Mom’s Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy Recipe

Of course you want to cook—and eat—delicious from-scratch meals. But you’re busy.

So don’t stress if you can’t spare five minutes to whip up the homemade sauce for Mom’s Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy. Feel free to substitute a can of cream of onion—or mushroom or celery—soup.

But if you have a few extra minutes, do try making the sauce from scratch. It’s sooo easy: You just add a few spoonfuls of sautéed onions to a simple white sauce—with the accent on simple.

White sauce is a cinch to make, it’s very forgiving and it creates a toothsome base for loads of other delectable sauces and gravies.

For this recipe, you pour the sauce over the meatloaf and bake. The meat’s pan juices turn the sauce into luscious, thick gravy.

We love Mom’s Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy served with a side of mashed or boiled salt potatoes.



This meatloaf is a great make-ahead recipe. You can assemble the loaf in two minutes, make the gravy, pour it over the meatloaf and cover the pan with foil. Then chill or freeze the meatloaf until ready to use.

Everyone seems to want seconds of this ultimate comfort food so I often double the recipe. Need I add that leftover Mom’s Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy makes divine sandwiches?

Mom’s Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy Recipe

1 cup stale bread, cut into rough cubes
1 2/3 cups milk plus a dash of half and half (half and half optional)
1 1/2 pounds grassfed ground beef or turkey—or mixture of grassfed ground meats
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 beef or vegetable bouillon cube
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized bowl mix bread cubes with 1/3 cup milk, tossing cubes to soak up milk. Let bread sit for a few minutes until softened, then mash soaked bread with a fork or your fingers.
3. Add ground meat to softened bread along with egg, salt and pepper. Toss mixture with fingers to blend being careful not to over-handle or compress the ground meat.
4. Scoop meat mixture into a baking pan 8” x 14” or larger—you will need room for the gravy that surrounds the meatloaf. Pat meat mixture into a rectangular loaf in pan. With a spatula or the pinkie-side of your hand, etch a groove into the top of the meatloaf to hold gravy, see photo above. Set meatloaf aside.
5. In a medium saucepan or skillet, melt butter over low flame, watching it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
6. When butter is melted, add the grated onion, whisking so it cooks evenly. Sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until softened, being careful not to let it burn.
7. Add the flour to the butter and onion, whisking to incorporate. Stir butter/onion/flour mixture over a low flame for 1-2 minutes to cook away the flour’s raw flavor. Repeat after me: Do not allow the mixture to burn!
8. Add bouillon cube and 1/3 cup milk to butter/onion/flour mixture and whisk vigorously to smooth lumps. Add another 1/3 cup milk. Whisk and cook mixture over a low flame until it thickens slightly. Continue adding milk 1/3 cup at a time, whisking and cooking over low flame, until you have used the remaining 1 1/3 cups milk. For an extra creamy flourish add a dash of half-and-half, again cooking and stirring sauce over low flame until gravy is thickened and creamy. Add pepper to taste—the bouillon cube is very salty so it’s unlikely you’ll want to add extra salt.
9. Pour sauce over meatloaf. It will fill the groove in the top of the meatloaf and spill over the sides of the loaf. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. At this point you may freeze or chill the meatloaf.
10. If you have frozen the meatloaf, allow time to thaw before baking: Place pan of meatloaf in fridge to thaw for at least 8 hours.
11. When ready to cook, slide covered pan into 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake another 10-15 minutes to thicken gravy. Serve immediately with potatoes or rice.

Serves 6.

P.S. For vegetarians in your family, try Tofu with Creamy Onion Gravy: Use vegetable bouillon to make gravy, as above. Pour gravy over a pound of Recipe Ready Tofu, cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, see photo below.

Serves 4.