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Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Cheeseburger lovers adore this fun twist on a classic meatloaf recipe
- Turns the best comfort food into an easy weeknight dinner
- Wave "bye" to tough meatloaf—tender and juicy results every time
With melty cheese, diced pickles, and so much flavor, this easy bacon cheeseburger meatloaf recipe is exciting and fun! Plus, it goes perfectly with french fries and a milkshake—all that's missing is the diner chef shouting "order up!"
Heinz 57 meatloaf is another one of the vintage recipes that we love around here.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Saute diced onions and garlic until soft.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, pickles, onions, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, ketchup, salt, and black pepper.
- Gently pat the meat mixture into a meatloaf pan and add bacon. Bake.
- Just before cooking time is over, lay cheese slices over top of the meatloaf and let them melt.
🥫 Storage
Leftover meatloaf is a weekly craving in our house. There's just something so satisfying about slapping a slice between two fluffy pieces of white bread and devouring it for lunch the next day!
Cover your leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or portion them into another storage container. Store for up to four days in the fridge or freeze for three months!
Leftover cheeseburger meatloaf is as tasty cold as it is warm. You can reheat slices in the microwave for quick and easy prep. However, if the meatloaf is frozen, let it thaw in the fridge, first. (I like to slice the meatloaf before freezing so that it thaws more quickly!)
📖 Variations
- You can use a ground meat mixture instead of all beef if you prefer. Pork, venison, and turkey are good as long as the ratio of meat to fat is roughly about 90% meat and 10% fat.
- Add a little yellow mustard to the beef mixture if you like more tang.
- If you're out of dill pickles, you can use bread and butter pickles—the meatloaf will taste just a bit sweeter, though. Pickle relish also works!
- Use spicy ketchup for more of a kick!
- Out of fresh onion or garlic? That's okay—sprinkle in a teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder, instead.
- If you don't have bread crumbs on hand, crumble up some saltine crackers or pulse them in a food processor. They'll work the same way.
- You can use shredded cheese on top if it's all you have. Sometimes we'll vary the flavor, too. If you're not a fan of American cheese, cheddar cheeseburger meatloaf is also delicious!
- Want a mustard glaze to top things off? In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and dijon mustard, adjusting the measurements until you like the flavor. Brush it on top of the bacon before baking.
- You can make a BBQ bacon cheeseburger meatloaf by combining some ketchup, sweet BBQ sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon it over the bacon before baking.
- Swap the regular breadcrumbs with keto crumbs or pork rind panko to make a keto cheeseburger meatloaf.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: You don't have to worry about pressing the meat into the pan with too much force. Otherwise, your meatloaf will be tough.
- Your hands are the best tool to combine the meatloaf, but do so gently! A spoon is too rough. If you don't like the feeling of meat on your hands, wear some food-safe prep gloves.
- Put the cooking spray away. Even lean ground beef has enough fat that you don't need to grease the loaf pan.
- For meatloaf, I like to use a metal pan rather than a small glass casserole dish. A 5-inch loaf pan is preferable for this recipe, but a 4-inch pan will work, too, as long as it has taller edges.
- If you don't have a loaf pan, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump the meat mixture onto it and form it gently into a rough meatloaf shape.
- It's a good idea to test the meatloaf with a meat thermometer before removing it from the oven. Perfectly cooked meatloaf will register an internal temperature of 155-160 degrees F.
👩🍳 FAQs
I'd recommend against it, but I can't stop you from trying! Lean meat doesn't produce as much fatty oil in the bottom of the pan, so it's a bit more appealing. Also, high-fat meats shrink more, so your meatloaf will come out smaller than it went in!
If you follow this recipe exactly, it'll be the best meatloaf ever! However, if you like to experiment with seasoning, you can try this tip: before spooning the meat mixture into the loaf pan, take about a tablespoon of it a brown it in the hot saute pan. It'll just take a minute or so, but now you can taste test the "meatloaf" before actually baking it!
Sure thing! Assemble it up to two days in advance, refrigerating until you're ready to bake. You can also freeze the frozen, unbaked meatloaf for three months. Just thaw it fully before cooking and enjoy!
Besides American and sharp Cheddar cheese, you can't go wrong with Colby, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or Gouda! Swiss is also good.
📚 Related recipes
- These Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers are faster to make than regular meatloaf and make delicious personal-sized servings—though, I won't blame you if you want to eat two... or three!
- Here's a Classic Homemade Meatloaf with flavor you just can't beat! It's sweet, tangy, tender, and perfect with your favorite comfort-food sides.
- Simmered in a decadent and rich onion gravy, Easy Cracker Barrel Hamburger Steaks taste filling and delicious after a long, busy day.
🍽️ Serve with...
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries or...
- Mom's Noodles Romanoff
- Old-Fashioned Macaroni Salad
- Homemade Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends
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📞 The last word
I am of the generation that didn't know what "healthy food" was - it was just all food. Meatloaf, pot roast, hot dogs, or pizza - as long as your mom served it with a wedge of iceberg lettuce you were good to go.
None of this whole grain, low fat nonsense. 🤣 Personally I like this with a big side of BBQ Macaroni Salad. YUM!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, lean - 90/10
- ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 1 - 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup dill pickles, chopped
- ¼ cup ketchup, catsup - whatever
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 3 slices bacon
- 3 slices American cheese, slices
- Olive oil, for sauteeing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sautee onions and garlic until tender.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, onions, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, ketchup, salt and pepper.
- Mix well. with your hands.
- Pat the meat mixture gently into a loaf pan. You may need 2 if you are using small ones. Don't press it down because it will compact the meat and the texture will be off.
- Add three slices bacon over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven 45 minutes to an hour (internal temp will be 155- 160)
- Just before removing from the oven lay the cheese over the top.
- Allow to stand at room temperature with foil over the top for about five minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Don't press the meat into the pan with too much force. Otherwise, your meatloaf will be tough.
- Your hands are the best tool to combine the meatloaf, but do so gently! A spoon is too rough. If you don't like the feeling of meat on your hands, wear some food-safe prep gloves.
- Put the cooking spray away. Even lean ground beef has enough fat that you don't need to grease the loaf pan.
- For meatloaf, I like to use a metal pan rather than a small glass casserole dish. A 5-inch loaf pan is preferable for this recipe, but a 4-inch pan will work, too, as long as it has taller edges.
- If you don't have a loaf pan, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump the meat mixture onto it and form it gently into a rough meatloaf shape.
- It's a good idea to test the meatloaf with a meat thermometer before removing it from the oven. Perfectly cooked meatloaf will register an internal temperature of 155-160 degrees F.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Kim Rome says
Mary, just wanted to ty for the great recipes and wish you Merry Christmas/ Happy New Year.
Best wishes for health and happiness
Kim