Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper (optional, but delicious)
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 9 ounces thin-cut bacon
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese (diced)
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (convection ovens to 320°F). Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan first with parchment paper and then with 2/3 of the bacon, leaving an overhang. OR line a rimmed baking sheet with baking parchment and lay 2/3 of the bacon on top if you want to bake without a pan.
- Make meat mix: Mix ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion, mustard and spices in a large bowl (I use a handheld mixer with the hook attachment to do this).
- Shape meatloaf: Shape a long log with 2/3 of the meat mixture and fit it inside the loaf pan (OR on top of the bacon on the baking sheet, if baking without a loaf pan). Make a crease down the middle and add the mozzarella cheese to it. Cover with the remaining meat mixture. Fold the bacon overhang on top and cover entirely with the remaining 1/3 of bacon. Spread with 1/3 of the barbecue sauce.
- Bake: Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Spread with another 1/3 of the barbecue sauce. Continue baking for another 20 minutes, then spread with the remaining sauce right as it comes out of the oven. Allow the meatloaf to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. If you baked in a loaf pan, VERY CAREFULLY drain it before removing from the pan (depending on your meat/bacon, a lot of juices can accumulate).
Nutrition
My tips for the best meatloaf:
Recipes like this one can be tricky to translate into all kinds of different kitchen situations of people all over the world.
I genuinely think it’s a great recipe though (with lots of great reviews!), so to make sure yours turns out perfectly, here are some tips:
Why is my meatloaf falling apart?
The meat mix for meatloaf is kind of like a dough: It needs to be kneaded a little to stick together.
This helps the proteins in the meat stick together and make a firmer shape. It also prevents your meatloaf from turning out crumbly.
I usually do this with the hook attachment of my hand mixer, because who’s got the passion to knead a meat dough?! 😉 The mixer does a quick and nearly mess-free job of combining the meat with seasoning, egg and breadcrumbs. So easy!
Use the correct baking pan
If you’re baking the meatloaf in a pan, make sure you’re using a metal loaf pan, one like this you can get on Amazon (FYI, this is an affiliate link and I make a commission for purchases made through this link), not a ceramic one.
Metal pans have thinner walls and the heat spreads differently. I used a metal baking pan, so I strongly recommend doing the same for this recipe.
I have successfully made this meatloaf without a pan at all though, so if you don’t want to deal with draining meat juices out of a loaf pan after baking, you can just lay out the bacon on a baking sheet, shape the meatloaf on top and stuff it with cheese, then criss-cross the bacon all around and over the top.
What cheese is good for putting inside this mozzarella stuffed bacon wrapped meatloaf?
I used mozzarella here because it’s quite mild and I have small kids.
But for more sharpness/flavor, you could also use a nice cheddar.
I guess pretty much any cheese that melts well and you like the taste of works, to be honest.
How can you tell meatloaf is done?
First of all, make sure your oven is set to the right temperature (and check with an oven thermometer to make sure it’s as hot as it says!).
Then, the pretty much only way to tell meatloaf is done (since you can’t really cut into it to check)? Is with an instant read thermometer (FYI, this is an affiliate link and I make a commission for purchases made after clicking through).
Get one! It’s so handy.
How do you keep meatloaf from drying out?
I use this super secret method to keep my meatloaf from drying out… Well, it’s not actually that secret:
I smother the meatloaf in sauce before baking, during baking AND right after baking.
Oh and P.S: My Homemade Meatloaf Sauce is pretty delicious 😉
If you feel your meatloaf still dries out during baking, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil, but I’ve never found this to be necessary.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
P.S: Check out our collection of easy dinner recipes with ground beef for more ideas!
Jackie
Will cooking this in a throw away, one time use, aluminum loaf pan increase or decrease the bake time? Will using this pan type still work?
Also, can this be prepared the night before to pop in the oven in the morning? If not, how would you recommend reheating? (I’m making this for a meatloaf competition to be judged around lunch & work in the morning:( )
Nora Rusev
Jackie, I think that would work well with the pan. Just make sure to drain the juices well. You can also make it without a loaf pan and just free-form on a sheet pan. I have the instructions for that here in my Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf recipe – it has more seasoning etc as well, if that’s something you’d be looking for. Just add the mozzarella to the middle as well.
And I think it would work well to prepare it the night before and bake it in the morning. Reheating tends to dry it out a little.
Holly
This was awesome! We were fighting over the last piece. I guess I’ll have to make two next time! Thank you!
Nora
Haha, yep. Better double batch this next time! Thank you so much for your review, Holly. I appreciate it!
Carol
I am going to prepare this meatloaf tomorrow, and my question is this; how would it cook if I did the parchment paper in an aluminum pan, but put a small baking rack on the very bottom before I put the meatloaf in the parchment paper in the pan? Thank you for your help!
Carol
Nora
Hi Carol, do you mean putting a rack at the bottom of the pan? I assume this would be to allow the fat to drain away from the meatloaf, so I would recommend lining the pan, THEN placing the rack, and THEN placing the meatloaf. Cooking time should be about the same.
Anita
How long would I bake without using the barbecue sauce??
Nora
It would be the same baking time. Though I wouldn’t suggest baking the meatloaf without any kind of sauce on top, or it will dry out. If you don’t have/like BBQ sauce, you can also use ketchup or a thick gravy; or make your own: Homemade Meatloaf Sauce. Hope that helps!
Rob
You are awesome… I appreciate your responses to people that don’t think for themselves… Some of these people need you to come over and do it for them… Thanks again ( I enjoyed this recipe and will follow other ideas you have)
Tony
Sounds like a winner! The only change I would recommend is using 50% mozzarella and 50% provolone cheese! I’ll let you know how it turns out!!😎
Anika
Could you mozzarella sticks instead of shredded or chopped mozzarella? Just place one stick in the middle???
Nora
Yes, you totally could! That’s a great idea, Anika!
Andrew G
Do you baked it covered or uncovered? Thanks!
Nora
Uncovered! Hope that helps 🙂