Copycat Cracker Barrel Meat Loaf Is the Comfort Food Dinner You'll Crave
Skip the restaurant, and make this copycat meatloaf recipe at home. It's loaded with flavor thanks to sauteed onions, bell peppers, and shredded cheese. A sweet ketchup glaze is the perfect finishing touch. Here's how to make our copycat Cracker Barrel meatloaf recipe. Serve it for dinner tonight with a fresh green salad and rolls.
Tips for Making Copycat Meatloaf
Here are a few of our Test Kitchen's best tips for making this homemade meatloaf.
- For the best texture, finely chop your onions and peppers. This ensures no one bites into a big chunk of onion!
- We used crushed saltines in this recipe, but you could swap in breadcrumbs or another type of crushed cracker.
- You'll need two pounds of 80/20 ground beef. You can substitute leaner ground beef, but the texture will be drier.
- Don't overmix the meatloaf! Use your hands to stir the ingredients together until just incorporated to ensure the finished dish is tender and moist.
- Add the glaze 40 minutes before you're finished cooking, so it has time to caramelize.
- Allow stand for 15 minutes before slicing to ensure clean, even cuts.
Ingredients
Meatloaf
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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1/2 cup finely chopped onion
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1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or green bell pepper
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2 eggs, lightly beaten
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4 ounces, sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
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1/2 cup whole milk
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
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24 rich round crackers (such as Ritz), crushed (1 cup)
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2 pounds 80% lean ground beef
Topper
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3/4 cup ketchup
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2 tablespoons brown sugar
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1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
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1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 3-qt. rectangular baking dish with foil.
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In a medium saucepan heat oil over medium. Add onion and yellow bell pepper. Cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
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In a large bowl combine eggs, cheese, milk, salt, and pepper. Add cooked vegetables and cracker crumbs, stirring until moistened. Add ground beef; using clean hands mix lightly until combined. Lightly pat the mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf in the prepared dish.
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Bake 30 minutes.
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For topper, in a small bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon glaze over meatloaf. Bake 40 to 45 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 160°F. Let stand 15 minutes. Gently remove loaf from baking dish and place on serving platter. Slice and serve.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
515 | Calories |
31g | Fat |
20g | Carbs |
37g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings Per Recipe 8 | |
Calories 515.1 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat 31.2g | 40% |
Saturated Fat 11.8g | 59% |
Cholesterol 163mg | 54% |
Sodium 664.7mg | 29% |
Total Carbohydrate 19.9g | 7% |
Dietary Fiber 0.7g | 3% |
Total Sugars 10.3g | |
Protein 37.5g | 75% |
Vitamin D 0.6mcg | 3% |
Vitamin C 8mg | 9% |
Calcium 183.4mg | 14% |
Iron 4.1mg | 23% |
Potassium 606.9mg | 13% |
Fatty acids, total trans 1.2g | |
Vitamin D 26.1IU | |
Alanine 2.2g | |
Arginine 2.3g | |
Ash 3.5g | |
Aspartic acid 3.3g | |
Caffeine 0mg | |
Carotene, alpha 2.2mcg | |
Choline, total 143.3mg | |
Copper, Cu 0.2mg | |
Cystine 0.4g | |
Energy 2154.8kJ | |
Fluoride, F 3.6mcg | |
Folate, total 39.9mcg | |
Glutamic acid 6.1g | |
Glycine 2.3g | |
Histidine 1.2g | |
Isoleucine 1.7g | |
Leucine 3g | |
Lysine 3g | |
Methionine 0.9g | |
Magnesium, Mg 41.5mg | |
Manganese, Mn 0.2mg | |
Niacin 7.6mg | |
Phosphorus, P 404mg | |
Pantothenic acid 1.3mg | |
Phenylalanine 1.5g | |
Phytosterols 7.1mg | |
Proline 2.2g | |
Retinol 66.6mcg | |
Selenium, Se 34.4mcg | |
Serine 1.6g | |
Starch 6.2g | |
Theobromine 0mg | |
Threonine 1.5g | |
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.4mg | |
Tryptophan 0.2g | |
Tyrosine 1.2g | |
Valine 1.9g | |
Vitamin A, IU 404IU | |
Vitamin A, RAE 75.6mcg | |
Vitamin B-12 3.5mcg | |
Vitamin B-6 0.6mg | |
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 13.6mcg | |
Water 127.3g | |
Zinc, Zn 8.2mg |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.