Are you looking for the best meatloaf recipe around? Meet my Stuffed Meatloaf recipe- it will blow your mind!
Meatloaf wasn’t something I ate growing up. In fact, it always kind of turned me off. It was literally a brick of ground meat, a load, truly. Around the time hubby and I first moved in together (before marriage, gasp!), he requested I make him meatloaf.
I made a nice blend of Parmesan cheese, seasoned breadcrumbs, eggs and paste of onion and garlic, opting to use gooey cheese as my “stuffing.”
Why You’ll Love This Stuffed Meatloaf
This classic comfort food is always a winner.
- Super moist- Yea, yea, everyone hates that word, but you know what a worse word is? DRY when it comes to meatloaf. Fresh veggies help keep all the moisture and steam inside and ensures you end up with a super juicy and tasty dinner creation.
- Easy – Stuffed meatloaf can be made with only 20 minutes of prep, letting your oven do most of the work.
- Meal prep – Make this meatloaf early in the week and have it ready for lunches and dinners. It’s a great way to prepare ahead of time for busy weeknights — prepare the sides ahead of time, too, or just use the leftovers to make a meatloaf sandwich.
Ingredients
Simple ingredients are all you need to make an irresistible meatloaf stuffed with cheese.
- Ground meatloaf mix – You can find a meatloaf mixture at the grocery store in the meat section or use any type of single ground meat you like. Make sure it has some fat in it, that also imparts flavor and makes sure the mix doesn’t get too dry. A meatloaf mix is generally a blend of beef and pork.
- Yellow onion – Minced onion adds savory flavor. Use any type of onion you like!
- Garlic – Minced garlic adds distinctive garlicky flavor. Fresh is always best, but I won’t judge you for using the pre-minced, this recipe is supposed to be easy.
- Seasoned bread crumbs – Bread crumbs are used to bind the meat together. If you have plain, add a dash or two of Italian seasoning to amp them up.
- Eggs – Lightly beaten eggs help to moisten the meatloaf and to keep its structure, like a binder.
- Parmesan cheese – Make sure it is finely and freshly grated. Shaker cheese will not melt during cooking and could tasty grainy when done.
- Milk – I always use whole milk. The fat from whole milk helps to keep the meatloaf super moist.
- Worcestershire sauce – This sauce is a is a must for a meatloaf full of umami. Try your hand at making your own, or buy it from the store.
- Low-moisture mozzarella cheese – You want this to be cut into 1-inch pieces or shredded. This will be the “stuffing” for our cheese-stuffed meatloaf. Low moisture ensures excess liquid won’t sog up your loaf and cause it to fall apart. We want it tender, but not that tender.
- Ketchup – You can use your favorite brand or make your own homemade ketchup. This is for the glaze.
- Grape jelly – This is the other half of the glaze. It adds both sweetness and stability to the mixture. It’s my secret ingredient, just like cocktail meatballs. Shhhhh….
Variations
There are plenty of ways to make this stuffed meatloaf recipe your own. Here are a few suggestions.
- Cheese – Instead of mozzarella, try stuffing with a different cheese! Gouda, havarti, pepper jack or cheddar cheese would all be great options.
- Classic meatloaf – If you want to leave out the cheese, it will be just fine, you might even shave a few minutes off the cooking time.
- Meat – If you don’t want to use a meatloaf mix, you can use the same amount of ground beef. But don’t skimp on the fat content. Meatloaf is best with a higher fat content ground beef.
How to Make Stuffed Meatloaf
Making the ultimate comfort food couldn’t be more simple.
- Combine all ingredients except meat. Combine yellow onion, garlic, seasoned bread crumbs, eggs, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, milk and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add meat. Add ground meatloaf mix to large mixing bowl, breaking apart into smaller pieces as you go. Gently toss with your hands until evenly combined.
- Line pan. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. To create my own “meatloaf pan”, I put a few holes in the bottom to allow fats to drip out. You can also use an actual meatloaf pan.
- Add meat to pan. Take half of the meat mixture and press it into the loaf pan. Place mozzarella cheese in a mound down the center and then cover all around and top with remaining meat mixture.
- Make glaze. In a small saucepan, combine ketchup and grape jelly. Stir over medium-high heat until it has combined. Pour over top of meatloaf and place in the oven.
- Bake. Remove and allow to cool for several minutes before removing from the loaf pan. Allow fats to drain on a separate plate before transferring to a serving dish and cutting.
What to Serve with Stuffed Meatloaf
Now what to serve it with??? Mashed potatoes are a likely choice, but it was a nice spring day and mashed potatoes seemed too heavy, like a snowy night comfort meal, so I made up a warm German potato salad served chilled or room temperature.
Red wine vinegar, bacon, minced bell pepper and pickled red onion have a great texture and taste that isn’t too overwhelming, but keeps in line with traditional “meat and potatoes.” My family loved it and I’m looking forward to hearing if yours will too!
You can also serve it with lighter side dishes like homemade sauerkraut, cauliflower roasted with parmesan, steamed green beans, Asian broccoli or pan-fried broccolini.
Storage and Freezing
You can easily make this simple meatloaf, store it in the fridge, and keep it on hand throughout the week — it’s perfect for meal prep!
How to Store Leftover Meatloaf
Store leftover stuffed meatloaf in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three to four days. Hubby would argue it is even better leftover and eats his cold. I, however, prefer mine warm so I quick trip to the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes does the trick. You can also quick fry slices in a frying pan. Of course there is the microwave too.
Can I Freeze Stuffed Meatloaf?
You can freeze cooked meatloaf as a whole loaf or in slices for easy to thaw meals on-the-go. Freeze for up to three months in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge for several hours if sliced, overnight if whole. Reheat using the same techniques as for leftovers.
More Meatloaf Recipes
When I think of comfort food, meatloaf recipes immediately come to mind. Here are some of our favorite recipes.
Crockpot Meatloaf Recipe
Italian Meatloaf
Stuffed Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground meatloaf mix beef , pork and veal
- 1/2 yellow onion finely minced or grated
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese , cut into 1-inch pieces or shredded
Topping:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons grape jelly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a meatloaf pan with cooking spray or vegetable shortening. If using a standard loaf pan instead of a meatloaf pan, I highly suggest lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion, garlic, seasoned bread crumbs, eggs, Parmesan cheese, milk, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
- Add the ground meatloaf mix to the large mixing bowl, breaking apart into smaller pieces as you go. Gently toss with your hands until evenly combined, some bits of bread crumb mixture might still be visible, that is okay.
- Take half of the meat mixture and press it into the loaf pan and slightly up the sides. Place the mozzarella cheese in a mound down the center and then cover all around and top with remaining meat mixture, packing it down snuggly.
- Place in the oven, uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the ketchup and grape jelly. Stir over medium-high heat until it has combined. Remove the meatloaf at the 30 minutes mark and pour over top, returning back to the oven uncovered.
- Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160°F.
- Remove and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing from the pan and slicing to eat.
Notes
Nutrition
This stuffed meatloaf was so tasty! My kids LOVED it!
Love this recipe and I am making this for our breakfast tomorrow. thanks for sharing
I have never in my life had stuffed meatloaf until last night when I made this for dinner. I don’t think I’ll ever make it any other way again!
Outstanding recipe thanks so much! tasted so much good!
I’ve never made stuffed meatloaf before so this was a real treat. Wonderful flavours and easy to make as well. Definitely comfort eating!
Don’t want to offend – but the directions are hard to follow. Don’t know what bread crumb paste is, cheese and milk listed in ingredients is never mentioned for use in the instructions, and didn’t say when to add egg – or just say put all ingredients in the bowl. Rather it refers to three different pastes but only tells at the very bottom how to make one of them. That language is confusing. I ended up putting dry ingredients together first, adding to meat, and pouring remaining wet ingredients on top. It turned out good! Yay! Just want to share the instructions are confusing. Thank you.
Thank you for the feedback! I will surely take a look at the directions to make them easier to follow. I’m glad it still turned out well. – Jessica
The idea to cut the parchment paper is clever. I would populate the roasting pan bottom with cooked parboiled rice, or in a hurry wet basmati rice, then put atop the rice the slot-cut parchment paper. This is also a technique for making over-baked fish in a steel roasting pan. Even frozen pollock bakes well with this method. Why the rice? Rice absorbs the extra oil or water in what is baked above it, and if there is too much oil/water, then the few millimeters of space lets the roaster pan evaporate the liquid. The benefit is even cooking/steaming without burning: the rice burns, not the work in progress.
That is a great idea!