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Are you wanting a new meatloaf recipe that’s a delicious twist to cheeseburgers? Make this Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf for dinner tonight and watch it disappear. All the classic flavors of a juicy burger but in the ultimate comfort food – meat loaf!
For more yummy meatloaf recipes be sure and try Cracker Barrel Meatloaf and Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf.
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe
I love making meatloaf for dinner because it’s a hearty meal, with lots of lean meat protein, and the best part is that meatloaf recipes are simple to prep because it’s a one bowl mixture that gets shaped into a loaf shape inside a loaf pan. Then the oven does all the work while it bakes for awhile!
This bacon cheeseburger version is a new family favorite at my house – all the classic flavors of a cheeseburgers with ground beef, bacon, breadcrumbs, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce which always adds tons of great flavor. Try this fun version of traditional meatloaf for a new way to use up ground beef.
Meatloaf Ingredients Needed
- Lean Ground Beef : I prefer using a leaner ground beef when I make meatloaf to prevent the final dish from being too greasy – I use 93/7 lean ground beef or also called ground chuck. For a leaner meatloaf you can also use lean ground turkey, although I would recommend using half and half (1 pound ground beef + 1 pound ground turkey).
- Bacon : The recipe calls for 1 cup of cooked and crumbled bacon, which is equal to about 10 slices of bacon. You can also use bacon bits which are ready to use in any recipe, or cook bacon your preferred method and chop it up.
- Cheddar Cheese : Using cheddar cheese chunks will most closely mimic those cheeseburger flavors we all love. Use mild cheddar cheese, medium cheddar, or sharp cheddar cheese. You can also use velveeta cheese cubes as a substitute if wanted. The recipe also calls for some shredded cheese as the topping to the meatloaf; which you can use the same cheese, just cube some small for the meat mixture and then shred some for the topping.
- Large Eggs : The eggs act as binder to hold the meatloaf together.
- Plain Panko Bread Crumbs : Panko provides the structure and moisture for the meatloaf.
- Sweet Onion : I recommend making sure the onion is very finely diced so you don’t end up with large chunks of onion in the meatloaf.
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Yellow Mustard
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Garlic Powder
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
How To Make Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan (I use a glass loaf pan) with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, crumbled cooked bacon, cubed cheddar cheese, beaten eggs, panko breadcrumbs, and finely chopped sweet onion. Stir together with a fork, wooden mixing spoon, or your clean hands (I prefer using a fork to mix it gently).
Add in the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix all the ingredients together, with a gentle hand, until they are just combined. Avoid overmixing, or mixing it aggressively, as this will keep the meatloaf tender.
Transfer the meatloaf mixture into the prepared pan and gently press the meat mixture into the loaf pan in an even layer.
Bake for 50-60 minutes.
Remove the meatloaf from the oven. Sprinkle the shredded cheese and cooked bacon crumbles over top the meatloaf. Return the pan to the oven and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches the safe internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with sliced dill pickles, or pickle relish (sweet relish or dill relish), and your favorite cheeseburger sides such as fries, sweet potato fries, or onion rings.
How Do I Store My Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf?
- Refrigeration : Store leftover meatloaf in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. You can also heat up leftover slices in the air fryer to get a crispier exterior on them.
- Freezing Instructions : Once cooled, wrap the whole meatloaf tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating for serving. To freeze individual slices, wrap them each in plastic wrap and then in foil, and place them inside a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for easy storage.
- Make-Ahead Instructions : Assemble the meatloaf up to 24 hours in advance, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and store it uncooked in the fridge. When ready to bake, remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking and proceed with the recipe as written.
Meatloaf Tips For Success
- Combine Gently : The most important thing to remember when making meatloaf, is that you always want to stir the meatloaf ingredients with a gentle hand, to avoid ending up with a tough meatloaf. No need to aggressively stir and combine the ingredients, but rather, lightly stir everything together until it’s combined. You want to make sure it’s combined well and all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, but do so with a gentle light hand. I like to use a fork to combine everything, but other options are clean hands (the mixture will be really cold!), wooden mixing spoon, or a spoon.
- Crumble Ground Beef Into Bowl : To help avoid overmixing meatloaf, I always tell people to first crumble the ground beef into the bowl, this way the beef is already broken up some and you don’t have to stir it as hard to break it up and combine it along with the other ingredients.
- Bacon : For easy prep use bacon bits which are ready-to-use in the recipe. You can also use microwave bacon, or cook bacon your preferred method until it’s crispy, and then chop it up into small pieces.
- Cheese : Use any variety of cheese you want. Pepper Jack for some spice, or other good options are Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese. Or use any version of cheddar cheese; mild, medium, sharp, or white.
- Use A Meat Thermometer : To ensure the meat loaf is cooked to the proper temperature, you need to be using a digital meat thermometer. Poke it into the center of the loaf and do not take it out of the oven (or serve it!) unless it has reached the safe internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
More Cheesebuger Inspired Dinner Recipes
- Cheeseburger Biscuit Cups
- Cheeseburger Sliders
- Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
- One Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
- Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
- Cheeseburger Quesadilla
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (I use 93/7)
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 sweet onion finely diced
- 1¼ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese (in very small cubes/chunks)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (or less to taste)
Meatloaf Toppings (To Add Later)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- pickle slices (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ Spray a 9×5 loaf pan (I use a glass loaf pan) with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten eggs, sweet onion, panko breadcrumbs, crumbled cooked bacon, and cubed cheddar cheese. Stir together with a fork, wooden mixing spoon, or your clean hands (I prefer using a fork to mix it gently). *Do not mix it aggressively, mix gently so you get a tender meatloaf rather than a dense meatloaf if mixed too hard. *Beaten eggs – crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk them with a fork, then add them to the mixing bowl.2 pounds lean ground beef, 3 large eggs, 1 sweet onion, 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon, 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese, 1¼ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- Add in the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix all the ingredients together, with a gentle hand, until they are just combined.*Again, avoid overmixing, or mixing it aggressively, as this will keep the meatloaf tender.1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup ketchup, 3 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Transfer the meatloaf mixture into the prepared pan and gently press the meat mixture into the loaf pan in an even layer.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven. Sprinkle the shredded cheese and cooked bacon crumbles over top the meatloaf. Return the pan to the oven and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches the safe internal temperature of 165℉.1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with sliced dill pickles, or pickle relish (sweet relish or dill relish), and your favorite cheeseburger sides such as fries, sweet potato fries, or onion rings.pickle slices
Notes
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