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My husband called this “the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten in this house.” And listen, he’s eaten a lot of things in this house over the past ten years. So that’s saying something.

I came up with this recipe on a rainy Sunday when I had ground beef that needed to be used, half a pack of smoked bacon in the fridge, and a serious craving for a cheeseburger that I was too lazy to grill. The idea hit me while I was staring into the fridge: what if I just… put everything I love about a cheeseburger inside a meatloaf? Bacon, cheddar, pickles, mustard and all of it wrapped in a savory beef shell with a tangy glaze on top.

It sounds ridiculous. It works beautifully.

After testing it a few times (and burning the first one because I got distracted by a phone call, classic), I finally landed on a version that’s juicy on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, and packed with that smoky, cheesy, umami punch that makes people ask for the recipe before they’ve even finished their plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This isn’t your mom’s meatloaf. No offense to moms everywhere, but this version has a cheeseburger hiding inside it. The smoked bacon adds a depth of flavor that regular meatloaf just can’t touch. It’s filling, it’s impressive to serve, and it reheats like a dream the next day. Honestly, the leftovers might be better than the first night.

What Makes This Recipe Unique

Most stuffed meatloaf recipes just throw some cheese in the middle and call it a day. This one goes further. You’re building an actual cheeseburger filling: sauteed onions, crispy smoked bacon, sharp cheddar, yellow mustard, and diced pickles. That combination melts together during baking and creates this incredible molten center that tastes exactly like biting into a loaded burger.

The glaze is the other thing that sets this apart. A mix of ketchup, brown sugar, and a little Worcestershire sauce gives it a sticky, caramelized top that cuts through the richness of the beef and bacon perfectly.

Key Features

• One pan, minimal cleanup
• Uses budget-friendly ingredients
• Kid-approved and crowd-pleasing
• Great for meal prep (freezes well)
• No fancy equipment needed

Essential Ingredients

For the meatloaf:

• 2 lbs ground beef (80/20 blend works best)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the cheeseburger filling:

• 6 slices smoked bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup white onion, finely diced and sauteed
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup dill pickles, diced

For the glaze:

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Alternative Ingredients

No smoked bacon? Regular bacon works, but try adding a pinch of smoked paprika to the meat mixture to get that smokiness back. Sharp cheddar can be swapped for pepper jack if you want some heat, or American cheese if you’re going full diner-style burger vibes. Ground turkey works instead of beef if you’re watching fat content, though you’ll want to add a tablespoon of olive oil to keep it from drying out. Yellow mustard can be replaced with Dijon if that’s what you have.

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Preheat and prep. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan.

2. Make the filling. Cook your bacon until crispy, drain it, and crumble it up. Saute the diced onion in a little of that bacon fat until soft and golden, about 4 minutes. Let everything cool slightly, then mix the bacon, onion, cheddar, mustard, and pickles together in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Mix the meat. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Mix it with your hands until just combined. Don’t overmix or it’ll get dense and rubbery. That’s a mistake I made early on and the texture suffered for it.

4. Assemble the meatloaf. Lay out about two-thirds of the meat mixture on your prepared pan and shape it into a flat rectangle. Spoon the cheeseburger filling down the center, leaving an inch of border around the edges. Place the remaining meat mixture on top and press the edges together firmly to seal everything in. Shape it into a loaf.

5. Glaze it. Mix the ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire together and spread it evenly over the top and sides of the loaf.

6. Bake. Bake uncovered for 65 to 75 minutes until the internal temperature hits 160°F. If the top starts getting too dark before it’s done, loosely tent it with foil.

7. Rest before slicing. This is important. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before you cut into it. I know it’s tempting to slice right away, but the juices need time to redistribute. Cut too early and everything runs out onto the board.

Pro Tips

Chilling the filling before assembling makes it much easier to handle and keeps the cheese from spreading too far too fast. Use a meat thermometer, not the timer, to judge doneness since ovens vary. And if you want cleaner slices, use an electric knife or a very sharp chef’s knife.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving, Approximate)

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	520
Protein	38g
Fat	34g
Saturated Fat	14g
Carbohydrates	14g
Sodium	780mg

You’ll Also Love

• Classic Sunday Pot Roast with Herb Gravy
• Cheesy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
• Sheet Pan Smash Burgers with Special Sauce

Conclusion

This smoked bacon cheeseburger stuffed meatloaf has become one of those recipes I make when I really want to impress someone without spending all day in the kitchen. It looks ambitious, tastes even better than it sounds, and never fails to get people talking at the dinner table. Try it once and it’ll earn a permanent spot in your rotation. Promise.