This Cheeseburger Meatloaf recipe is such a yummy, easy-to-make comfort meal!
Why You’ll Love Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Meatloaf is one of those comfort foods that everyone looks forward to eating. And this recipe makes meatloaf even better — who doesn’t love the idea of pairing classic meatloaf with cheese!?! Delicious!
It’s also a great make-ahead meal that’s easy to throw in the oven on a busy weeknight or dress up a little for weekend dinner guests.
Cheese Meatloaf Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp. minced onion
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
How to Make Cheeseburger Meatloaf
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except BBQ sauce. Stir just until blended.
3. Shape the mixture into a loaf, and place it in an ungreased 8×4-inch loaf pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
5. Pour BBQ sauce over the meatloaf, and bake another 15-30 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink in center.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes.
7. Drain grease off meat and cut into 8 slices.
Tips for this Meatloaf Recipe with Cheese
With a few simple tips, you can enjoy this meatloaf any time of year and can eat it immediately or freeze your cheese meatloaf for later!
How to Make Cheeseburger Meatloaf Ahead of Time
If you use ground beef that has not yet been frozen, you can freeze this uncooked. When you’re ready to eat, thaw, and follow the instructions above for cooking.
If your ground beef has already been frozen, bake the meatloaf without sauce on top, then freeze. When you’re ready to eat, thaw the meatloaf. Pour sauce on top and heat in oven until hot.
Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe Variations & Substitutions
For a different taste, use half ground ham or ground turkey.
You can also mix up the seasonings you add to the meat mixtures — as well as the sauces you pour over the top. Try Chili sauce, Ketchup, or even salsa.
And you can use a variety of cheeses too.
How to Serve Cheeseburger Meatloaf
One of my favorite things about meatloaf is how versatile it is. You can really change the feel of the meal based on what you serve it with.
Go with mashed potatoes and veggies or coleslaw for a more classic meal, or serve it sliced on toasted homemade bread for a delicious meatloaf sandwich.
Serve it with baked beans, a salad, and potato chips for a summery meal, or go with scalloped potatoes and roasted veggies for winter comfort food.
How to Store Cheese Meatloaf
Refrigerate or freeze leftover slices and enjoy for lunches throughout the week.
Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe FAQs
Use beef with a slightly higher fat content (around 15%) to keep your finished meatloaf moist. Also, if your recipe calls for breadcrumbs, use fresh ones as stale breadcrumbs can absorb a lot of moisture. Even better, use oats like in this recipe!
The egg is key in keeping your meatloaf together. The oats will also help!
I prefer a loaf pan, but if you like your meatloaf to have a caramelized “crust” it’s a good idea to use a larger 9 x 13 pan so the grease drains away from the meatloaf. If you are planning to use a loaf pan, glass or ceramic are best.
You can use oatmeal (like this recipe calls for). That’s a great gluten-free option. You can also used cooked rice, crushed cracker crumbs, crushed pretzels, or even crushed cornflakes.
One reason meatloaf might burn is if you’re using a sauce with a lot of sugar content. If so, add your sauce in during the last half of the cooking time (like we suggest in the recipe above). Also, make sure you’re using a quality pan (glass or ceramic are best!) and keep your meatloaf on the middle rack of the oven.
Cheese Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp. minced onion
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except BBQ sauce. Stir just until blended.
- Shape the mixture into a loaf, and place it in an ungreased 8×4-inch loaf pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Pour BBQ sauce over the meatloaf, and bake another 15-30 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink in center.
- Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Drain grease off meat and cut into 8 slices.
Notes
Nutrition
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More Easy, Family-Friendly Recipes You’ll Love:
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- Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
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I made this & my husband said it was the best meatloaf he ever had! I doubled the recipe & froze the leftovers in slices.
We loved it! I doubled it, and instead of chili or BBQ sauce, I made my own: about a cup and a half of ketchup, around 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of liquid smoke, and a teaspoon of garlic powder. I didn’t measure, just mixed until I thought I had enough. Even the almost 3 year old scarfed hers down!
My 10 year old son and I made the Cheeseburger Meatloaf for dinner last night and it was a big hit! The flavor was great and he had alot of fun mixing it up. We had just enough left over for a meatloaf sandwich today. I will definately try to make some for the freezer.
I do a meatloaf with local beef, lots of whole wheat bread, pureed zucchini, eggs and Cheez-Its.
Made it last night and everyone gobbled it up! I also do the cupcake style meatballs because half of the family doesn’t like sauce on top (hard to believe – that’s my favorite part!!). I think I might sprinkle extra cheese on top of those for extra moisture. And what a great idea to freeze them so you can pull them out last minute! THANK YOU!!
Cooked the meatloaf tonight and it was a hit with the family. Thanks!!!!
We had meatloaf on the menu for last night anyway, but I decided to try this one since I am not a fan of the recipe I had used before. I thought I hated meatloaf, but I loved this! It was very flavorful and super moist. We left off the sauce on top (didn’t use any kind) and I thought it was just fine without. Thanks so much for sharing!
I am already a subscriber, but I would be thrilled to win one of Erin’s cookbooks. Thanks so much for your great blog!
Thanks for your great recipe for butterhorn rolls. I’m anxious to give it a try. I also would love to win one of Erin’s cookbooks. Thank you!
Ooo…meatloaf is on the menu for next week; I’ll have to try this one (especially since I already have the ingredients!). Thanks for sharing.
On your cheeseburger meatloaf recipe, one of the ingredients states “1/2 dry mustard”. Is that 1/2 tsp? Dry mustard is ground mustard, right?
A solution to your not enough bowls problem…I prefer to mix my meatloaf in a storage size ziploc bag- it works perfectly, i just add all my ingredients and then squish it until it is well mixed up and then it goes into the pan- works great everytime!
Like another commenter, I don’t usually like meatloaf, so I’m constantly trying new recipes. I was just about to do another search, when this post popped up in my reader! The ground beef was thawed, so my boys helped me mix it up and it’s sitting in the fridge until closer to dinner time when I’ll cook it. Cant’ wait to try it later today!
your food looks so yummy!
I am adding this to my menu for next month’s freezer cooking day. My husband loves meatloaf, and I detest it, but this looks good. Can’t wait to try it!
I was wondering if you were going to share this recipe. My family loves cheeseburger so the idea of cheeseburger meatloaf is intriguing. Plus I think that this might be harder for them to comandeer like they do chili before it makes it into the freezer. Now that my oldest is a teen I’d swear I gave birth to a locust rather than a child. Between him, his father and the twelve year old you’d swear I was starving them.
Christine
I’m a little slow….and a newbie at this, do you freeze them right in the pan? Thanks so much!
@Julie Stewart, I do, though you could also dump it out of the pan and freeze in foil or a plastic bag.
Looks good! We will have to try this one.
Actually you can thaw and then refreeze raw meat. As long as you thaw it in the fridge. Laura @ heavenlyhomemakers.com did a post about it. Complete with links to the info.
@Marla, Yes, I’ve heard you can. I just prefer not to freeze raw meat twice just to be safe.
Looks great – good comfort food for this time of year. I’m going to try this – thanks!
Oh, I will have to try this recipe! I like the cupcake-sized meatloaves, Jess. It will be nice to have a yummy meatloaf to pull out of the freezer on those crazy days when it doesn’t seem like dinner will come together. Thanks!
Would this recipe work well with ground chicken rather than beef?
@Jennifer M., I think it would–provided your family likes the taste and texture of ground chicken.
@Crystal,
We love it. I’m gonna try this recipe. I have 6 pounds of ground chicken I picked up for $0.99/lb just yesterday!
We make something very similar but make it into mini meatloaves. I shape them into cupcake size meatballs and bake them in a muffin pan. I freeze them uncooked (without the sauce as you mentioned). Thaw, put the sauce on top, and bake. It’s one of the most efficient, kid-pleasing meals in my recipe box.
I was just thinking about what to make for dinner and now I know! This looks soooo yummy! And I really dislike meatloaf!! I have been FOREVER searching for a meatloaf I like and have only found one I kind of like. Hopefully this will be IT and my search will be over! 🙂 Thanks for posting!
This recipe looks fantastic. Thank you for sharing!
I curious to know about the “no re-freezing” thing. Why can you not refreeze meat after mixing into meatloaf, before cooking?
@Jill, Loses quality.
I love meatloaf! Thanks for sharing the tip on mixing it uncooked then putting it in the freezer. I love that idea for when I buy large amount of meat, and had plan on putting it in the freezer for later. By mixing it before, it will save me time for a later meal!
That looks so yummy! We are definately going to have to try it!
I have another tip for cooked meatloaf. Let it cool completely in the refrigerator after baking and slice (easier to slice and cleaner slices when cold), then freeze. You can either re-heat the entire meatloaf for a meal or pull out slices for sandwiches and such.
@Julie, What a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
@Crystal, How would you recommend reheating it without it drying out from a second time in the oven?
Thanks for the recipe. It sounds yummy.
You amaze me! You are going to cook 25 meals, with 3 small children around AND you’re going to blog the whole thing! You need a medal! Or at least a cookie! 🙂
Thanks! That sounds so yummy and flavorful (my husband has a problem with other meatloaves I’ve made not having enough flavor) 🙂 Men!? 🙂
Is it just me, or are the directions out of order???? I am a little confused!
@Rachel, It’s fixed now! Thanks.
I would love this cookbook, and would just like to say thanks for all of the great ideas!!!
Thank you for the recipes you include on your site!