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  4. 11 Must-Try Meatloaf Recipes

11 Must-Try Meatloaf Recipes

Southern Living May 2021 Cover
By Southern Living Editors Updated September 01, 2021
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Slow Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf
Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio

If you're searching for meatloaf recipes, you must already love them. And why not? Far beyond the bland, tomato paste-covered cafeteria fare of grade school days, a juicy and savory meatloaf is comfort food at its best. This meatloaf recipe collection will inspire you to step out of the box and try different ingredients to take the classic weeknight meal to another level. Our Turkey Meatloaf uses lean ground turkey and turkey sausage for a healthier spin on the classic, while our Slow Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf is dressy enough for guests. For a perfectly portioned family dinner, try our Muffin Tin Meatloaves. If you are looking for the classic meatloaf complete with ketchup topping, you will want to try the top-rated Old Fashioned Meatloaf.

Few foods are as simultaneously loved and derided as the humble meatloaf. If your family groans when meatloaf night comes around, they might just be clamoring for a new version. These recipes will mix it up while still delivering the dish's original promise: a hot dinner followed by opportunities for really yummy leftover sandwiches.

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Southwestern Meatloaf

Southwestern Meatloaf Recipe
Credit: Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Southwestern Meatloaf

This meatloaf begins southwestern-style by using crushed whole grain tortilla chips instead of plain breadcrumbs to for extra taste, and to help it hold its shape as it bakes. We love chipotle salsa for its medium heat and smoky notes, but any salsa and heat level will give the meatloaf fantastic south-of-the-border flavor. The best part is that some of this salsa is mixed in, while the rest is saved so you can bake it on top. 

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Pepper Relish Mini Meatloaves

Pepper Relish Mini Meatloaves
Credit: Photo: Melina Hammer

Recipe: Pepper Relish Mini Meatloaves

Hot pepper relish is a Southern delicacy, and it is also a great way to bring a little heat and add a little glaze to a hot-and-fresh meatloaf. This recipe turns the typical meatloaf into eight bite-size delights, making them in a mini-loaf pan. This gives every loaf a great crust, and a juicy, tender center. We amp up the heat just a little more with some spicy-hot vegetable juice, but it is tempered by the sweet taste of fresh basil sprinkled on top. If you'd prefer, you can simply spoon on a little more hot relish—if you relish the idea.

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Bev's Famous Meatloaf

Bev's Famous Meatloaf
Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Bev's Famous Meatloaf

You'll understand why this recipe is called Bev's Famous Meatloaf from the moment you have your first bite. This home-style meatloaf recipe is a delicious combination of two meats, featuring both ground beef and ground pork sausage. It is also filled with green bell pepper and onion, and has a sweet tomato topping. You'll be surprised to leave the breadcrumbs on the shelf, because this tasty treat uses crushed saltine crackers as part of its mouthwatering mix. Bev's Famous Meatloaf is a study in savory simplicity. Serve this with mashed potatoes and green peas to round out a classic meal.

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Old-fashioned Meatloaf

Ground Beef Recipes: Old-fashioned Meatloaf
Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Old-fashioned Meatloaf

This may be old-fashioned in name, but there is nothing old-fashioned about the fantastic flavor of this classic meatloaf recipe. It begins with two pounds of lean ground beef, and just gets better from there. Then, this Southern meatloaf recipe adds in Creole and Greek seasonings, just a hint of garlic, and some rich tomato paste. A few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce spice up the traditional ketchup topping. The most old-fashioned thing about this meatloaf is letting it stand for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven—we know you'd prefer to simply dig in.

Watch: How To Make Old-fahsioned Meatloaf

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Slow Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf

Slow Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf
Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio

Recipe: Slow Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf

We gussied-up the flavor but made the method even easier with this slow-cooker meatloaf recipe.

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Sheet Pan Meatloaf

Sheet Pan Meatloaf
Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Recipe: Sheet Pan Meatloaf

Our Test Kitchen called this new dinner classic "a home run of a recipe," and we have a feeling you'll agree.

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Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey Meatloaf
Credit: Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Turkey Meatloaf

Because this lightened-up meatloaf recipe includes ground turkey and turkey sausage, it doesn't slack on flavor.

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Instant Pot Meatloaf

Instant Pot Meatloaf Image
Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Instant Pot Meatloaf

We love finding out old classics that we can rethink with the use of new kitchen tools like the Instant Pot, and this recipe was a hit with Southern Living Test Kitchen pro Ivy Odom and her mama, who tried it out for us.

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Muffin Tin Meatloaf

Muffin Tin Meatloaf
Credit: Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Prissy Lee

Recipe: Muffin Tin Meatloaf

Instead of slicing meatloaf and having the kids fight over who got the bigger piece, serve pre-portioned muffin tin meatloaves for an easy, adorable supper.

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Meatloaf Casserole

Meatloaf Casserole
Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Meatloaf Casserole

We reimagined Shepherd's Pie with a Southern twist: Meatloaf Casserole. This is just the cozy dinner your family needs on cold winter nights.

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Easy Boarding House Meatloaf

Boarding House Meatloaf
Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Easy Boarding House Meatloaf

This meatloaf recipe stands above others for one reason—the sauce! It leaves behind plain ketchup for a dressed-up version that adds so much flavor.

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    1 of 11 Southwestern Meatloaf
    2 of 11 Pepper Relish Mini Meatloaves
    3 of 11 Bev's Famous Meatloaf
    4 of 11 Old-fashioned Meatloaf
    5 of 11 Slow Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf
    6 of 11 Sheet Pan Meatloaf
    7 of 11 Turkey Meatloaf
    8 of 11 Instant Pot Meatloaf
    9 of 11 Muffin Tin Meatloaf
    10 of 11 Meatloaf Casserole
    11 of 11 Easy Boarding House Meatloaf

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