This recipe comes from an old order Amish cookbook that I grew up using while we were Amish and then Mennonite during my teenage years. These were a hit with my family, and I should have made double the amount because there were not many leftover! You can turn this recipe into one cheddar meatloaf or make mini meatloaves out of it, which is what I did for the photos used in this blog post.
If you love simple Amish recipes, you may also enjoy Amish style mashed potatoes, Amish browned butter chicken or Amish honey bread.
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Amish Cheddar Meatloaf (or mini cheddar meatloaves)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup instant oatmeal
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese can use pre-shredded in a pinch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Homemade Barbeque Sauce:
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees:
- Place egg and milk into a medium sized mixing bowl and beat to combine. Stir in instant oats, salt, pepper, diced onion and shredded cheddar cheese. Add ground beef and mix by hand until well combined and stiff enough to roll into a soft ball. *see note.
- Whisk together ketchup, brown sugar and mustard until smooth for the homemade barbeque sauce. Ingredients for the sauce can be adjusted to taste.
- Press the ground beef mixture into a loaf pan or divide it out into a greased 12 capacity muffin tin for mini meatloaves. For mini meatloaves, press the mixture down with your fingers to fill the cavity about 3/4 full.
- Bake a large meatloaf in the preheated oven uncovered for 30 minutes, then add sauce and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. For mini meatloaves, bake for 15 minutes, then spoon sauce on top of each mini meatloaf and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Allow to cool slightly, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
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Ingredients needed for the cheddar meatloaf: cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, egg, milk, mustard, ketchup, ground beef, diced onion, brown sugar and instant oatmeal (quick cook).
Can I use regular oatmeal?
I haven’t tried it in this recipe but believe regular oatmeal instead of instant would work just as well. You may need to add extra oatmeal if the mixture feels too wet.
Step 1: Place egg and milk into a medium sized mixing bowl and beat to combine. Stir in instant oats, salt, pepper, diced onion and shredded cheddar cheese. Add ground beef and mix by hand until well combined and stiff enough to roll into a soft ball.
Why mix meatloaf by hand?
While it is messy (and gross) massaging the meatloaf with your fingers helps to combine the ingredients and firms up the meatloaf without overworking the mixture which results in a tough textured loaf.
Step 2: Whisk together ketchup, brown sugar and mustard until smooth for the homemade barbeque sauce. Ingredients for the sauce can be adjusted to taste.
Step 3-4: Press the ground beef mixture into a loaf pan or divide it out into a greased 12 capacity muffin tin for mini meatloaves. For mini meatloaves, press the mixture down with your fingers to fill the cavity about 3/4 full.
Bake a large meatloaf in the preheated oven uncovered for 30 minutes, then add sauce and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. For mini meatloaves, bake for 15 minutes, then spoon sauce on top of each mini meatloaf and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Note on baking:
Oven temperatures can vary so be sure to check your meatloaf occasionally to ensure it is not overbaking or baking too slowly. If needed, you can increase or decrease the heat by 25 degrees. Meatloaf should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees (Fahrenheit) before it is safe to consume.
Finally, allow to cool slightly then serve and enjoy! We enjoyed our cheddar meatloaves with roasted potatoes and green beans sauteed in olive oil with a few dashes of seasoned salt and garlic powder. A delicious combination!
Storage notes:
Leftovers can be wrapped and kept refrigerated for around 5 days before reheating or placed into airtight containers and frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure to keep the meat chilled to avoid bacterial contamination.
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Feel free to pin or print this recipe, but please leave a comment or rating of the recipe in exchange. Thank you for your support! Marilyn Stoltzfus Peight
Superb!