Meatloaf

Too many turkey meatloaf recipes have resulted in a dry, uninspiring dinner. But soaking breadcrumbs in milk prevents the meatloaf from drying out as it cooks.

Sweet potatoes and maple syrup add natural sweetness to these muffins—perfect for prepping for a week of breakfasts, dinners, or lunches.

We tried a lot of meatloaf recipes in our test kitchen to create the ultimate version. We promise it won't disappoint.

My mom's meat loaf is inarguably better than yours, but this is not my mom's meat loaf recipe. This one is an amalgam, intended to evoke all the important meat loaves in my life—and there have been many.

Meatloaf needs no introduction, but this one gets kicked up a notch with the Chinese-inspired flair of fresh ginger, scallions, and a hoisin sauce glaze. It's delicious and so simple to make.

My Mom, Veronica, is pretty much a vegetarian these days. When she invites us over for "meatloaf," this is what we get—and I like it a lot; in fact, even Todd does. The lentils and the brown rice make it hearty while at the same time kind of fluffy and light. My favorite part about it is the fresh tomato sauce, which is almost like a salsa. Checca is a Southern Italian term for this fresh sauce, which is called by different names in different regions. Some of it goes into the lentil loaf and the rest is served alongside.

A lean ground beef works best for this recipe, inspired by my friend and cookbook author Rebecca Lang. If the small balls of fresh mozzarella are unavailable, sprinkle the layer with shredded mozzarella.

Want to cook this faster and make the leftovers easier to pack? Divide the mixture into muffin tins and bake as individual servings, instead of two loaves. Editor's note: This recipe makes 5 mains, plus more for leftovers. Please see "Meatloaf Sliders" and "Meatloaf Tacos" below for tips on how to enjoy, pack, and serve the leftovers.

I've got to admit that I was a little nervous taking on meat loaf because Jamie's wife, Brooke, has darn near perfected it. So all my tastings for this recipe were done in Jamie's kitchen. When I got the approval of these two toughest critics, I knew I had a keeper. A classic accompaniment to meat loaf is a scoop of fluffy mashed potatoes.

“This recipe will prove all meatloaf doubters wrong!” says Epicurious member Jamie Monahan, of Martinez, California. She has perfected it over the years and it combines sweet and smoky flavors harmoniously. Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots—and if you have leftovers, slice onto crusty bread for a stick-to-your-ribs sandwich.

For her holiday party one year, my friend Elizabeth served a row of meat loaves that were presented on her finest China platters and had been stuffed with spinach and cheese. I loved that, and occasionally follow her lead for just a regular Tuesday night meal. To stuff, place half the meatloaf mixture in the loaf pan. Using a spoon, make a well down the length of the middle, then add thawed frozen spinach and mozzarella cheese into the well. Cover with remaining mixture and proceed as directed.

Yogurt in meat loaf? Plain yogurt not only provides potassium but also is a great way to keep meat loaf moist.

Whether you roast it freeform in the oven or bake it in a loaf pan, meat loaf is certainly an all-time favorite, as, in France, is its cousin the pâté. Since they are so closely related, I consider the one a variation of the other and here are two of my favorites.

In a cross-continental sausage loaf reminiscent of French pâtés, beef, pork, and veal are combined in equal amounts with bread crumbs to make a more pillowy loaf. The California twist is replacing the traditional ketchup “icing” with pavers of sun-dried tomato across the top. You can serve it warm for dinner, American style, with a side of mashed potatoes, or French style, chilled until firm enough to slice thin for an hors d’oeuvre plate. The cooking vessel can be as ordinary as a standard aluminum loaf pan or, if you are serving it warm, a more table-worthy clay pot or round soufflé dish.

My mother is a great cook, but she never made meatloaf like this, and I bet yours never did either. It’s the spice that gives ours its touch of creepin’ heat. Way before meatloaf made a comeback on restaurant menus we were servin’ it at the Dinosaur. It was our very first special.

I probably make meatloaf once a week, and I’ve developed some pretty strong opinions about what works and what doesn’t. I have sampled meatloaf across the country, and when it’s good, it’s usually because it’s a simple rendition. If I don’t like it, it’s usually because someone tried to get fancy with it and put something in it that didn’t belong there! This is the one I make most often. I prefer to use lean ground beef because it keeps the meatloaf from being too moist. Also, be sure to remove the meatloaf from the pan as soon as it’s done; otherwise, the fat that has rendered into the pan will be absorbed back into the meat—not good!

This is no ordinary meatloaf. A hefty dose of fresh herbs and dried spices means it’s packed with flavor; the yogurt, tahini, and rolled oats help keep it moist. We developed this recipe as a deli sandwich special, but it’s just as delicious eaten on its own. For best results, try to get ground lamb with 15 to 20 percent fat content; ground shoulder usually falls in this range. Meat from the leg is too lean and will result in a dry end product.

Cooking four small meatloaves instead of one large loaf reduces the cooking time; serve them hot from the oven, at room temperature, or even chilled, on their own or sliced and tucked into crusty French bread.

THIS MEATLOAF IS DRESSED-UP COMFORT FOOD. Made with ground turkey, chicken sausage, and cheese curds, it’s a healthy dish that might just replace your mom’s recipe as the best meatloaf around. You can use any cheese, but we like using curds because they don’t melt completely, adding texture in every bite, while the cheese curds on the outside of the meatloaf get deliciously caramelized. The leftovers make terrific meatloaf sandwiches.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Made with lean sirloin, and studded with chopped carrots, celery, and onion, this meatloaf is just as delicious as the diner classic, but better for you. The meat mixture is bound with an egg white, not the whole egg, as well as the flaky Japanese breadcrumbs known as panko. Even the potatoes are lighter, since they are mashed with low-fat buttermilk (rather than butter, cream, or whole milk).