Skip the restaurant, and make this copycat meatloaf recipe at home. It's loaded with flavor thanks to sauteed onions, bell peppers, and shredded cheese. A sweet ketchup glaze is the perfect finishing touch. Here's how to make our copycat Cracker Barrel meatloaf recipe. Serve it for dinner tonight with a fresh green salad and rolls.
Tips for Making Copycat Meatloaf
Here are a few of our Test Kitchen's best tips for making this homemade meatloaf.
- For the best texture, finely chop your onions and peppers. This ensures no one bites into a big chunk of onion!
- We used crushed saltines in this recipe, but you could swap in breadcrumbs or another type of crushed cracker.
- You'll need two pounds of 80/20 ground beef. You can substitute leaner ground beef, but the texture will be drier.
- Don't overmix the meatloaf! Use your hands to stir the ingredients together until just incorporated to ensure the finished dish is tender and moist.
- Add the glaze 40 minutes before you're finished cooking, so it has time to caramelize.
- Allow stand for 15 minutes before slicing to ensure clean, even cuts.
Ingredients
Meatloaf
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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1/2 cup finely chopped onion
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1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or green bell pepper
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2 eggs, lightly beaten
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4 ounces, sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
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1/2 cup whole milk
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
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24 rich round crackers (such as Ritz), crushed (1 cup)
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2 pounds 80% lean ground beef
Topper
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3/4 cup ketchup
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2 tablespoons brown sugar
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1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
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1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 3-qt. rectangular baking dish with foil.
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In a medium saucepan heat oil over medium. Add onion and yellow bell pepper. Cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
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In a large bowl combine eggs, cheese, milk, salt, and pepper. Add cooked vegetables and cracker crumbs, stirring until moistened. Add ground beef; using clean hands mix lightly until combined. Lightly pat the mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf in the prepared dish.
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Bake 30 minutes.
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For topper, in a small bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon glaze over meatloaf. Bake 40 to 45 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 160°F. Let stand 15 minutes. Gently remove loaf from baking dish and place on serving platter. Slice and serve.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 515 | Calories |
| 31g | Fat |
| 20g | Carbs |
| 37g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 8 | |
| Calories 515.1 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 31.2g | 40% |
| Saturated Fat 11.8g | 59% |
| Cholesterol 163mg | 54% |
| Sodium 664.7mg | 29% |
| Total Carbohydrate 19.9g | 7% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.7g | 3% |
| Total Sugars 10.3g | |
| Protein 37.5g | 75% |
| Vitamin D 0.6mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin C 8mg | 9% |
| Calcium 183.4mg | 14% |
| Iron 4.1mg | 23% |
| Potassium 606.9mg | 13% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 1.2g | |
| Vitamin D 26.1IU | |
| Alanine 2.2g | |
| Arginine 2.3g | |
| Ash 3.5g | |
| Aspartic acid 3.3g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 2.2mcg | |
| Choline, total 143.3mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.2mg | |
| Cystine 0.4g | |
| Energy 2154.8kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 3.6mcg | |
| Folate, total 39.9mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 6.1g | |
| Glycine 2.3g | |
| Histidine 1.2g | |
| Isoleucine 1.7g | |
| Leucine 3g | |
| Lysine 3g | |
| Methionine 0.9g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 41.5mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.2mg | |
| Niacin 7.6mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 404mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 1.3mg | |
| Phenylalanine 1.5g | |
| Phytosterols 7.1mg | |
| Proline 2.2g | |
| Retinol 66.6mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 34.4mcg | |
| Serine 1.6g | |
| Starch 6.2g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 1.5g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.4mg | |
| Tryptophan 0.2g | |
| Tyrosine 1.2g | |
| Valine 1.9g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 404IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 75.6mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 3.5mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.6mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 13.6mcg | |
| Water 127.3g | |
| Zinc, Zn 8.2mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.