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We have lost country music legend Dolly Parton. Dolly passed away peacefully in Nashville on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80 “after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer,” her publicist said. While the world mourns and remembers this legend, we can keep her spirit alive by not only carrying on all the good things she was involved in like her Imagination Library, but also preparing and enjoying her family recipes.
After learning of Dolly’s passing, my copy of her cookbook was pulled off the shelf. After flipping through the pages, I picked two recipes that didn’t require a trip to the store: her family meatloaf recipe and a salad. The perfect simple country dinner.
“Meatloaf is one of our absolute favorite family recipes!” says Dolly in her cookbook Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals, which she wrote with her sister Rachel Parton George.
This easy meatloaf recipe was simple, yet flavorful, and so delicious. Here is your shopping list for Dolly Parton’s family favorite meatloaf recipe: ground beef, ground pork, eggs, evaporated milk, old-fashioned rolled oats (read about the health benefits of oats), onion, bell pepper (Dolly uses green, but I only had an orange bell pepper), sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
“Over time, as you make meatloaf you’ll probably change a little of this, change a little of that,” writes Dolly and her sister Rachel in the cookbook. “This is a family recipe that has been handed down through the years and become what we’re sharing here. You’ll find this meatloaf slices really well. Not only does it look nice when served – it will lie beautifully on sliced bread with mayo if there’s any left over.”
Serve slices of this tender, juicy high-protein meatloaf for dinner with your favorite side dishes. I served mine with Dolly’s Garden Salad with Miracle Madness Dressing and mashed potatoes. Use any leftovers to make meatloaf sandwiches, like Dolly did.
Cooking Tip From Dolly: “We love to make [meatloaf] with beef and pork using the ratios provided. But you can always ask your butcher for 2 pounds of ‘ground beef and pork’ that’s already combined. It’s always about two parts beef to one part pork, just like in this recipe. You can also use all beef if you prefer.”
Rest in peace, Dolly. You will be missed but never forgotten.
Cuisine: American / Southern
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
Sauce
Meatloaf
Here’s how to make it:
Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat with a fork. Stir in the evaporated milk.
In a food processor or blender, pulse the oats until they are about half of their original size.
Pour the oats into the egg/milk mixture and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. (For a gluten-free dinner, make sure your oats are free of gluten.)
Add the ground beef, pork, onion, bell pepper, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and 1/4 cup of the prepared sauce to the oatmeal mixture.
Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix until well combined.
Put the meatloaf mixture into a 9×5-inch meatloaf pan or loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 45 minutes.
After it has baked for 45 minutes, pour the remaining sauce over the top.
Bake another 15 minutes, or until the sauce has formed a glaze on the top. (I did not have a meatloaf pan with an insert, so I carefully poured some of the grease out of the pan before topping with the glaze.)
Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Store any leftover meatloaf in an airtight container in the fridge.
Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.
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