Meatloaf reminds me of three things.
One: Feeling like all is right in the world when I eat my mom’s homemade meatloaf. It is simple and glorious and has the most perfect hint of sweet to it.
Two: The one time I ordered it at a chain restaurant that shall remain nameless and was sick for a good week.
Three: The scene in A Christmas Story when Randy says something along the lines of “mealoaf, beatloaf, I hate meatloaf”. Which my sister and I say to each other whenever meatloaf is mentioned.
Except I don’t hate meatloaf at all. I think, if done right, it can actually be delicious and doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. But now that I think of it, maybe it’s the name “meatloaf” that’s a turn-off to some. I mean, it’s not the most attractive sounding dish. Who wants to eat a loaf of meat? I think maybe we should just work on renaming it 
Moving along.
As I was perusing The Pioneer Woman the other day I saw a post titled “My Favorite Meatloaf“. I was instantly intrigued and wondered why it was her favorite. As I scrolled down the page I saw bacon draped atop the meatloaf. And then everything made sense. And I smiled. I obviously decided it was necessary to immediately create this loaf o’ meat and invited my brother and my friend Melis over to indulge along with me.
Here’s what you need (Don’t judge):
For the meatloaf:
• 1 cup whole milk
• 6 slices white bread
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup minced parsley
• 4 whole eggs, beaten
• 10 slices thin/regular bacon. Since I’m in the bacon of the month club “regular” bacon no long exists in my house. I used tabasco/brown sugar cured bacon from Big Bad Breakfast in Mississippi. They’re slogan is Lard Have Mercy. That is all that has to be said about that. They’re an automatic favorite.
For the sauce:
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• tabasco sauce to taste
Here’s what you do:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour milk over the bread slices and allow it to soak for a handful of minutes.
• Combine the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the beated eggs.
• Wash your hands. Hey, when The Pioneer Woman tells you to do something, you just do it and relay the message 
• Form the well-combined mixture into a loaf on a broiler pan since it allows the fat to drain a bit.
• Neatly arrange the slices of bacon over the top, making sure to tuck the pieces under the meatloaf. The slices of bacon I used were insanely long, so I snipped the excess off and arranged it over the ends of the meatloaf.
• Now you’re ready to make your sauce. Add ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and tabasco sauce in a mixing bowl and stir.
• Pour and spread about 1/3 of the sauce over the meatloaf.
• Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges are nice and browned, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce on top of the meatloaf, and bake for an additional 45 minutes.
As I was slicing in preparation to serve it, I realized I may have just created the world’s largest meatloaf. Massive in size but with lots of leftovers. In fact, I gave Melis half of it to take home. Meatloaf sandwiches for all! The meatloaf overall was really delicious. I think it’s a great “working” meatloaf and can easily be adapted to most anyone’s liking. Anything from adding a little minced garlic to mixing in some chopped bacon as well. I might even add some brown sugar into the actual ground beef next time because I missed the sweetness that my mom’s meatloaf is known for.
I served The Pioneer Woman’s Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes on the side, too. Except I subtracted the bacon, cream cheese, and French fried onions her recipe calls for and used plain Greek yogurt instead. As delicious as all of that sounded I figured since I had just wrapped a loaf of meat in bacon I should at least pretend to be healthy with the potatoes
What is your take on meatloaf? Love, hate, or think it just needs a new name?
[Chels]
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ummmm this vb looks amazing!
Meatloaf is probably my favorite thing my mom makes. It’s just total comfort food.
I have been wanting to try PW’s recipe, but it’s hard to veer from my mom’s tried and true recipe. Did you like this better than your mom’s?
mmmm can i try this with chicken or lamb meat,,,,loaf looks yum
It’s never been my favorite but you made a great case for it!
I’m right there with you- LOVE meatloaf. Ree’s looks delish!
i also love meatloaf, although i usually go with a super healthy version and this one looks amazing wrapped up in bacon!
My husband LOVES meatloaf. Turkey meatloaf, beef meatloaf….I even plan to try making a lentil loaf soon too (so I can partake!). I bet with the bacon add in – its just fabulous. Ree is amazing
Whoa. WHOA. Bacon wrapped meatloaf? Meatloaf is delicious and bacon is obviously delicious so…
My stepdad makes a mean meat loaf- lay out the ground beef mixture flat then add a layer of thinly sliced smoked ham and sliced swiss cheese. Roll it up like a jellyroll and bake.
This meatloaf looks fabulous! I personally love meatloaf and if you’re looking to order it when you go out, I’d say to try Pop’s in the South End!
Oh my gracious, that looks so good! I love meatloaf. I grew up eating my mom’s healthified turkey meatloaf with sundried tomatoes, which is delicious. However, sometimes you just want the old school, bacon-covered goodness.
I may need to make this some time soon.
Laura
I actually really like meatloaf (and it reminds me of that scene in Wedding Crashers when Will Ferrell screams, “Ma!! Meatloaf!!”). Anything draped in bacon is bound to be good too, so I can definitely understand why this is Pioneer Woman’s favorite – and will probably be mine too
Wow, an awesome meatloaf! Love the bacon around it!
My husband tagged this to make the other day! it was on my Menu Monday list yesterday – can’t wait to try it!
I gotta admit, i am not a fan of meatloaf with ketchup (i am still working on my issues with the stuff) but with bacon? i might forgive ketchup for all its wrong doings in my life.
I love Ree! Her meals look so delicious and I have tried a few myself.. her mac and cheese is my new favorite. I am not a fan of ketchup on meatloaf, but I bet my hubby would love it! Thanks Chels
i love meatloaf. but i don’t like it in the loaf form so i usually make it in muffin tins. i also think it needs a new name…
Anything wrapped in bacon is a.okay in my book! I like meatloaf, but like you I had a bad experience and have been slowly re-introducing the homey dish to my palate. This looks great and if its by Ree then it has to be good!
I love meatloaf and don’t care who knows it! This looks fantastic. I love the “lard have mercy.” Hysterical!
i was definitely not a meat fan when i was younger. i’ve been meaning to try it now, but haven’t gotten around to it yet!
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes is the BEST comfort food!
Hmmm. I’ve made meatloaf before and liked it fine, but I never had it growing up so there’s no magical nostalgia for me in eating it. I might try making it again sometime, but I’d rather just use the sauce recipe from here and make it without the bread, hamburger- or sloppy joe-style. Ree is fantastic though, and Karen gave a ringing endorsement on her blog too, so perhaps I’ll give it a try!
not that it doesn’t look delicious – hey, wrap my leg in bacon and i’ll chew on it – but can someone explain to me what the enduring fascination is with Pioneer Woman? She’s everywhere and gets about a million comments per post, but if you had called this your meatloaf instead of hers I would have thought it was just as delicious-looking. I don’t get it.
Chels, I just made this tonight for a family dinner (6 of us) and it was a HUGE hit!! Thanks for passing this along =)
I absolutely love meatloaf. And wrapped up in bacon? can’t go wrong!