Crispy bacon. Pockets of gooey cheddar. Yellow onions cooked in bacon drippings. This Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger Meatloaf has ALL the good stuff.
Featured Comment:
“The best meatloaf ever!!!! So much flavor and the ranch mixed with ketchup tops it off!! My 7 year old pickiest eater ever even loved it!!” -Rachel
Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger Meatloaf is the answer to disappointing meatloaf recipes. No boring meatloaf here!
Instead of shredded cheddar, we’ll use small cubes of cheddar to create pockets of cheese that literally ooze out when the meatloaf is warm (YUM). Along with bacon and onions, the cheese transforms this meatloaf from traditional to extraordinary.
So extraordinary that I even made it on tv for a segment on WGN News (Chicago)!
The meatloaf mimics a classic bacon cheeseburger, and it delivers some serious flavor. The topping also contains a secret ingredient: ranch dressing. It gets mixed in with the ketchup, and it adds a little zip that everyone loves.
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Ingredients
Here is what you need to make the meatloaf:
- Bacon—this will get cooked before adding it to the meatloaf
- Cut the cubed cheddar from a block of cheddar cheese (sharp or mild, whatever you prefer)
- Ground round is 85% lean beef (you can also use 80% or 90% lean)
- Ground pork keeps the meatloaf tender and juicy
- Yellow onion will get cooked in the bacon drippings (yum!)
- Breadcrumbs and eggs hold the meatloaf together
- Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and salt add flavor to the finished dish
- Ketchup and a little ranch dressing make an irresistible sauce for the top
How to make bacon cheddar Cheeseburger meatloaf
First, cook the bacon until crisp, then crumble it. Cook the diced onion in the bacon fat until soft.
Combine the rest of the ingredients (bacon, cheddar, ground round, ground pork, cooked onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, worcestershire sauce, parsley, and salt) in a large bowl.
Mix gently with your hands to combine. Be careful not to overmix the mixture, as that will make the meat tough.
Form the mixture into a meatloaf shape, roughly 12 inches long by 5 inches wide.
Make sure to place it on a baking sheet with a rim to catch any juices that run from the meatloaf (and also to catch the drippy cheese!).
Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes, and then spoon on a mixture of ketchup and ranch dressing. Trust me on this one—the ranch adds a tasty zip to it! Bake for 10 more minutes and it’s ready to serve!
📖 Recipe
Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb ground beef (I used 85% lean)
- ½ lb ground pork (or sub more ground beef)
- ⅔ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
- 4 oz sharp cheddar, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until crisp. Place the bacon on a paper towel lined plate to drain (keep the bacon grease in the pan), then chop into fine pieces.
- Add the onion to the bacon grease. Cook until soft, about 3–4 minutes. Remove the onions but leave the bacon grease (which you can save for another use or discard).
- In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground round, breadcrumbs, eggs, worcestershire sauce, parsley, cubed cheddar, salt, chopped bacon, and cooked onions. Mix very gently with your hands to combine.
- Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet with a rimmed edge. Form it into a loaf with your hands, packing it gently so it stays together.
- Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the ketchup and ranch dressing in a small bowl. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and pour the ketchup mixture on top. Return to the oven for 8–10 more minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
My husband hates meatloaf but LOVED this recipe so much. It’s so good with all the cheddar and bacon!
I just made this meat loaf yesterday – was the best meat loaf I have ever made. I doubles the recipe and I also did add to it 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 tsp Italian Seasoning, and I used 1 lb each ground pork, ground beef and ground turkey – that’s 3 lbs of meat – so my recipe was doubled. After baking about 40 minutes I put some hickory and brown sugar bar-b-que sauce on top and baked about 15 more minutes – I also used to small bread pans and got to put one baked meatlaof in the freezer. Sure makes a delicious meatloaf sandwich.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe.