A delicious, traditional, home-style Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf is topped with tangy ketchup sauce, a family favorite! This stand-by family dinner is always a quick and easy hit and is made even better with a bacon wrapping! Serve your tasty meatloaf with my creamy red skin mashed potatoes, garlic Parmesan roasted broccoli, bacon beef barbecue baked beans, garlic green beans, or Parmesan roasted yellow squash for a great meal!!
Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Recipe
This delicious meatloaf is a great treat for everyone in the family and a fun way to dish up what can be an otherwise ordinary ground beef meatloaf. The slightly sweet, slightly tangy ketchup glaze adds just that extra special bit of yummy deliciousness to make this meatloaf anything but ordinary!
I have included my favorite method for cooking my meatloaf below, where the meat is placed on a rack to allow all of the grease to drain away from the meat while cooking. It saves the extra step of having to drain off the fat while cooking, especially when you use a fattier hamburger.
I like to use ground chuck for most of my ground beef recipes, which is an 85/15 ratio of meat to fat. Meaning I would end up with a lot of grease if I made this in a loaf pan!!
To Make Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
Preheat your oven to 375 ºF ( 190 ºC ) and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with slices of bacon.
In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef with breadcrumbs, finely minced yellow onion, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Combine just enough to incorporate all of the ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine ketchup, light brown sugar and smoked paprika. Use ⅓ of the ketchup glaze in the bottom of the bacon lined loaf pan.
Transfer the ground beef mixture into the bacon lined loaf pan on top of the ketchup glaze. Fill the loaf pan, then wrap remaining edges of the bacon in over the bottom of the formed loaf.
Using a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, cover the top of the loaf pan and flip to a smooth working surface. Gently lift the loaf pan away from the formed meatloaf.
Transfer the meatloaf ( on the parchment paper or aluminum foil ) onto a wire rack in a baking dish.
Top the meatloaf with the remaining ketchup glaze.
Bake at 375 ºF ( 190 ºC ) for 45 - 55 minutes. Your meatloaf should have an internal temperature ( taken at the center of the meatloaf ) that is a minimum of 160 ºF ( 71 ºC ) as read by a digital meat thermometer. See USDA food safety guidelines for recommended safe internal food temperatures.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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📖 Recipe Card
Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup yellow onion (finely minced)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 12 strips bacon
Ketchup Glaze
- ¾ cups ketchup
- 3 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (190 degrees C) and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with slices of bacon.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef with breadcrumbs, finely minced yellow onion, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Combine just enough to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine ketchup, light brown sugar and smoked paprika. Use ⅓ of the ketchup glaze in the bottom of the bacon lined loaf pan.
- Transfer the ground beef mixture into the bacon lined loaf pan on top of the ketchup glaze. Fill the loaf pan, then wrap remaining edges of the bacon in over the bottom of the formed loaf.
- Using a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, cover the top of the loaf pan and flip to a smooth working surface. Gently lift the loaf pan away from the formed meatloaf.
- Transfer the meatloaf ( on the parchment paper or aluminum foil ) onto a wire rack in a baking dish.
- Top the meatloaf with the remaining ketchup glaze.
- Bake at 375 degrees F ( 190 degrees C ) for 45 – 55 minutes. Your meatloaf should have an internal temperature ( taken at the center of the meatloaf ) that is a minimum of 160 degrees F ( 71 degrees C ) as read by a digital meat thermometer.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- Take the chill off your ground beef (or preferred ground meat) before assembling the meatloaf. Setting your ground beef out for 30 minutes to an hour prior to starting will cut down on the cooking time and ensure that your meatloaf will cook evenly throughout.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Carl says
I added a bit of extra oregano and Parmesan cheese to the meatloaf mix, just amazing!
Helen Lynch says
I made this recipe because I wanted to step up meatloaf for guests. Everyone raved over it. I used bison meat. I did not use Worcestershire Sauce. I followed the recipe for all other ingredients. However, as I looked for meatloaf recipes, I saw Bake it With Love, had a meatloaf seasoning recipe. I adjusted this to the bacon meatloaf recipe as follows: I added 1/4 tsp of the following dried herbs: oregano, thyme, paprika, and basil. Preparation time to longer than stated. Try this recipe, you will not be disappointed.
Ruby says
To speed it up use a grater to shred the onions.
Steve says
Excellent recipe. I tweaked it by using one pound of grass fed ground beef 85/15 and one pound of ground pork. I also use fresh minced garlic and double the amount of Worcestershire sauce . Soooo good. Thanks for the well thought out construction ...work great and looks great.
Anonymous says
Served with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, fantastic dinner recipe.
Isabella Twilight says
I LOVE bacon! I have not tried this yet, but I am sure glad you included photos in order to understand better, especially the bacon wrapping & flipping. 👩🏻🍳👀
Lindie says
I have been making bacon wrapped 2 pound cheesy meatloafs for a few years now and it seems it always takes longer to bake. I’ve followed my grandmas recipe for years but decided tonight just to Google one and opened the first one that came up and it’s yours. So, I did know going in to the oven I’d likely need to bake longer than 55 minutes and that’s ok. Thought I’d just add my experience so people know it can and probably will take longer than 55 minutes. I put cubed velveeta in the middle or babybel’s if I have them. Just gotta be careful when putting cheese inside cause too much can be a thing. LOL! About a decade ago, An old coworker gave me that ingredient to try cause that’s how his wife makes hers and I’ve done it ever since if I have it on hand. But the first time I used way too much.
Mark M. says
This recipe is so easy and so good! It was an instant family favorite. I put the meat loaf in my wood pellet grill/smoker for a little extra flavor. Thanks, Angela!
JG says
Great tasting recipe, once it finally cooked. I followed the recipe exactly but it was at 140 degrees after an hour and a half.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Make sure not to pack the ground beef/meatloaf mixture too firmly. You need to just shape the meatloaf so it bakes correctly. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle says
Beautiful flavours. I cooked for 20mins and then basted again with sauce. I made a larger loaf so put foil over after awhile to prevent the glaze burning. Feed it to 10 men and they loved it.
Suzanne says
i HAVE MADE THE BACON WRAPPED MEATLOAF SEVERAL TIMES AND IT WAS GREAT! i ADDED SOME HOMEMADE PLUM SAUCE TO IT!!
Disappointed says
Meatloaf was at 135 after an hour and a half of cooking. Beware! Not as advertised! Even let the meat sit for over an hour before putting it in the recipe.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Sorry that it took longer than expected. There are so many variables that can affect your cooking time, everything from your oven temperatures (each oven cooks differently) to how well thawed the meat was before starting. The cooking time listed is the average of all the times I've made this tried and true recipe. Hope you enjoyed the flavor!
April Sokolovich says
I am absolutely going to make this meatloaf every time from here on out! This is so delicious! My family loves it. Thank you
Stephanie says
AMAZING!!!!! Seriously THE best meatloaf. I thought I made a good meatloaf. This is incredible as written. Thank you for a new favorite!
bill s. says
made this many times now play with it , using 1 pound of ground beef with any other spiced ground meat i find at store . Italian Sausage ! my favorite .
meg says
Be prepared that this recipe takes MUCH longer than 45-55 minutes. I lost track of time, but it's still going. At an hour, meat temp wasn't even at 100 degrees. At like 1:15, I bumped the temp up to 400 degrees. I fed the vultures the mashed potatoes, broccoli and rolls to tide them over, the husband is getting ready to order pizza, I've cut a piece off and am trying it in the air fryer to see if we can get it done quicker. It smells amazing, but is not a quick cook!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hiya Meg! I was just getting ready to add notes to this recipe to make sure that everyone is letting their ground beef set at room temp for a while (30 minutes to an hour) to help take the chill off. It cuts down on the overall cooking time and helps your meatloaf to cook evenly too.
*Any meatloaf should be cooked for 15-20 per pound at 375 but my 2 lb meatloaf usually takes 45-55 minutes. As always, use a digital meat thermometer to know when your protein is fully cooked.
Tross says
I wonder if thicker bacon makes it take a little longer too..
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
It's possible!
Crystal says
made this meatloaf years ago....exact same recipe. However, the recipe didn't have you remove the meatloaf from the pan. It was a very tasty recipe. More fat to it, but still good.
Arnold says
So juicy, possibly the best meatloaf I have ever had in 53 years!
Beth Wilson says
Love this meatloaf, I have made your recipe as is 4 times now!!! This is always a hit with the fam, thanks!
Kim Kelly says
Honestly the most amazing meatloaf EVER!!!
Josh says
Also having trouble with cook time (elevated on wire rack) the allotted time on the recipe got us to 138F but still looks and smells delicious. Wonderful idea on the bacon wrapping method, so much easier than trying to roll it like a pumpkin roll.
Tricia Wasney says
This was the best meatloaf ever! I left out the sugar as I find ketchup sweet enough but did add a bit of BBQ sauce I had. Thank you! My bacon got nice and crispy in places, it was perfect hot and delicious cold in a sandwich today!
Teresa Dalton says
I have used a similar recipe. Love the way you wrap yours. But I use apple cider viniagar , ketchup and brown sugar for my sauce. It’s delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Anonymous says
The best meatloaf I have ever
had
Anonymous says
Do you cover the top of the meatloaf
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
No covering is needed!
Giovanna says
Great recipe. I would definitely broil the bacon for a few minutes before cooking to crisp it.
Bethany Ann Quinn says
Before wrapping or before removing from oven? I'm worried the bacon will be a little too underdone.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I broil for a few minutes before removing it from the oven if I feel the bacon looks soft rather than crisped.
Denise says
First time making a bacon wrapped meatloaf and it was absolutely delicious! Lip smacking good! Definitely my new meatloaf recipe. I just have one question….my bacon didn’t crisp up. Was it because I used thick cut? Or maybe when wrapping it, it doubled up from the sides being folded in? Both? Would love the help. Thank you!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I use thick-cut bacon too, so that shouldn't be an issue 🙂 And I layer the bacon on top of each other, so sometimes it is doubled up in places. If your top isn't crisping try a few minutes of broiling (but watch it closely so it doesn't burn). Hope that helps and thanks for asking!
Lori says
I really liked the flavor of the meatloaf and will do it again. I like others like my bacon crispier. I saw Bobby Flay brown his bacon after wrapping the meatloaf in a skillet and the bake it. I will do that next time and add mustard to my sauce
Marianne Sellers says
Love the bacon with the meatloaf yummy!
Jackie says
Sounds very similar to my recipe for heart stopping meatloaf. I lattice mine and use maple syrup instead of brown sugar. I also cut up red skin potatoes and surround the meatloaf put a drizzle a little syrup, garlic powder and onion powder on the taters and bake. Soaks up all the flavors from the meatloaf and bacon. Bad for yes, but oh soooo good.
Rhonda Engle says
My family loved it.its my new meatloaf recipe.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
That's wonderful! Thank you so much for stopping in to let us know your family enjoyed it!
Patricia says
I tried this recipe tonight and 2 hours and 10 minutes after putting it in the oven, it still isn't cooked all the way! Im not sure how mine isn't cooking right. I hope it'll still taste good after so long in the oven!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Oh no! Is it on a rack? That helps circulation but shouldn't add to the cooking time THAT much. Let me know how it turns out! Thanks!!
Suzette says
When I made meatloaf the first time, I mistakenly pressed meat meat too tightly when I formed the loaf. Took FOREVER to cook.
Joanna says
This is our new family favorite after years of our Grandma's famous recipe! It came out so delicious and moist! Just amazing!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Thank you! It's a fantastic feeling when you know your meatloaf is a new family favorite 🙂
John says
Turned out awesome only problem wife has made meat loaf for years. I made it the 1st time now it's my job with your recipe.
Brianna says
Great recipe! My only question is when you cook the meatloaf in the oven on the foil and on the flat wire rack, doesn't the grease from everything leak from it into the bottom of the oven?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
The meatloaf is placed onto a parchment paper or aluminum foil sheet that is on the wire rack. The wire rack is set inside a baking dish for cooking the bacon wrapped meatloaf loaf. Hope that clears up any confusion! Enjoy!