Southern Meatloaf Recipe

Classic comfort food with a Southern twist! You just can’t beat a moist, flavorful, tender Southern meatloaf recipe that brings your family together around the table. Pair the easy dinner with mashed potatoes, cornbread, collard greens, or green beans for a simple, cozy dish that everyone loves!

How to Make Meatloaf | 1-Minute Video

Meatloaf has stood the test of time! It’s a classic family dinner that everyone at the table can agree on, made with affordable, hearty ingredients, and ready with minimal effort. My kids have come to love this meal just as much as I do, so it has become a regular in our kitchen.

Southern Style Meatloaf Recipe

So what makes this particular recipe so special? Inspired by a dish in Sarah Foster’s book, Southern Kitchen, this meatloaf includes a couple of Southern “twists.” Instead of oatmeal or breadcrumbs, cornbread crumbs serve as the binder in this Southern meatloaf recipe.

Additionally, instead of using just ground beef or even a “meatloaf mix,” this recipe uses a 50-50 blend of ground beef and ground pork. Pork is a source of Southern pride — especially for those of us born and raised in Virginia — so any chance that we get to add it to a meal, you know we will! I just love how much flavor these two simple ingredients — cornbread and pork — add to the traditional dish.

Add Cornbread Crumbs for the Best Meatloaf Recipe

A somewhat unusual meatloaf ingredient, the cornbread crumbs replace regular breadcrumbs in this recipe. They add so much great flavor to the meal, and these fillers help to keep the texture of the meatloaf light. The crumbs absorb (and therefore retain) more moisture in the meatloaf so that it doesn’t become dry.

Since we eat cornbread or corn muffins almost weekly, this is a nice way to take advantage of any stale leftovers. Try my favorite skillet cornbread, honey cornbread, jalapeno cheddar cornbread, corn muffins, or old-fashioned corn sticks. In a pinch, you can use a store-bought mix, or purchase cornbread in the bakery at your grocery store.

Don’t have any cornbread to use in this recipe? Substitute with an equal amount of fresh bread crumbs, or use cracker crumbs!

What to Serve with Meatloaf

This classic meatloaf recipe deserves equally delicious, cozy companions and a tall glass of sweet tea! Here are a few sides that go well with meatloaf for the ultimate comfort food dinner:

• Party Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Baked Potato Wedges, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Easy Potato Salad, or Skin-On Mashed Red Potatoes
• Duke’s Homemade Mac and Cheese, Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese, Stovetop Shells and Cheese, or No-Boil Easy Mac and Cheese
• Jiffy Corn Casserole
• Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
• Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Apple Salad
• Southern Succotash
• Southern Collard Greens or Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens with Bacon
• Fried Okra
• Broccoli and Cheese, Easy Broccoli Casserole, or Broccoli and Rice Casserole
• Creamed Peas
• Apple and Butternut Squash Casserole or Southern Squash Casserole
• Cornbread Stuffing or Sausage Stuffing
• Cast Iron Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Broccoli Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
• Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
• Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon, or Drop Biscuits
• Wedge Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, or a Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Lima Beans and Ham

Traditional Meatloaf Recipe Variations

• Instead of using a rimmed baking sheet, bake the meatloaf in a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. At the end of baking, tilt the pan to drain off the grease.
• Swap out the cornbread crumbs for other fresh breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs (such as saltine crackers).
• Stir some brown sugar and/or apple cider vinegar into the ketchup mixture for a sweet and tangy twist.
• Substitute yellow mustard for the Dijon mustard.
• Try other herbs in addition to the basil and oregano. Good options include rosemary, chives, parsley, and thyme.
• Instead of fresh cloves of garlic, use about ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Add more veggies to the meatloaf mixture, such as diced green bell peppers, grated zucchini, celery, or grated carrots. If you don’t want crisp vegetables in your finished meatloaf, you can sauté them in a skillet with butter before adding them to the beef and pork mixture.
• Rather than a 50-50 combination of ground beef and ground pork, use just ground beef, some ground turkey, or a “meatloaf mix” of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal.
• Like meatloaf with cheese? Add a handful of grated cheddar (or other good melting cheese) to the meatloaf mixture!