Enjoy the taste of restaurant homestyle cooking, at your home, with this mouth watering Cracker Barrel Copycat Meatloaf recipe.
What is Cracker Barrel?
Cracker Barrel is a restaurant known for their homestyle cooking which includes many side dish options and large portions. Cracker Barrel restaurants started out primarily based down south, however they have spanned out to various locations across the United States. One of their most popular dishes is the Cracker Barrel Meatloaf.
What is Meatloaf?
Meatloaf is a dish that consists primarily of ground beef, bread crumbs or crackers, egg and other ingredients such as diced onions. The meat mixture is formed into a loaf (usually in a loaf pan) and baked then sliced. This is just a very basic description of meatloaf, as there are so many variations out there. For example- did you know that using ketchup on top of the meat mixture is not traditional? Typically, tomato sauce would be used.
What Ingredients are in Cracker Barrel Copycat Meatloaf?
As mentioned above, normal meatloaf ingredients are ground beef (sometimes a mixture of half ground pork), seasonings, egg and bread crumbs to hold it together. The Cracker Barrel Meatloaf copycat recipe uses Ritz style butter crackers instead of bread crumbs and adds diced green peppers.
How To Make This Meatloaf Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan with a sling made of aluminum foil. Spritz with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small skillet or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.
- In a large stand mixer bowl, add the ground beef, crushed crackers, eggs, cheddar cheese, milk, salt, pepper, onions, and bell peppers. Beat just until mixed.
- Press into the prepared loaf pan. Cook for 30 minutes in the oven.
- Meanwhile, mix together the glaze ingredients.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven and cover with the glaze. Return the meatloaf to the oven and continue baking for an additional 35 to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes in the loaf pan before lifting from the loaf pan and slicing.
How To Store and Use Leftover Meatloaf
To store this meatloaf, we suggest leaving the remaining loaf as is. Do not slice it. This will help retain moisture and keep it from drying out. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in an container with air tight lid. To reheat- simply slice then Microwave on high for 2 minutes OR
- Air Fry for 5 minutes on 300
- Fry slices in a skillet over medium heat
- Bake the full remaining loaf in the oven for 20 minutes on 350.
Perfect Side Dishes for Cracker Barrel Copycat Meatloaf
- Super tender and delicious Air Fryer Broccoli
- Roasted in the most amazing bacon butter Cauliflower and Brussels
- KCF copycat Cole Slaw
- Garlic Ranch Roasted Turnips (or use potatoes)
Cracker Barrel Copycat Meatloaf Recipe
Enjoy the taste of restaurant homestyle cooking, at your home, with this mouth watering Cracker Barrel Copycat Meatloaf recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 small bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 ½ sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- For the glaze:
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan with a sling made of aluminum foil. Spritz with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small skillet or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.
- In a large stand mixer bowl, add the ground beef, crushed crackers, eggs, cheddar cheese, milk, salt, pepper, onions, and bell peppers. Beat just until mixed.
- Press into the prepared loaf pan. Cook for 30 minutes in the oven.
- Meanwhile, mix together the glaze ingredients.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven and cover with the glaze. Return the meatloaf to the oven and continue baking for an additional 35 to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes in the loaf pan before lifting from the loaf pan and slicing.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes or choose from one of ours lsited above in the post.
Notes
See paragraph in the recipe post for instructions on how to store and reheat your Cracker Barrel Copycat Meatloaf. It is perfect for sandwiches! Simply slice, reheat (or eat cold as the older generations did) and place on your favorite bread, traditionally white bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 395Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 38g
Nutrition facts are auto- populated by the app for this recipe card, numbers may vary. For best results, input your exact brand ingredients into a recipe analyzer like Verywell or MyFitnessPal.
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Owner & Lead Recipe Developer for It's Simple! since 2015, where you will find our best Family Favorites & Keto Low Carb Dishes with Helpful Cooking Tips & Hints in each post. Many Thanks for Stopping By, Enjoy!