This is our meatloaf without breadcrumbs recipe we have been making for years. Made with Old Fashioned oats instead, this classic high protein meal turns out so good if you want a healthy high protein meal.
Meatloaf with oatmeal is the bomb. Never heard of swapping this traditional ingredient out for something else? After you make this quick and easy meatloaf you’ll be a believer too and it will be added to your meal rotation too.
There are a few reasons why you may not want to use seasoned breadcrumbs. If you’re looking for a gluten free option, Quaker has a version just for you too. A bigger benefit is moisture. Think of the two. Toasted and crushed bread dries things out whereas oatmeal absorbs moisture and locks it inside.
It’s a great binder that locks the egg, diced onions and all the seasonings together. You could easily make the same meat mixture but roll into meatball recipe without breadcrumbs too if you wanted. If I am in a hurry I will do that instead since it cuts down on the cook time quite a bit.
2 lb Meatloaf Cook Time
Years ago we shared How Long to Cook Meatloaf. In this case since it is on the larger side and I wanted the oats to get really tender I chose 350 F. and it worked great.
You are looking at about 40 minutes or so, until the middle reaches 160 degrees F. Now if you did want some heat in this dish I do have a Spicy Meatloaf Recipe version as well. You would need to use oats instead of the crumbs but would work the same way but hotter. If you want tons and tons of flavor with heat this is the way to go.
What can I substitute for breadcrumbs in meatloaf?
I mean you can use all sorts of things to bind all of your wet ingredients together. If you don’t have oats you could crush crackers like Ritz or Cheese Its into a fine mixture and use that. Grinding chips would work too. You get the idea.
Can you use ground sausage to make meatloaf?
You could but the texture will be different. I do like to use half and half to add a bit more fat. Spicy Jimmy dean sausage will add some heat in there too so if you want to substitute 1/2 give it a try!
Variations and Substitutions
For us there needs to be some goodness on the top too. You could easily use bottled barbecue sauce, but this mixture with ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar is pretty killer too. If you add half at the beginning and the rest halfway thru it will almost caramelize and bake right into the loaf.
You will want a large mixing bowl to mix together everything. As for a pan a 9×5″ is typical unless you want to make bundt pan meatloaf which is a fun new shape that gets the edges much crispier.
Tips for Success
So you can basically substitute your “regular” binding with this instead. You always want to have a light hand when it comes to this part as if you add too much it will have a very weird texture and not be moist no matter what you use. Use too little and it will fall apart more as it cooks and not slice at all.
You do have a choice as to which type of oatmeal you use. Below lists Old Fashioned which is going to give you more texture and fiber but more texture means it will be more noticeable too. Quick oats will mimic breadcrumbs but the nutritional value will have been stripped. Your choice.
If you have your own recipe for let’s say meatloaf with onion soup mix, by all means you can use that if you want. Swap the breading for rolled oats and try it out!
If you needed to half a recipe it is quite easy to do. You can use the same loaf pan but it will just not be as thick. That being said you’d want to decrease the cook time by about 1/3 and check. Since it will be thinner it shouldn’t take nearly as long.
Meatloaf Without Breadcrumbs Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×5 loaf pan
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs ground beef
- 2 cup old fashioned oats
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
Meatloaf Sauce
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Chop onion and mix together with ground beef in a medium size bowl. Add tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce to meat with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir ground beef mixture.
- Add 3 eggs and then mix oats in. Fold in milk, then scoop ground beef mixture into a 9×5 pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl combine topping ingredients: ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar. Add enough water to make the mixture smooth and thin it out a bit so it is like bbq sauce. (or us bottled) Spread half of the topping mixture onto the top of the meatloaf.
- Place loaf pan on a small sheet pan so it sits flat on the rack and to catch any possible drippings.
- Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes. Add remaining topping mixture to top of meatloaf. Bake an additional 20 minutes. 40 minutes in total until middle reaches 160F.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gluten Free Meatloaf with Oats
If you need guaranteed gluten free oats for meatloaf you can buy some online here. For that you will need to look at the ingredients in the other items you’re adding but typically the rest (other than the sauce) will be okay. Cook time is generally the same but take note that they aren’t as firm and may have a bit softer (mushier) consistency.
What to Make with Leftovers
We actually have a long list of leftover meatloaf recipes for you here. You want to make sure you save it properly so it doesn’t dry out. Do so with a large piece of aluminum foil folded over what you have and rolled up tightly. You can also use freezer bags or vacuum seal bags which I love, just ensure all the air is sucked out.
The next day the best is to just make a meatloaf sandwich out of it inside a hoagie roll. You can microwave it on a plate with a bit more of your sauce poured over the top for about 1 minute. Check internal temperature to see if it reached 160 and then serve and enjoy away!!
For an easier clean up you could line the pan with a piece of parchment and/or spray with non stick spray. If you have a newer ceramic coated loaf pan then you should be good to go with no extra prep on your part. I love all things dishwasher safe so I can rinse and just throw that baby right in when done. 😉
