Bacon-Wrapped Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Note: Original was "Easy Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf" by Catalina Castravet from https://sweetandsavorymeals.com/best-bacon-wrapped-meatloaf/

Adapted by Debra Steppel in February 2020. Makes 2 loaves, each with 1.5 lbs. of ground meat. Each loaf serves 4-6 (one to eat, one to freeze).

Prep time: 20-30 min. Cook time: 75 min. Rest time 5-10 min. Total time: ~2 hours .

Ingredients

3 lbs lean ground beef, ground turkey, or a combination of both

3 eggs (beaten lightly with a fork)

1/3 cup dried minced onion

2+ Tbsps minced fresh garlic

2/3 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs

2/3 cup oatmeal

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

~2 cups (8 oz) shredded (OR 8 oz block) cheddar cheese, split lengthwise

3/4 lb. (12 slices) low-salt bacon (at room temperature), slices cut in half

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cover a double broiler pan with nonstick foil, poking through the foil with a butter knife so the fat will drip through. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine ground meat, egg, onion, garlic, both bread crumbs, oatmeal, dried parsley, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well with your hands (OK to wear gloves).

4. Shape about half the meat mixture onto the foil-lined pan into 2 rectangular troughs. Place the cheese inside each trough and cover with the rest of the meat, sealing the cheese inside (on all 6 sides) and shaping into 2 rectangular loaf shapes.

5. Cut (with cooking shears) the bacon strips to fit slightly larger than the distance around the horizontal (short) direction of each loaf. Lay the bacon strips, each one next to the other, around and over the 5 exposed sides of the meatloaves to cover the meat completely, pressing gently but firmly. Tuck bacon ends gently under the edges.

6. Transfer pan of meatloaves to the oven and bake for about 75 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the inside temperature is 160F degrees. Rotate the pan halfway through to cook evenly. OK to crisp up the bacon by switching to Broil for about 5 minutes toward the end of the baking time.

7. Once the meatloaf is done cooking, let it cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.