When I think of comfort food, meatloaf immediately comes to mind…. among other things like macaroni & cheese! (MY FAVORITE!) It was a treat when Mom made meatloaf for us growing up, but it was never a favorite of Dad’s… until I tried my hand at it. Maybe it was the cheez-its crunched up in it or maybe it was the 1/2 lb. of bacon I put over the top of it! Dad LOVED my meatloaf and still does! Sorry Mom! Since then, meatloaf has been a Dewey family staple and one of my prized recipes that I literally just make up as I go. A little of this, a little of that. I honestly don’t think it is made the same every time I cook it, but each and every time it’s delicious. Once you get the simple recipe down, don’t be afraid to make it your own. Dress it up. Or add something unexpected! I promise meatloaf is pretty forgiving!
My secret ingredient to meatloaf is pork! You can use either ground pork (seasoned yourself) OR you can use a fresh, bulk sausage like Italian, breakfast, garlic, whatever! The pork helps keep the ground beef moist because often times sausage or ground pork contains more fat than ground beef. But also, the bacon over the top versus a ketchup glaze will add extra pounds... I mean moisture to the meatloaf as well! This recipe can EASILY be doubled or even tripled and cooked for a whole ton of people! And my secret to mixing your meatloaf…? Use your stand mixer!! I use my KitchenAid and it works like a dream! Also, you don’t have to get your hands dirty! Win-win!
Prairie Californian Meatloaf
simple, easy, delicious meatloaf!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk, ground sausage (or ground pork seasoned)
- 1 1/2 pound ground beef (you can use 1 pound too!)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or crunched up Cheez-Its are AMAZING!)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (any kind is delicious)
- pepper & garlic powder to taste
- dash Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 eggs
- 4–5 slices thick cut bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all ingredients (except bacon) to your stand mixer or a large bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour meat mixture into an 8×8 inch baking dish or dutch oven and smash down with your hands.
- Lay the bacon slices over the top of the meatloaf. Bake at 350 for about an hour. You may need to drain grease out of the pan halfway through.
- Once your meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, it is done! Check with an instant read meat thermometer. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
Right!?! Who doesn’t love meatloaf? Your version looks particularly tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Author
I KNOW! So far I haven’t gotten that person on SoMe to be like… I don’t like meatloaf! 😉 I know everyone has their own tried and true but I figured I’d share anyway!
I did not care for it growing up – probably because we had it so often. But I love it know. The pork makes it look quite tasty!
*NOW* Geez. 🙂
I made my own recipe for meatloaf last night. I tired a mix of 1lb ground beef, 1/4 lb Italian sausage, 1/4 lb ground pork, 1/4 lb ground turkey. The loaf cooked at 350 for almost 2 hrs and I still did not think it was done. I did not use a meat thermometer I just cut a piece off. My son told me that when you mix ground meats they cook differently etc. I will probably just use ground beef the next time as I usually do. I did put a ketchup sauce and bacon on the top.
Author
hmmm…. that is odd. Even an all pork meatloaf should have been cooked all the way through… Is it possible that the sausage had some sort of “cure” in it? If so, when cooked it would have turned everything pink and therefore look like it wasn’t cooked all the way through. My never fail technique is to always use a meat thermometer! They are cheap and can be found basically anywhere!
best ever