Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a meatloaf pan or a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon from the skillet to a paper lined plate to drain. When the bacon is cool, crumble it and set it aside.

Remove all but 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the pan. Sauté the diced onion in the bacon drippings over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until well mixed. Stir in the breadcrumbs, cheese, sautéed onion, the crumbled bacon pieces, half of the barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the meat and using your hands, gently mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Press the meatloaf mixture into the prepared meatloaf pan or shape the mixture into a loaf and place it in the prepared baking dish. When using a baking dish, I pack the meatloaf mixture into an 8×4-inch loaf pan then invert the pan onto the baking dish and with a plastic spatula, ease the formed meatloaf out of the loaf pan. That’s an easy way to get a perfectly shaped meatloaf. Spread the remaining half of the barbecue sauce over the top of the loaf.

Bake at 350 F for 60-75 minutes, or until the meatloaf registers 160 F in the center. Remove from oven. Let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Recipe slightly adapted from cd kitchen.