Mozzarella Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Recipe - Savory Nothings (2024)

Try this Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf if you want to make a truly special dinner for your family! It’s wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese for the ultimate homemade comfort food.

I don’t know about you, but a homemade meatloaf stuffed with mozzarella cheese and wrapped in bacon… Sounds pretty legendary!

It may not score big on pretty looks but it sure delivers the most amazing flavors you could hope for. Instead of using ketchup on it, I smother it in BBQ sauce because you know what, it’s just better that way.

I adapted this from The Pioneer Woman, because if there ever was a lady who knows her comfort food, it would most definitely be her!

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 your 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 don’ want to use barbecue sauce.

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.

Serving ideas

We love our meatloaf with a side of mac and cheese or mashed potatoes and green beans! Roasted broccoli (or air fryer broccoli), roasted asparagus (or… you guessed it, air fried asparagus) or roasted carrots/glazed carrots/crockpot carrots are super delicious.

Leftovers are delicious in a sandwich with a side of coleslaw – so yummy!

PSIf you try this recipe, please leavea review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.

Printable recipe

More ground beef recipes to try

P.S: Check out our collection of easy dinner recipes with ground beef for more ideas!