For a mess free meatloaf, always use a 1 gallon Ziplock bag to mix all meatloaf ingredients. This accomplishes several things, hands stay clean and bacteria free, You can see that everything is well mixed, no meat falls out to contaminate the counter area, and you can easily shape the loaf in the bag then dump it in the pan and pat it with the inside out bag over your hands. Meatloaf is truly mess free, no bowl to clean either!