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Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf

October 9, 2023

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This cheese-stuffed meatloaf recipe takes the comfort food classic and gives it new life with a gooey, cheesy center!

O.K, I have a confession to make. I seriously love meatloaf. It may be a little old fashioned, but it’s kind of also the ultimate comfort food.

I came up with what I think is the perfect Classic Meatloaf recipe (lots of helpful tips there too), and even have a Meatloaf Series over on TheCookful. But I wanted to try something new and what I came up with is… Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf with gooey mozzarella cheese for a dish the whole family will love.

Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.

Jump To:
  1. Ingredients
  2. How To Fill Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf
  3. Baking Stuffed Meatloaf
  4. More Cheesy Recipes To Enjoy
  5. Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf Recipe
Meatloaf on a white plate with cheese oozing out of the middle.

Ingredients

For this stuffed meatloaf recipe, we’re going to be using lean ground beef. We’re also going to sauté onion and add that to the beef along with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder for flavor. 

To help hold the loaf together, we also use breadcrumbs and an egg. These ingredients all get mixed together, but you don’t want to overwork them and make the beef tough.

And of course, you have to have cheese for this stuffed meatloaf! I used cubed mozzarella cheese for inside the meatloaf, but then I went ahead and added some tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella to top the loaf with towards the end of the bake time. 

If you’re not a fan of mozzarella, you can choose another cheese, you just want to make sure it’s one that melts well and you may want to adjust the seasonings to pair with your preferred cheese. For example, Cheddar cheese would work but maybe you would want to use ketchup or BBQ sauce on top instead of the tomato sauce. Provolone and gouda are other good melty options.

How To Fill Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf

The instructions for making the meat mixture is in the recipe card below, but I wanted to take you step-by-step for the cheese filling.

Transfer your meat mixture to a foil-lined baking sheet. Shape into a 10×5 inch loaf and then I make a trench in the center. Go far down but leave a good inch of meat at the bottom. (Note, I doubled the recipe here and made two loaves, which is why you see two loaves in the pictures.) I prefer this method over using a loaf pan, because I think it’s much easier to slice and serve this way.

Meatloaf mixture shaped into loaves with a trench in the middle.

Add your cheese. I used cubed cheese because I thought shredded might melt too quickly and escape. It worked really well and there was very little leakage. However, I haven’t done a test with shredded cheese to see if it would be worse. I figured, it worked with the cubes, why risk it? Here you have 4 ounces of 1/2 inch cheese cubes (about 20 cubes).

Unccoked meatloaf with cubed cheese in trench in middle.

Smooth the meat up, around and over the cheese.

Bring up meat mixture to cover cheese.

Baking Stuffed Meatloaf

Bake the meatloaf in the oven at 350°F for 45 minutes. Then add tomato sauce and shredded cheese to the top and bake until the internal temperature is 160°F (use an instant-read thermometer to check this), about another 15 minutes.

After that, it is crucial (CRUCIAL!) that you let it rest for at least 10 minutes, though 15 is better. Just take the pan out of the oven and put it on a pot holder on the counter and leave it there. The resting time lets all the juices settle a bit so that the meatloaf is easier to slice and so that the slices hold their shape. Don’t worry, it will still be hot and full of melted cheese when you cut into it.

Once it has rested, use two large spatulas to transfer the meatloaf to a cutting board. If you choose a nice board, you can slice it and serve it from there. When it comes to slicing, consider using an electric knife. You don’t have to exert as much downward pressure so the slices stay really nice and intact and you can get away with make thinner slices.

There you have it. A delicious meatloaf with a oozing melted cheese filling. Who could ever say no to that?

Want to try another tasty meatloaf recipe? You’ve got to see this Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf, it’s so good.

More Cheesy Recipes To Enjoy

If you especially love when dinner is covered in melty cheese, try out these tasty recipes too.

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Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf

Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 review
  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Entrée
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

DESCRIPTION

A classic meatloaf with a delicious surprise in the center.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tbsp. ketchup, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (it’s about 20 1/2-inch cubes)
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce (basic marinara)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer onion to a large bowl.
  4. To the bowl add ground beef, breadcrumbs, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and egg. Use your hands to squeeze and knead the meat until the seasonings are all mixed through. Do not overmix.
  5. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
  6. Transfer meat to baking sheet and shape into a 10×5-inch loaf.
  7. Make a 2-inch wide trench in the loaf (see image above in post). Go down deep into the loaf but leave at least 1 inch of meat on the bottom.
  8. Add cheese cubes to the trench. Use hands to smooth meat up and over cheese.
  9. Bake for 45 minutes.
  10. Remove meatloaf from oven and spread with tomato sauce and top with shredded cheese.
  11. Return meatloaf to oven and bake until internal temperature on an instant read thermometer is 160°F, 10-20 more minutes.
  12. Remove meatloaf from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
  13. Slice and serve.

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This post originally appeared in October 2017 and was revised and republished in July 2023.

Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf

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About Christine

Hi! I’m a passionate home cook and recipe developer with over 25 years of experience in the food industry. My mission is to help you make delicious food for your family while making cooking easy and fun. My recipes have been featured in a lot of major publications and over 2 million monthly readers trust me for tasty recipes that work. Sign up for my free mini-cooking-courses, or follow along with me on Instagram, or by listening to my daily recipe podcast. I can’t wait to connect with you and hear what you’re cooking!

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40 Responses to Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf

  1. Kelly says

    I absolutely love this recipe and have been using it for years now! Although I do make some modifications…
    1: add steak or burger spice into the meat mix
    2: add a couple drops of liquid smoke to it too
    3: for the sauce I use ketchup, sweet baby rays bbq sauce, and some brown sugar and spices
    Fantastic every time, one of the favourite meals at our house!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Christine Pittman says

      Honestly, a block of Velveeta cut into strips is what I think of. I’m not sure what else it could be, Marie!

      Reply

  7. Deborah Waddell says

    I shredded cheese into my meatloaf mix for years. I’ve never made a center cavity for the cheese, that would be different and easier!

    Reply

  11. Angelica says

    Well this is sure to be a big hit in my house! It’s like the meatloaf and cheeseburgers had a baby, sounds delicious! I’ve never once put cheese on or in my meatloaf and I’m ashamed with myself for it. LOL.

    Reply

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