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You're going to love this Healthy Meatloaf with 1 pound of Ground Beef!! It's the perfect answer to a tasty home-cooked meatloaf for smaller families or anyone who wants smaller servings. It's perfectly seasoned and cooks up moist and tender.
When it comes to creating healthy family dinners, meatloaf is a guaranteed favorite. It's simply one of those quintessential American meals! My turkey meatloaf and buffalo chicken meatloaf recipes are one of my most popular recipes and now we have another one to add to the mix!
Now with this best 1-lb meatloaf recipe, you can cook up meatloaf for a small family meal. Lean ground beef is a great option as it's budget-friendly, lower in fat, but still has plenty of flavor and moisture. Looking for more ground recipes? Try my cabbage roll casserole or my ground beef lettuce wraps.
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Why I Love This Easy Healthy Meatloaf Recipe
- Meatloaf Recipe for 1 Pound of Ground Beef: Just one package of beef and a handful of pantry staples is all you need.
- Budget-Friendly: Buying just one package of beef is easier on your wallet and the simple flavors added are inexpensive or ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
- Healthy Meatloaf That Delivers Great Flavor: There are no shortcuts here and we're layering in plenty of flavor with fresh onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and low-sugar ketchup.
- Family-Favorite: This meatloaf is one that both kids and adults will love and is perfect for making just four servings of meatloaf.
Ingredients You Need
Here's a look at the simple ingredients you need to make this 1-lb beef meatloaf recipe! Be sure to check the recipe card further down the page for more details and quantities of each.
- Lean Ground Beef: With 20% fat it provides just enough fat to aid cooking for a delicious juicy meatloaf that's flavorful and not dried out. This is about a third of the fat of regular ground beef which contains about 30% fat. While you could lower the fat and calories with extra-lean ground beef, I don't recommend it as you are sacrificing the flavor of your meatloaf.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko, Japanese breadcrumbs which are bigger than regular breadcrumbs work great, but you can really use either one with good results. They help absorb some of the fat and combine with the egg to hold your meatloaf together.
- Ketchup: I prefer using low-sugar ketchup as it's simply added for tomato flavor and you don't need the extra sweetness. Another low-sugar alternative is tomato paste but may not have the same flavor outcome.
- Aromatics: Diced onion and minced garlic improve the depth of flavor when making a healthier meatloaf.
- Egg: Along with the breadcrumbs, it's the secret to meatloaf that doesn't fall apart.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a zing of savory flavor to your meatloaf. While you can also use soy sauce or coconut aminos, the flavor does change significantly.
Variations
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this recipe gluten-free. Do not leave them out as you may end up with a crumbly meatloaf.
- Pork and Beef Meatloaf: If you want to mix things up with a little pork you can use a half pound of pork and a half pound of beef. Just note that ground pork is often much fattier than lean ground beef so the nutrition won't be the same.
- Turkey and Beef Meatloaf: Use regular lean ground turkey (not turkey breast) and mix it with the beef meatloaf. This will yield better flavor than making turkey meatloaf on its own.
- Sausage and Beef Meatloaf: Italian ground sausage can boost the flavor of your meatloaf but like the pork it may alter the nutrition as it contains more calories and fat.
How to Make Meatloaf With One Pound of Ground Beef
- Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, 1/2 the ketchup, onion, egg, Worcestershire, garlic, thyme, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together with your fingers.
- Place the meat mixture on your sheet pan or in a loaf pan. Shape the beef into the shape of a loaf.
- Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes. Remove it from the oven, brush the top with the remaining ketchup and sprinkle with the dried parsley. Bake another 10 minutes or until the center of the loaf reads 160 F with a thermometer. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
How to Store
- Storing: This 1-pound meatloaf is perfect to serve a small family with its four servings. If you happen to have leftovers store them in an airtight container for up to four days. You can also freeze it for up to three months in a freezer container.
- Reheat: Reheat an individual portion on a plate in the microwave or wrap it in foil and heat in a 350° F oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
How to Serve Healthy Meatloaf
Serve it up with your best family side dishes! Here are a few of my favorites for enjoying with meatloaf.
- Mashed Potatoes: If you love mashed potatoes with meatloaf try my healthy version for mashed potatoes and cauliflower or these mashed potato muffins. If you prefer it low-carb this mashed cauliflower with roasted garlic recipe works great!
- More Potato Side Dishes: Try these air fryer sweet potato fries or sweet potato au gratin!
- Salads: A healthy salad is always a simple add-on for meals. Try this healthy Olive Garden copycat salad or my Greek yogurt broccoli salad.
- Vegetables: This cauliflower au gratin is always a family favorite or roasted winter vegetables.
Expert Tips
- Use Lean Beef: This is the key to a lower-fat meatloaf with great flavor!
- Make Sure to Line Your Pan: Adding foil or parchment paper to the pan will make cleanup so much easier.
- Let It Rest: Allowing the meatloaf about ten minutes to sit before slicing allows it to soak up all the juices into the meat for a juicier meatloaf.
Recipe FAQs
You can use any size pan you have! We will be shaping the meatloaf into a rounded loaf so you can either use a flat baking sheet or a loaf pan. If you use a loaf pan note that it will not fill it up all the way and naturally form a loaf shape so make sure to shape it into a loaf shape. Do not press it into the loaf pan as it will be too thin and cook up dry.
Sure you can mix the meat the night before and store it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it. You may need to cook a tiny bit longer since the beef is coming straight from the fridge. You can also let it sit on the counter to come up to room temperature before baking.
More Healthy Main Dish Recipes
If you tried this healthy ground beef with 1 lb of ground beef or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Easy Healthy Meatloaf with 1-Lb Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
- ¾ cup Panko or breadcrumbs GF if necessary
- ½ cup Ketchup low sugar
- ½ cup Onion diced
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Garlic minced
- Salt + Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp Dried Parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a large sheet pan with foil and parchment paper or a loaf pan.
- Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, 1/2 the ketchup, onion, egg, Worcestershire, garlic, parsley, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together with your fingers then place on the sheet pan or in a loaf pan. Shape the beef into the shape of a loaf.
- Bake for 45 minutes then remove from the oven and brush the top with the remaining ketchup and dried parsley.
- Bake another 10 minutes or until the center of the loaf reads 160 F with a thermometer. Remove from the oven, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes then slice and serve with veggies!
Notes
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- Use Lean Beef: This is the key to a lower fat meatloaf with great flavor!
-
- Make Sure to Line Your Pan: Adding foil or parchment paper to the pan will make cleanup so much easier.
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- Let It Rest: Allowing the meatloaf about ten minutes to sit before slicing allows it to soak up all the juices into the meat for a juicier meatloaf.
Nutrition
I did not see a measurement for thyme under ingredients but thyme was listed as one of the herbs to be added while combining everything. How much thyme should be used?
There's no thyme used, just parsley which is listed in the recipe ingredients.
I was confused also. Parsley in the ingredients but thyme in the directions.
I am making this tonight so I’ll use parsley not thyme as you stated in your reply 🙂
I updated the directions. You may need to clear your browser.