Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe

Last Updated February 25th, 2022 at 08:35 pm by Lisa

The best juicy Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe is bursting with flavor. The ground beef is loaded with a sauteed vegetable and spice mixture, cheeses, wrapped in bacon slices, and baked. Each slice is light, fluffy, tender, and holds together.

We all grew up eating classic meatloaf recipes for dinner. It is one of the best comfort foods we crave. But I decided to make a version that was company-worthy with scrumptiousness hidden inside.

So here is my little spin for cheeseburger lovers. The loaded meat mixture has lots of seasoned flavors and cheeses, I skipped all the ketchup and swapped in bacon right on top...

↑ Cheeseburger Meatloaf Tutorial Video ↑

Why This Is The Best Meatloaf

Regular meatloaf is a classic, and typically has ingredients like ground chuck, some additional ketchup, skim milk, plain bread crumbs, brown sugar, onion powder, and a cup ketchup mixture on top. That original recipe is all fine and good, but you will have a hard time ever making it that way again!

What makes this recipe so good, is the full flavor of all the ingredients. The vegetable saute mixture packs in the flavor. The oregano and chili powder spices toast in the pan while the celery, onion, and garlic soften.

Cheddar and parmesan cheese play their part to add flavor and also act as a binder. This also creates that cheeseburger flavor we all love. Soy sauce is called for in this recipe, but you can easily swap in Worcestershire sauce.

And the next day, be sure to make meatloaf sandwiches everyone in the whole family will love.

• Simple Ingredients
• Absolutely PACKED With Flavor
• Wrapped In Crispy Bacon 🥓
• Stuffed With Cheeses and Seasoned Veggies
• Will Become One Of Your Favorite Easy Dinner Recipes
• Bakes In An Hour - Fast Cooking Time
• Using Fully-Cooked Bacon Saves Time
• Different From Traditional Meatloaf
• Perfect For First Time Cooks

How To Make Meatloaf

You Will Need

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup onion finely chopped
• ½ cup celery finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 pounds ground beef 85/15
• 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup flour AP flour or almond flour
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or use Worcestershire sauce)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 12 pieces fully cooked bacon

Ground Beef

Ground beef that is 85% lean and 15% fat works great in this recipe. You can go with lean ground beef or ground turkey but you will lose some of the lightness and flavor of good meatloaf due to the lower fat content of lean meat.

Fully Cooked Bacon

It is packaged and pre-cooked bacon strips within a resealable package. You will find it in the bacon section of the grocery store. It saves time and keeps the stovetop clean as you don't have to cook the bacon.

I absolutely love this product, and it is a staple in my freezer! There is no prep and no mess. It can be easily reheated and made crisp for use in recipes right in the microwave or in a skillet. It turns out perfectly every time and is a great price point at Costco. A big package is around $10. It keeps great in the freezer at home, so you always have bacon ready to enjoy.

PRO TIP: I tested this recipe with fully cooked bacon, if you can't find that, precook your bacon in the microwave until most of the fat renders out yet it is still pliable to bend on the meatloaf.

Cheeses

For this recipe, I went with cheddar and parmesan. The melted cheddar cheese is the best way to bind the meat mixture together. You could try different cheese varieties like Colby, Monterey Jack, Pepperjack, or even Swiss. I use grated parmesan in a lot of my recipes, good swaps here are grated asiago or pecorino romano.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a medium baking dish with coconut oil cooking spray.

Flour

If you are avoiding carbs and flour, you can swap in almond flour just fine.

Place a small skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, then add finely chopped onion and celery. Stir for 3 minutes until soft, and then add garlic, oregano, and chile powder.

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, sauteed vegetable/spice mixture, grated cheddar cheese, flour (almond or regular AP flour), Parmesan cheese, eggs, and soy sauce.

Using a spatula, stir the mix in the large bowl until well combined and all the ingredients are mixed throughout the ground beef.

Shape the meatloaf mixture into a long oval loaf shape.

Place in the sprayed baking dish, large loaf pan, or rimmed baking sheet. Place the precooked bacon strips diagonally, slightly overlapping covering the entire surface. The addition of bacon adds flavor, looks beautiful, and prevents a dry tough meatloaf.

Heat Oven to 400 degrees.

Bake on the center rack for 1 hour at 400 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 160+ degrees with a meat thermometer. 160 degrees is a safe internal temperature for ground beef.

PRO TIP: If the bacon is browning too dark, tent with a piece of aluminum foil.

Let your meatloaf rest about 5 minutes before slicing so it holds together. If any liquid is in the baking dish, discard it. Slice into thick slices and serve warm.

Recipe Variations and Additions

There are so many recipes and variations on meatloaf, and no perfect way to make it! But here are a few of the popular ingredients people add to this recipe.

Small pieces of bacon bits would add flavor all through the meatloaf. Another idea is to lay slices of cheese melted on top of and put pickle slices on top just like a cheeseburger!

You can use egg whites instead of whole eggs. Eggs add some binding to the meat mixture so it holds together in the baking. Another really fun idea is to add those amazing fried onions into the meat mixture before baking. Yummmm.

• yellow mustard or spicy brown mustard
• cheese slices; pepper jack cheese or American cheese
• French Fried Onions
• Dill Pickles
• Egg Whites
• Pickle Relish
• Bacon Bits
• mustard glaze

Different Ways Serve With Hot Meatloaf?

For a classic dinner, serve this bacon cheeseburger meatloaf recipe with a side of hot Mashed Potatoes and some hot bread or these Dinner rolls with Herb Butter.

Grilled Corn would be a great side, with cool fresh Cole Slaw that happens to be mayo-less. Another classic side would be some Smashed Potatoes that have crispy edges and soft centers. Or serve some Cowboy Baked Beans, a wildly popular recipe that everyone adores.

More Easy Dinner Recipes

Try a Beef Stroganoff recipe with tri-tip steak, mushrooms, and creamy rich stroganoff sauce. It is easy enough for a weeknight dinner and yummy enough for company.

Shish Kabobs are the best for grilling and cookouts. These use top sirloin beef, and an incredible marinade that has pineapple juice.

These Cheeseburgers are slathered with burger sauce, the meat patties are made with an amazing burger seasoning, tons of melted cheese, pickle chips, tomato slices, and crisp cold lettuce.

The low temperature and slow, long cooking process make the pork roast easy to shred as it becomes tender over the hours. The result: perfectly moist yet slightly caramelized edges, a super savory Pulled Pork made from pork loin!