We are big-time meatloaf fans in our house. No, not Meat Loaf the “I’d Do Anything For Love” singer, though you know I can’t resist belting out that song whenever I hear it on the radio. I’m talking about comforting, home cooked meatloaf that makes the whole house smell fantastic.
When I was a little girl, I would always pack a lunch on days when the school cafeteria would serve meatloaf, but right after I graduated from college I tried it again and discovered meatloaf can be one heck of a delicious meal that’s also very easy to make. Though it’s never the most attractive dish, it is tasty comfort food at its finest!
Meatloaf is a meal I’ll prepare fairly often in our house because it’s simple to throw together and tastes great reheated the next day for a hearty lunch or filling dinner. Just serve it with your favorite sides – mashed potatoes, green beans, a side salad… whatever floats your boat!
This recipe is full of tangy BBQ flavor and I incorporated some chopped veggies into the loaf as well for a nutritional punch. Ryan and I love thick, chopped vegetables in the meatloaf, but you can finely dice the vegetables or even pulse them in a food processor to make them a little less noticeable if that’s more your style. Either way, I think you’ll love this dish!
Easy BBQ Meatloaf
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Easy BBQ Meatloaf
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Category: dinner, recipes
- Cuisine: dinner
Description
This easy BBQ meatloaf recipe is full of tangy BBQ flavor and incorporates chopped veggies into the loaf for a delicious and nutritious punch.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Combine all ingredients except for 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce in a large bowl and thoroughly mix together
- Press the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray and top with remaining 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- Bake in the oven for 40 – 45 minutes, until meatloaf is cooked through
- Allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes, slice and serve with your favorite sides
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Okayyyy so this is going to sound SUPER weird, but trust me when I say it’s amazing! Growing up, my family didn’t eat much meat, so my mom would make “Special K Loaf”….yes, she’d substitute the meat portion with crushed up special k cereal. It is still one of my favorite foods she makes (even though it’s a rarity these days) and now I’m craving it…
really!? I’ve never heard of that!!
Yes – it’s made with cottage cheese in it to!
This sounds intriguing… Would you please post the recipe?
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/q65al0ez/vegetarians-special-k-loaf.html
When I was younger, my Mom once undercooked a meatloaf (completely on accident), and I couldn’t even look at meatloaf until about a year ago when my fiancé coerced me into giving it another shot. I feel like this recipe could win me back over?!
YUMM! Can’t wait to try this…it looks incredibly good! I always love your recipes and know you won’t let us down!
Ohh man too bad we already did our food shopping for the week! I will definitely make sure I have all the ingredients on hand for next week and will be making this!!
I really wish I liked meatloaf, but I think that I had so often growing up that now I really don’t like it! If I did, though, this one looks delish haha 🙂
Sounds yummy! One of the helpful meatloaf related tips I’ve found helpful is to very gently form the loaf, otherwise it can get tough.
This is going to be a really dumb question but do you know if you can make meatloaf with ground turkey and if it will still taste good?
If you use dark turkey or a mix, it turns out great. I think all white neat may be too dry, but you could probably make it work with enough add-ins.
yes, definitely!! and I agree with Catherine — it can be a little dry w/ just turkey so if you are going to use only white meat turkey, you might want to add more BBQ sauce as well.
We don’t eat beef, so I make mine with ground white turkey and it’s fine – my fave recipe to date is one my husband made by accident one time when we didn’t have breadcrumbs or oatmeal and he used some StoveTop Stuffing dry mix in there and it was so flavorful, not that you can “find it” in there … and now we do that 🙂 with green peppers, onions and a bit of bbq sauce or ketchup if he makes it.
My fiance makes a mean turkey meatloaf! He uses ketchup, so maybe that’s what makes it so moist. He made one with beef a few weeks ago & I didn’t like it nearly as much!
I think the name “meatloaf” is unfortunate. I never touched it as a child, it just looked and sounded gross! I was super picky, too. A few years ago, though, I tried it and I have to agree it’s an awesome, easy, comforting meal. We make a turkey loaf with feta and sundried tomatoes (Giada’s recipe), and this BBQ version looks like something my hubby and I would both love.
haha yes — “meatloaf” needs a new name!
My son, when he was a little guy, couldn’t say meat “loaf”. He called it “meat love”, lol. There’s a name for it!
we make that same turkey meatloaf from Giada and it i great! It always taste better the next day, so I usually make it the night before for the next day and instead of parsley I use fresh basil.
I never would have thought of putting veggies in meatloaf. I’ll have to try that the next time I make it.
Have you ever tried freezing/reheating this recipe? I have a 2 week old daughter so I love making a big batch of freezer meals on the weekend.
I haven’t tried freezing it, but we have reheated it numerous times as leftovers the next day and it was great!
I would make it and then freeze it uncooked. Then. Ion it when needed.
My dad always makes more than one loaf when he makes meatloaf! He’ll freeze the rest in different-sized aluminum loaf pans (some that are perfect for 2 people, some for larger groups). He doesn’t cook the ones he freezes, though – just puts them in the freezer to be fully cooked when thawed!
♥meatloaf!
Thank you – it makes sense to freeze uncooked or it would probably really dry out when reheated.
Okay, I’m going to need the recipe for that broccoli slaw too! If it is broccoli slaw, it looks yummy!
It is broccoli slaw!! I just combined broccoli slaw, almonds, dried cranberries, raisins and sunflower seeds and tossed it in a creamy vinaigrette dressing. Super simple!!
Thank you, I was going to post that same question!
My Mom made meatloaf in the microwave growing up! Yuck! I think that contributed to me becoming vegetarian/pescatarian diet. haha!
Yum! Here in Kansas City there isn’t anything we don’t like BBQ sauce on! 🙂
Also, per your recommendation we had Paula Deen’s Not Yo Mama’s Banana Pudding for Easter and super-loved it!
MOM, THE MEATLOAF! Quote from Stepbrothers but maybe your son will be yelling to you some day to hurry up with the yummy meatloaf 🙂
Ha ha that’s one of my favorite “go to” comedies! Love that movie, quote from it ALL the time!
This meatloaf recipe looks really good (my fiance and I are a fan of the Italian one already!), but I was browsing Pinterest and saw you were featured in Bridal Guide! Thought it was fun because you just created a recent post on the topic of weddings and I also loved the idea of getting a shot of my fiance and I holding hands before the ceremony, which I had originally gotten from you!
http://www.bridalguide.com/blogs/bridal-buzz/wedding-first-look
Oohhh, now I’m craving meatloaf! It’s my #1 comfort food. My parent’s recipe uses half ground beef and half ground sausage. To. Die. For. I bet the BBQ sauce is a good addition. May try that next time.
Wow! That looks so yummy!
Is it weird that before I finished the first paragraph of this post I was already jamming out to MeaLoaf (the singer)…? 😉
haha, not weird! Hilarious though!
My husband has been begging me to make meatloaf for him. This sounds like one I could do!
Made your lemon dill salmon tonight for dinner-loved it! Even my two picky boys liked it. Will definitely make again. It’s been a long time since I made a meatloaf, that may have to be next to try. Love that a lot of your recipes end up being gluten free!
I tried to submit a comment earlier, although it has not shown up. I wish I had your blogging style.
Whenever my Mom asks me what we want for a Sunday dinner with the family I ask her for her meatloaf! It is so delicious, she makes it with a tangy tomato relish, baked in and on top – hands down the best meatloaf I have ever had. I need to try this recipe asap – sounds so yummy!
I’m not a big meat eater, so I always surprise people when I say that meatloaf is my favorite meal 😛 hahaha This looks like a good recipe to try out!
I definitely hated meat loaf growing up but now I’m finally coming around to it. I like the idea of putting veggies in with the meat! Maybe I’ll have to try this version 🙂
Last time I made turkey meatloaf, I added tandoori spice to it, and it was a huge hit. Must be something about BBQ flavour that just makes meatloaf better.
I prefer my veggies pretty hidden in my meatloaf. I don’t have anything against them, I just find it doesn’t hold together as well with chunky veggies.
I love meatloaf, but am pretty picky about it. I love mine with brown or white rice in place of the bread or oats. I recently discovered a crock pot recipe that is awesome!
What’s the crockpot recipe? Intrigued by the rice idea.
This recipe makes quite a bit so you will have leftovers and they are just as good! (We’re a family of 4) This is a ketchup base, but I’m sure it would be good with barbeque sauce too. The only vegetable I put in mine is the diced onion, but you could add what you like (sometimes I will add a little grated carrot also)
2 lbs ground beef (I use 1 lb very lean and 1 lb 80% 20%)
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 cup white or brown rice uncooked
1/2 cup diced onion
1 envelope dry Ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup Ketchup
Mix eggs, milk, pepper and rice. Allow to soften about 20 minutes. Combine this mixture with ground beef, onion, ranch packet and ketchup. Mound into a greased crockpot (I just spray with Olive Oil Pam). Cover the mixture with additional ketchup. Put lid on and cook on high for 15 minutes, then reduce to low and continue to cook for 7 hours.
Hope you like it!!!
YUM! Thanks for sharing!!
I’ve never had meatloaf, but this sounds and looks excellent!
Yummy and easy! Sold! 😀
This sounds great, Julie. I’m looking forward to making this next week!
Made this for dinner tonight..hubs and toddler approved! So easy and delicious-thanks :).
Woo! Thanks so much for reporting back!
Wow, I realize I have been reading for over 5 years since I remember this recipe the first time you posted it! Beautiful photos!
This dish is looking delicious. I tried this. Thanks for sharing.
I cooked this last night and it was so good. We didn’t have oats so I used saltine crackers. The BBQ flavor is a nice change.
My go to meatloaf recipe! Sometimes I make them in a muffin tin for individual servings!