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Herb and Garlic Meatloaf with Garlic Butter Sauce

4.4 from 203 votes
Homemade meatloaf, loaded with fresh herbs and topped off with warm garlic butter sauce.
photo of Danelle, author of Let's Dish
Published on , Updated January 13, 2025
4.4 from 203 votes

Homemade meatloaf, loaded with fresh herbs and topped off with warm garlic butter sauce.

Herb and Garlic Meatloaf with Garlic Butter Sauce

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Let’s talk about meatloaf. It’s one of those things that can be really good, or really, really bad. If you’ve ever had some bad meatloaf, you know exactly what I mean.

But when it’s done right, meatloaf can be absolutely amazing. And this Herb and Garlic Meatloaf with Garlic Butter Sauce is absolutely amazing!

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This, people, is by far, THE most EPIC meatloaf recipe I have ever made. I don’t want to belabor the point…just do yourself a favor and make it. It’s a showstopper for your family, your most intimate friends for a dinner party or any other peeps you’re trying to impress. Make it NOW!

Allison

5-star rating

You’ll notice some of the components of your typical meatloaf in this recipe, like beef, pork, and breadcrumbs. But you’ll also notice that popular meatloaf ingredients, like ketchup, are missing.

Instead, this meatloaf is flavored with tons of fresh herbs and garlic, and then it’s topped off with even more garlic, in the form of a garlic butter sauce.

This is, hands-down, the best meatloaf I have ever made or eaten. And my boys loved it too! In fact, I made it twice in one week, that’s how good it was.

Honestly, I would order this meatloaf in a restaurant. Provided it came with a big side of mashed potatoes!

Herb and Garlic Meatloaf with Garlic Butter Sauce

This meatloaf will definitely feed a crowd. Or leave you with some leftovers, which is not a bad thing at all. Everyone happily ate the leftovers at my house!

Now, if you think you’ll miss that tomato-based topping that is so popular on meatloaf, or maybe some good, old-fashioned gravy, don’t worry.

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This meatloaf recipe is truly Epic!!!!!!! I have never liked ketchup based meatloaf and have been searching for a great recipe…….. This is it! Everyone in my house ran for seconds. Truly a keeper!!!!!!!!

Courtney

5-star rating

The garlic butter sauce is fantastic, and like I said, with a side of mashed potatoes, everything comes together for what I would call some true comfort food.

If there is such a thing as “fancy” meatloaf, this is it right here! I can confidently say I would serve this meatloaf to company, and probably have everyone ask for the recipe.

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This is my new meatloaf recipe!! Thank you for sharing.

Nadine

5-star rating

I hope you love it as much as we did!

Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.

Herb and Garlic Meatloaf with Garlic Butter Sauce

Ingredients

  • Ground beef
  • Ground pork
  • Canola oil
  • Produce: celery, garlic, onion, chives, fresh parsley, fresh sage, fresh thyme
  • Bread
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Chicken stock
  • Butter
Meatloaf with herb and garlic

Herb and Garlic Meatloaf with Garlic Butter Sauce

Homemade meatloaf, loaded with fresh herbs and topped off with warm garlic butter sauce.
4.42 from 203 votes
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Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 531kcal
Author: Danelle

Ingredients 

For the meatloaf:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 4 slices bread
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4-1/3 cup milk

For the garlic butter sauce:

  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 8-10 garlic cloves
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • Place the beef and pork in a large bowl.
  • Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the celery, garlic and onion and cook until vegetables are soft, 5-7 minutes. Cool slightly, then add to the meat in the bowl.
  • Add the parsley, chives, sage and thyme.
  • Tear the bread into large chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to form coarse crumbs. Add the bread crumbs to the meat mixture, along with the fresh herbs, eggs, salt and pepper, and 1/4 cup of milk.
  • Mix until well combined. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. If mixture doesn’t hold together well after 10 minutes, add additional milk, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
  • Place the meat mixture onto the parchment lined baking sheet and pat it into a rectangle. Then press in the sides of the meatloaf to form a cylinder down the middle of the pan.
  • Bake for about 40 minutes, or until meatloaf is browned and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  • While meatloaf cooks, make the garlic butter sauce. In a small sauce pan, combine the oil and garlic and bring to a boil.
  • Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until garlic is lightly browned. Do not let the garlic burn. Remove the garlic from the oil and set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock, water, butter and cooked garlic and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until slightly thickened.
  • Mash the garlic with a fork. Just before serving, stir in the parsley, then season with salt and pepper.
  • Spoon the warm sauce over the meatloaf to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 518mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
Keep scrolling for tips, ingredient substitutions, answers to frequently asked questions and more!

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62 comments

  • Amber Robinson

    Is the meatloaf supposed to be covered the whole time while cooking, or unconvered?

    • A
      Danelle

      Uncovered.

      • Georgianne

        I really hate the unnecessary sarcastic attitudes when others respond to someone’s question!

        Can you use minced garlic instead of the cloves?

        • Emeraldglenn

          Yes you can. I use it all the time in the meatloaf. I have never made the sauce.

      • Amber Robinson

        Thank you so much!

  • Allison Mottas

    Ok, so I will just start off by saying I never, I REPEAT, NEVER, critique recipes. In fact, I have often thought I should comment on a few high contender recipes, but never do. Yes, I am a virgin recipe reviewer. This, people, is by far, THE most EPIC meatloaf recipe I have ever made. I am a foodie, so this is not written without respect for all things epicurean. I don’t want to belabor the point…just do yourself a favor and make it. It’s a showstopper for your family, your most intimate friends for a dinner party or any other peeps you’re trying to impress. Make it NOW!

  • Trying this recipe…. HOW much garlic is supposed to go into the Garlic Butter Sauce…. doesn’t give an amount of cloves… I’m winging it, but would really like to know.

4.42 from 203 votes (201 ratings without comment)

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photo of Danelle, author of Let's Dish

Hello! I’m Danelle. Thanks for visiting.

At Let's Dish, I'm bringing a taste of uptown foodie to real-life, everyday meals! Here, I share simple, reliable recipes that make mealtime easy.
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