand 5 minutes before slicing.
Why You’ll Love It
- A pantry binder: a cup of corn muffin mix does the job of breadcrumbs.
- A hint of sweetness: the muffin mix adds a little, which suits the tangy ketchup topping.
- A big loaf: 2 pounds of beef feeds 8.
- Hands-off baking: two hours in the oven with one short break to add the topping.
Ingredient Notes
Corn muffin mix: 1 cup, added straight into the meat as it comes. It seems like a strange ingredient for meatloaf, but it gives the loaf a tiny bit of sweetness and helps bind it together. No muffin mix? Use the same amount of oatmeal or breadcrumbs.
Ground beef: 2 pounds.
Evaporated milk and milk: one 5-ounce can of evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup of milk. The evaporated milk makes the loaf a little creamier. Without it, use 1/2 cup more milk, for 1 cup of milk in all.
Egg: 1 egg, beaten, helps bind the loaf and adds flavor.
Ketchup and mustard: 1/2 cup of ketchup and 1/4 cup of yellow mustard go into the meat. That much mustard sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t taste strongly of mustard in the finished loaf.
Onion, garlic and Worcestershire: 1/3 cup diced onions, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. The Worcestershire adds a bit of bite and shows up again in the topping.
Ingredients
For the meatloaf
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup onions, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup corn muffin mix
For the topping
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
How to Make Meatloaf with Cornbread Mix
1. Heat the oven and prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Cover a cookie sheet with foil to set the pan on.
2. Mix the liquid ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the beaten egg, evaporated milk, milk, 1/2 cup ketchup, mustard, onions, salt, pepper, garlic and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce until well combined.
3. Work in the beef. Add the ground beef and work it into the liquid with your hands until it is evenly mixed.
4. Add the corn muffin mix. Add the corn muffin mix and mix well again.
5. Fill the pan. Put the meatloaf into the loaf pan and set the pan on the foil-covered cookie sheet.
6. Bake the first hour. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Add the topping. Stir 1/2 cup ketchup and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl. Take the meatloaf out of the oven and cut a few slices through it with a knife. Pour the ketchup mixture over the top, spread it out and gently work it into the cuts.
8. Bake the second hour. Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake for 1 more hour, until a food thermometer in the center reads 160°F. If the top browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.
9. Rest and slice. Let the meatloaf stand for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
How Corn Muffin Mix Works in Meatloaf
In most meatloaf, breadcrumbs, oats or torn bread soak up the liquid and hold the meat together. Here the corn muffin mix takes that job. Because it’s a baking mix, it also brings a touch of sweetness you won’t get from plain breadcrumbs.
The order matters. The liquids and seasonings go into the bowl first, so they’re easy to blend. The beef goes in next, worked in by hand; it’s messy, but your hands mix it more evenly than a spoon. The muffin mix goes in last, and you mix well again so there are no dry pockets.
Why Bake It in Two Stages?
The loaf bakes plain for the first hour. Then you take it out, cut a few slices through the top and spread the ketchup and Worcestershire topping over it, working it into the cuts. That way the topping seasons the inside of the loaf, not just the surface. The second hour finishes the cooking and sets the topping.
Two hours is a guide, not a rule. Go by a food thermometer: ground beef is done at 160°F in the center. If the top is getting too dark, lay a loose sheet of foil over it for the last 15 minutes.
Tips for Meatloaf with Cornbread Mix
- Use the foil-covered sheet. A 2-pound loaf gives off grease, and it can run over the side of the pan. The sheet underneath catches it.
- Any loaf pan works. Metal, ceramic or glass are all fine.
- Grease the pan. It helps the loaf come out cleanly.
- Check the center. The middle of a thick loaf is the last part to cook, so that’s where the thermometer goes.
- Let it stand. Five minutes before slicing helps the slices hold together.
Variations
- Cheese: mix shredded cheddar or mozzarella into the meat.
- A little heat: add chopped green chiles and 1 tablespoon of chili powder to the mixture, and sprinkle diced jalapeños on top.
- Vegetables: stir finely chopped bell peppers or kidney beans into the mixture.
- Sweeter topping: mix a small amount of brown sugar into the ketchup topping.
- Ground turkey: it works in place of beef, but ground turkey must reach 165°F, not 160°F.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: Assemble the meatloaf in the pan, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 1 day before baking. Still bake to 160°F in the center.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Wrap the cooked, cooled meatloaf in aluminum foil, put it in an airtight container and freeze it for 3 to 4 months. It stays safe frozen, though the quality drops with long storage. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator; cold water or the microwave also work.
Reheating: Reheat covered in the oven until it reaches 165°F. You can reheat it without thawing, but it takes longer. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Green beans are a natural match; try smothered green beans. For something sweet on the side, make sweet potato casserole, or go with garlic herb roasted potatoes, carrots and zucchini. Easy creamy corn casserole uses corn muffin mix too. Collard greens, macaroni and cheese and cream-style corn also belong on the table.
For another dry-mix meatloaf, see stove top stuffing meatloaf, a quicker free-form loaf. For a plain loaf with bread and a ketchup topping, try Old fashioned Momma’s Meatloaf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put cornbread mix in meatloaf?
Yes. One cup of corn muffin mix, mixed into the meat last, binds the loaf and adds a little sweetness.
What can I use instead of corn muffin mix?
The same amount, 1 cup, of oatmeal or breadcrumbs.
How long do you bake a 2-pound meatloaf at 350°F?
About 2 hours here: 1 hour, then the topping, then 1 more hour, until the center reads 160°F on a food thermometer.
Can I make it without evaporated milk?
Yes. Leave it out and use 1/2 cup more milk, for 1 cup of milk in all.
What should you serve with meatloaf?
Green beans, collard greens, sweet potato casserole, roasted red potatoes, potato wedges, macaroni and cheese or cream-style corn.
Final Notes
Mix the muffin mix in last, give the loaf its two hours and check the center for 160°F. If you try it with green chiles and jalapeños, tell me in the comments how you liked it.
Meatloaf with Cornbread Mix
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 can evaporated milk 5 ounces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup ketchup for the loaf
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup onions diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce for the loaf
- 1 cup corn muffin mix added as it comes
- 1/2 cup ketchup for the topping
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce for the topping
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover a cookie sheet with foil to set the pan on.
- In a large bowl, mix the beaten egg, evaporated milk, milk, 1/2 cup ketchup, mustard, onions, salt, pepper, garlic and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce until well combined.
- Add the ground beef and work it into the liquid with your hands until it is evenly mixed.
- Add the corn muffin mix and mix well again.
- Put the meatloaf into the loaf pan and set the pan on the foil-covered cookie sheet.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Stir 1/2 cup ketchup and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl. Take the meatloaf out of the oven and cut a few slices through it with a knife. Pour the ketchup mixture over the top, spread it out and gently work it into the cuts.
- Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake for 1 more hour, until a food thermometer in the center reads 160°F. If the top browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.
- Let the meatloaf stand for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
