Meatloaf with Bacon Onion Jam Topping Recipe
This classic meatloaf recipe is transformed into something spectacular with the addition of crispy bacon and a sweet and savory bacon onion jam topping that brings new life to this old time favorite for a meal the whole family will enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
This will quickly become your favorite meatloaf recipe- not only is it easy to make for weeknight dinners, but it is perfect for preparing ahead of time to bake later in the week, and even freezes well for freezer meal prep.
Forget the hassle of traditional bacon-wrapped meatloaf, this recipe uses a spreadable bacon jam to top the meatloaf ensuring every bite is covered in delicious bacon goodness.
This easy meatloaf recipe can also be made into mini meatloaves or meatballs topped with the bacon onion jam. Serve leftovers sliced on bread for the best meatloaf sandwiches!
This recipe was a brain child of another one of my recipes, sweet and savory bacon onion jam. After making that recipe to serve on top of cream cheese as a party appetizer, I realized just how good it would be served on top of my mom’s meatloaf recipe. In the words of my husband: “This meatloaf recipe restored my faith in meatloaf”. What compliment could be better than that?
What You’ll Need:
- 9×13 inch casserole dish -this recipe is baked casserole style, instead of in a loaf shape or in a loaf pan.
- large bowl
- measuring cup
- skillet
- spatula
- Chef’s knife
- Optional- instant read thermometer: an instant-read thermometer can be used to check the internal temperature of the meatloaf as it bakes. Ground beef is cooked through when the internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ingredients:
- bacon slices
- sweet onions
- brown sugar
- ketchup
- dijon mustard
- minced garlic or garlic powder
- lean ground beef
- eggs
- saltine crackers or your favorite cracker (you can also use: breadcrumbs or quick oats)
- milk
- salt and black pepper
How to Make Bacon Onion Jam Meatloaf:
How to Make the Bacon Onion Jam topping:
Begin by roughly chopping one pound of bacon slices into small 1/2 inch pieces and dice two sweet onions.
Fry the bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium low heat until cooked through. Remove the cooked bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and reserve about four tablespoons of the bacon grease.
Add the diced sweet onions to the skillet and cook on medium low heat until the onions are caramelized and golden.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. If you are using garlic powder instead of minced garlic, wait to add the garlic powder with the ketchup. Add in the brown sugar and toss until the bacon and onions are well coated.
Lastly, stir in the ketchup and Dijon mustard and bring the sweet glaze mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
You can find the full recipe to my Sweet and Savory Bacon Onion Jam here and learn about more ways to enjoy this delicious bacon onion jam.
How to Make the Meatloaf Mixture:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Begin by soaking the breadcrumbs in the milk, allow the breadcrumb milk mixture to sit for 5 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the milk.
Beat two eggs well and mix into the breadcrumbs and milk.
Finely dice 1/4 cup of sweet onion.
In a large bowl add 1.5 pounds of lean ground beef and the diced onions.
Add the wet ingredients to the ground beef and onions as well as salt and black pepper.
Begin mixing the ingredients together with your hands until well combined. Press the meat mixture into a lightly greased 9×13.
Top the meatloaf with the sweet and savory bacon onion jam.
Bake the meatloaf at 350 degrees for one hour. Periodically check and make sure the bacon topping isn’t burning, if it beings to brown too quickly, simply cover with foil. Let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes.
Serve warm with fresh dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and green beans for a warm comforting meal.
How to Freeze Meatloaf:
Meatloaf is the perfect dish for freezing as it bakes well from frozen with no additional steps. Meatloaf can be frozen before baking by assembling the meatloaf in a freezer safe baking dish or aluminum pan. Cover the dish with foil and then wrap in plastic wrap for the best results and to prevent freezer burn. Label the plastic wrap with a sharpie, noting what the dish is, as well as baking temperature and time.
To freeze leftover cooked meatloaf, cut into slices and flash freeze until frozen solid. Then, once frozen, individually wrap each slice in aluminum foil and store in a freezer safe bag or container with a lid. Label the container.
How to Cook Frozen Meatloaf:
If baking uncooked meatloaf, let the meatloaf defrost in the fridge overnight or simply cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until the internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees. Baking from frozen will increase baking time, so expect it make take upwards of 1.5 to 2 hours to cook fully. Baking from thawed is much quicker.
If reheating cooked frozen meatloaf, bake at 350 until warmed through or microwave until defrosted and warm.
How to Serve Bacon Meatloaf:
This recipe is so versatile almost any side dish will work great, but our favorites are creamy mashed potatoes, green beans and warm bread.
Traditional yeast rolls are a great option, but if you want to try something different try my one hour garlic parmesan pull apart loaf that is ready in one hour! This is one meal your whole family will love to see on the dinner table, especially the bacon lover in your life!
Choosing High Quality Ingredients:
When a recipe is this simple, quality ingredients matter.
Choose the best quality lean ground beef you can find. Locally sourced grass fed beef brings a wonderful flavor to this meatloaf. You can also substitute ground beef for ground turkey, but you may need additional seasonings.
High quality breadcrumbs are another key ingredient. I prefer unseasoned breadcrumbs for this recipe.
Like most things, homemade always trumps store bought. I like to save homemade bread that is on the verge of going stale by finely chopping it in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. Homemade breadcrumbs can be stored in the freezer for future use.
I used sourdough breadcrumbs for this dish. If you choose to use sourdough breadcrumbs you may need to increase the amount of breadcrumbs to soak up all of the milk.
Get the Full Printable Recipe Here:
Bacon Onion Jam Meatloaf
Ingredients
- Sweet Bacon Onion Jam Topping:
- 1 lb chopped bacon
- 3 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp garlic
- Meatloaf:
- 1.5 lbs ground beef
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp of pepper
Instructions
Sweet Bacon Onion Jam:
- 1. Cook the chopped bacon in a skillet until crispy. Drain all but 4 tbsp of the bacon grease.
- 2. Dice the onions and add to the skillet.
- 3. Cook the onion in the bacon grease, stirring often until they are well caramelized. Turn the heat down to low.
- 4. Stir in the garlic to the skillet and cook on low until fragrant.
- 5. Add the brown sugar to the pan making sure to coat all pieces well.
- 6. Once the bacon and onions are coated in the brown sugar add in the ketchup and dijon mustard. Mix to combine.
- 7. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture begins to boil making sure to stir frequently.
- 8. Once the mixture comes to a boil reduce the heat to low and let simmer until it is thick enough to coat a spoon easily and has a jam like texture.
Meatloaf Mixture:
1. In a separate bowl soak the breadcrumbs in milk.- 2. Mix the ground beef with the beaten eggs, onion, salt, pepper and soaked bread crumbs until well combined.
- 3. Once the mixture is well combined, press into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. And top with the sweet bacon onion jam.
- 4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
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