This homemade Mozzarella Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf is stuffed with melty cheese and wrapped in plenty of bacon for an easy comforting family dinner.

The recipe is cooked without ketchup and smothered in a BBQ sauce glaze instead. The classic meatloaf base is made with ground beef, eggs and with breadcrumbs.

Served with your favorite sides and a simple gravy, the cheesy middle of this meatloaf will be the best surprise at your dinner table!







A few people have mentioned that their meat never cooked through. A few tips on troubleshooting:

THE RECIPE WAS WRITTEN FOR A CONVECTION OVEN

Convection ovens generally need a little less heat. So if you’re using a conventional oven (no fan) make sure to set it to 350°F.

Otherwise the meatloaf will take longer to cook and the top might never crisp up and brown.

USE THE CORRECT BAKING PAN

Make sure you’re using a metal loaf pan, one like this you can get on Amazon*, 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 know readers have successfully made this without a pan at all, 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.








THE CHEESE CAN MAKE OR BREAK THIS MEATLOAF

Don’t use the cheapest cheese there is or else it will leak a lot of water, leading to either an undercooked meatloaf or one that doesn’t properly hold together.

It would be a shame to have such a delicious dinner swimming in too much liquid!

THE MEATLOAF MIXTURE IS A KIND OF DOUGH

Yes, that’s right.

Just like a yeast dough needs to be kneaded to hold together, the meatloaf mixture really needs a good kneading.

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 mixer, because who’s got the passion to knead a meat dough?! 

MAKE SURE YOUR OVEN IS AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE

Baking recipes can be so tricky! I really recommend checking your oven’s temperature with a thermometer.

Especially if it’s an older model – you never know what’s really going on!

For example, my oven takes about 45 minutes to get to 350°F even though it says to be hot enough after 10. I kept getting underbaked cakes until I started checking with a thermometer.








INSTRUCTIONS


Preheat a convection oven to 320° Fahrenheit (conventional ovens to 350°F).

Mix ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs and spices in a large bowl.

Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan first with parchment paper and then with 2/3 of the bacon, leaving an overhang.

Shape a long log with 2/3 of the meat mixture and fit it inside the loaf pan. Make a groove in the middle and add the mozzarella cheese to it. Cover with the remaining meat mixture. Fold the bacon overhang on top and cover entirely with the remaining 1/3 of bacon. Spread with 1/3 of the barbecue sauce.

Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Spread with another 1/3 of the barbecue sauce. Continue baking for another 20 minutes, spread with the remaining sauce and serve hot.








INGREDIENTS


2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
Salt pepper and smoked paprika, to taste
9 ounces thin-cut bacon
4 ounces mozzarella cheese chopped
1/2 cup barbecue sauce



NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1 (160 g)     Servings Per Recipe: 8


Calories 320    Calories from Fat 150 49%    Total Fat 15.9 g 23%    Saturated Fat 6.7 g 30%    Cholesterol 108.6 mg 36%    Sodium 530.6 mg 22%    Total Carbohydrate 15.5 g 5%    Dietary Fiber 0.5 g 2%    Sugars 7.5 g 30%    Protein 19.8 g 39%




LIKE US ON FACEBOOK