Easy 5-ingredient dairy-free meatloaf comes together with minimal prep for a cozy weeknight dinner.
Made with ground meat, bread crumbs, and egg, this quick homemade comfort food gets its savory flavor from a secret shortcut—onion soup mix!
Topped with your choice of ketchup or barbecue sauce, this budget-friendly, foolproof recipe uses no milk and no butter, so it’s dairy-free!
It makes the perfect quick weeknight meal or a convenient shareable dish to bring to a potluck!
About meatloaf
The first variations of meatloaf seemed to have first come about during Roman times when it included dried fruit, meat, bread, and wine. Later, it included some organs. Sometimes, it was served in pie form rather than in a loaf shape.
In medieval times, it was made of leftovers and perishables.
Meatloaf is believed to have been brought to America by the Pennsylvnia Dutch and was made with pork and cornmeal shaped in a loaf.
In New England, when a cow was slaughtered, they made sure to use all parts, and so the extra meat was combined with bread, milk, eggs, salt, and pepper to make the meatloaf.
Meatloaf is an international dish. In each country, it is made with preferred variations, and each calls it by a different name.
In the United States, clearly the name comes from the shape of the meat.
While one could technically make the dish using ground meat and seasoning alone, the egg and bread crumbs add flavor and help the dish hold its shape.
In addition, by adding the egg and bread crumbs, the meal stretches a little longer and makes the dish budget-friendly!
During the Great Depression, meatloaf helped families stretch their budget when they made meatloaf using cheap or leftover meat (ground) and added some kind of filler from bread, crackers, or cooked grains. This is probably when ketchup was added as a topping for extra flavor!
Although many jokes about “meatloaf again?” and “Meatloaf Monday” have been around for decades, meatloaf is a tasty dish and quick to make. It can be eaten as a main course with sides, with or without gravy, or however one likes it.
Meatloaf itself makes great leftovers (just make sure not to let it dry out when reheating)!
While this recipe calls for ketchup spread on the top before cooking, you can pretty much spread whatever you want on top either before or after cooking.
One type of popular sauce includes mixing 1/4 ketchup with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and a tablespoon of some form of vinegar.
BBQ sauce is a simple and flavorful way to top meatloaf.
If you don’t like or don’t eat beef, you can use any type of ground meat or chicken.
This version is a simple version with only 5 ingredients. It’s healthy, and it is made dairy-free!
And beef and eggs both have nutritional value!
And beef even has some health benefits!
If you like dishes with ground beef, then try these other simple recipes:
Easy 5-Ingredient Dairy-Free Meatloaf (with Onion Soup Mix)
Easy and delicious, 5-ingredient meatloaf made without milk and without butter.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground meat
- 2 tablespoons onion soup mix
- 1/4 cup bread or plain cracker crumbs
- 1 egg
- Ketchup or barbecue sauce (optional for topping)
Instructions
- Mix ground meat with onion soup mix, 1/4 cup matza meal, and egg in a mixing bowl.
- Place mixture in a greased loaf pan.
- Spread ketchup or barbecue sauce over the top (if using)
- Bake uncovered at 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through as desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 557mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 22g