A hearty meatloaf mixed with shredded carrots, onions, garlic cloves and cheddar cheese is baked and wrapped in strips of bacon. I just flipped the script on dinner, boo.

   

 Sometimes, I’d rather be in a battlefield situation than cook dinner. I’m serious. Blame it on those people I call husband and kids. I mean, my crew isn’t exactly picky… Oh, pfft – Who the hell am I kidding – They’re totally picky.

Do you know what it’s like to cook for a family where each kid likes a certain type of pasta?! One will not eat spaghetti because of its texture, yet will TOTALLY eat penne. And the kid who likes spaghetti DETESTS penne? It’s PASTA!!

“I AM NOT MAKING TWO TYPES OF PASTA!! SUCK IT UP!”  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve screamed that.

Oh, and then there’s the husband who hints at a ‘nother meal ‘cause he’s “eating healthy”. I’m shouting his ass out – Sometimes he’ll eat half a pound cake following the super healthy meal he’s hinting at.

Sometimes I want to pack my bags and run away. I won’t. I’ll end up coming back like those little kids in sitcoms who don’t run away because they can’t cross the street.

But I want to.

I put my foot down. The new rule is you’re going to eat what I cook, and the supermarket circular (meaning whatever the f*** is on sale) will determine what we eat.

You don’t like it?

Here’s a box of Raisin Bran and some prune juice.

So with that mindset I strolled down the meat aisle in the supermarket and thought, we should have meatloaf this week. I make meatloaf about once a month and it’s well received, but my meatloaves (is that a word?) of days past came from the Lipton Soup Onion Mix.

I ain’t ashamed to say it.

That is until Fine Cooking came along with their Man-loaf – A cheddar meatloaf wrapped in… BACON.

Let that sink in a little bit.

A LOAF OF MEAT.

WRAPPED IN BACON.

You don’t have to tell me twice.

I deviated from the recipe a bit, mixing everything together and dumping it in a loaf pan. I like things easy. Then I wrapped that situation in bacon and popped it in the oven.  The step I DIDN’T miss was soaking bread in milk and incorporating it into the meatloaf. Don’t miss that step, as it makes the meatloaf hella moist.

It’s the only meatloaf I make when meatloaf night rolls around.  And do I REALLY need to tell you what this tastes like? IT’S A LOAF OF MEAT WRAPPED IN BACON !!!!!

Meaty, cheesy, moist – AND hella smoky from the bacon. This meatloaf is like the gift that keeps on giving.

For real, real.

Who would have thought, right?

Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Meatloaf

Inspired by the Fine Cooking e-Letter: Meatloaf Mania – Never Make the Same Recipe Twice!

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

Either line a 9×13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, or set 9×5 loaf pan aside. I used a loaf pan with a cookie sheet underneath to catch the drippings.

In a shallow dish, soak the bread in the milk until soggy, about 4-5 minutes, depending on how course the bread is. The bread should be soggy, but not falling apart. Lightly squeeze the bread, transfer to a cutting board and finely chop. Transfer cut pieces to a bowl and set aside while you prepare the meatloaf mixture.

In a medium bowl add beef, diced onions, chopped garlic, grated carrots, cheese and mushrooms, if using. Add the sofrito, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and eggs. Add the soaked bread mixture and mix together gently with either a wooden spoon or your hands gently until combined. Be sure not to compact too much as you mix.

Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the baking pan and form into a 10×4-inch rectangular block. If it doesn’t look “loafy”, don’t worry – It will as its baking. If using a loaf pan, just dump the mixture in the pan and smooth with either a knife or a small offset spatula.

Now here comes the best part: Drape the meatloaf with overlapping strips of yummy bacon – YAY!

1.  If using the 9×13 inch pan: Drape the meatloaf with bacon and tuck the ends under the loaf. Take the sides of the aluminum foil and wrap the loaf loosely.
2. If transferring meatloaf mixture to loaf pan: Drape the meatloaf with bacon and the ends in the side of the pan. Cover the loaf pan loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the center, about 45-50 minutes. Broil the meatloaf using the broiler portion of your oven until the bacon has crisped, no longer than 3 minutes.

Allow to rest for about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, or large platter and cut into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, or whatever your little heart desires!

Meal type: dinner

My rating: 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 1 review(s)