The Pioneer Woman Meatloaf Recipe

I just want to buy a red wig and act like The Pioneer Woman around the house. Is that really bad? I love watching her cook in her big, clean, sunny lodge. The dishes wash themselves, and the food always turns out perfectly.

But for now, I guess I’ll just enjoy her meatloaf wrapped in bacon, without the wig. 😂The bacon cooks over the meat, and the juices run right into it. Can you imagine how good it tastes, making it a perfect quick weeknight ground beef dinner?

I want my kitchen to smell like bacon for a long time. 💗

Ingredients

Meatloaf:

• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef, 80% lean
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
• 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 3/4 teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh Parsley, minced
• 4 whole Eggs, Beaten
• 12 slices Thin cut Bacon

Sauce:

• 1+1/2 cups Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• 1 dash Tabasco sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the bread to a large bowl and pour the milk on top of the slices. Let them soak for 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining meatloaf ingredients and use your hands to combine. Try to ensure that the bread is sufficiently combined into the mixture, although try not to overmix as the ground beef will become tougher and lose some flavor, similar to preparing an easy one-pan ground beef and rice meal.

4. Form the meat into a loaf, (about 5 inches wide), and place it over a broiler pan to allow the fat to drain. Lining the bottom of the broiler pan with foil will make for easier cleanup.
5. Line the bacon over the top of the loaf and carefully tuck the ends under the bottom. The bacon can be used to help support the shape of the loaf. I like to line them so that they are touching, but not overlapping so that you can easily slice in between each piece of bacon when it’s cooked.
6. Combine the sauce ingredients and brush 1/3 of it over the meatloaf.
7. Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes on the middle rack. Remove it from the oven and brush another 1/3 of the sauce over it. Bake for another 25 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes prior to slicing, cutting in too early will cause the juice to run out of the loaf, a tip also useful for tender crock pot beef tips.

Pro Tip: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the middle is 160°F before you slice in.

Serve with the remaining sauce and enjoy! These are delicious with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans! This pairs perfectly with roasted green beans and mashed potatoes, and don’t forget the easy homemade garlic bread!

Tips & Tricks for Best Meatloaf

When choosing ground beef for meatloaf, 80% lean ground beef is a good choice. Meats that are leaner tend to dry out.
You can also make a very tender and tasty meatloaf by using ground beef, pork, and veal. You would use one-third of a pound of each, or consider preparing a hearty superfood shepherd’s pie recipe for another comforting meal.

PRO TIP: Some grocery stores already have this meat mix in the meat section, ready to make meatloaf or meatballs.

You can use either soft, white sandwich bread or crusty artisan bread for meatloaf.

I agree with The Pioneer Woman that white sandwich bread is better. I think the softer bread mixes better with the ground beef and makes the consistency more even.

When making burgers or meatloaf, you can mix ground beef too much.
You should make sure that the meatloaf has a consistent texture, but be careful not to mix it too much or the texture will be tougher and the meat will taste a little less good.

A broiler pan is used to allow the excess grease to drip from the meatloaf and prevent the bottom of the loaf from getting soggy.

Use only a Cookie Sheet:

Place the loaf directly on top of a cookie sheet, but note that you will have to remove the sheet and drain the liquid periodically throughout the cooking process. This is a little tricky.

Using a Cooling Rack on a Roasting Pan:

• Place a cooling rack on top of a roasting pan.
• Line the cooling rack with foil to keep the meat in place.
• Poke several small holes in the foil to allow the fat to escape and drip onto the cookie sheet or roasting pan.

🛑 Note! The bacon underneath the loaf that sits on top of the foil likely won’t cook as well as if it were to sit directly on a broiler pan. Just be aware of this if using the foil method.

If you don’t want the bacon, you can leave it out of this recipe. You might need to cut the last 25 minutes of cooking time down to 15 to 20 minutes.

Make-Ahead & Storage

YES! Meatloaf is a great make-ahead recipe that you can completely prepare and assemble ahead of time.

Once assembled, simply wrap the prepared loaf in foil or plastic wrap and store it overnight in the fridge to bake the next day.

You can also freeze assembled meatloaf. Let it defrost overnight in the fridge prior to baking.

Pro Tip: If this loaf makes more than you need, you may choose to divide it in half and freeze what you don’t need for another day!

Cooked meatloaf is an absolutely perfect freezer food. Let it cool and wrap it in foil. Store it in the freezer bag for up to 3 months.

To reheat, bake in the foil at 350°F until heated through, 20-30 minutes.

You can also defrost it in the fridge overnight and microwave it until heated through.