The Pioneer Woman's Favorite Meatloaf

Meatloaf has been a staple and a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. My Mom's recipe, which is my Grandma's recipe, has always been the best. I started making it for my husband when we got married, and he too became a fan. When I saw the Pioneer Woman's Favorite Meatloaf recipe, I was intrigued by her take on it. She makes it a little differently than I do, using slices of white bread soaked in milk instead of breadcrumbs, for example. But here's the kicker, she wraps the whole loaf in Bacon. That's right. Crazy, huh? Crazy good. She also makes a special sauce for it.

After reading her recipe and looking at her amazing step-by-step photos, I decided I had to try it. It. Was. Good. I mean, bacon usually adds another level of goodness to any dish, but meatloaf? Wow. My photo isn't quite as appealing as hers. Ree makes everyday ingredients and meals looks spectacular. Oh Pioneer Woman, teach me your ways.

The recipe is below. You can also get it from the pro right here. I cut the recipe in half for just the two of us. The only thing Andrew wasn't crazy about was the sauce. He doesn't prefer a sweet sauce with meatloaf, but I liked it. Yum!

Ingredients

• Meatloaf:
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ teaspoons Seasoned Salt
• ¾ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• ⅓ cups Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
• 4 whole Eggs Beaten
• 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
• Sauce:
• 1-½ cup Ketchup
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• Tabasco To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.