Cheese Mozzarella Sticks Meatloaf Recipe

Half the meat mixture pressed flat, then a mound of mozzarella in the center, then the rest on top. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. Bake 55 minutes total and you’ve got a beef and pork meatloaf with melted cheese running through the middle like it actually planned to be there.

Why You’ll Love This Mozzarella Cheese Meatloaf

Comfort food that doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It’s beef and pork doing their job, with mozzarella cheese that gets actually molten instead of just sitting there.

Takes 80 minutes start to finish — most of that is the oven doing the work. You’re maybe 15 minutes hands-on.

The peach preserves glaze. Sounds weird. Not weird. Sweet cuts the richness, and you’ve probably got both things already.

Leftovers slice cold. They’re almost better the next day. Not sure why but they are.

Cleanup is one bowl and a pan. That’s the whole thing.

What You Need for Mozzarella Cheese Meatloaf

Onion. One cup finely chopped. Red or yellow, doesn’t matter — whatever’s in the bin works.

Garlic. Two cloves minced. Not a pinch of powder. Fresh. The smell matters.

Seasoned breadcrumbs. A cup and a half. Italian seasoned if you’ve got it. Regular works fine, just add dried oregano and basil to taste.

Two eggs. They hold everything together. Can’t skip them.

Parmesan. A third of a cup grated. Doesn’t have to be the good stuff — the stuff in the green can is totally fine here.

Milk. A quarter cup. Keeps it from being dry. Whole milk, skim, whatever.

Worcestershire sauce. One tablespoon. Sounds small but it carries. Don’t use half, it gets weird and funky.

Salt. One teaspoon. Most of the seasoning comes from the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, so don’t go overboard.

Half pound ground beef. Not the leanest stuff — something around 80/20 works better.

Half pound ground pork. Ground pork is softer, fattier. Keeps meatloaf from being dense.

Six ounces shredded mozzarella cheese. Low moisture mozzarella is better than fresh because fresh bleeds everywhere. The kind that comes in a bag, not fresh mozzarella balls.

Ketchup. A third of a cup. Regular ketchup. Nothing fancy.

Peach preserves. A third of a cup. It sounds strange with beef and pork but the sweetness and peach flavor actually work. Apricot works too if you hate peaches.

Cooking spray or lard for the pan. Parchment paper makes lifting it out way easier. Not required but do it.

How to Make Mozzarella Cheese Meatloaf

Heat the oven to 340°F. Spray the loaf pan or line it with parchment. Actually do the parchment — lifting it out whole is easier and slicing looks better.

In a large bowl, dump the onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmesan, milk, Worcestershire, salt. Mix it. The smell is sharp from the Parmesan and mustard-y from the Worcestershire. It coats your fingers, sticky but not wet. Stop mixing when it’s combined. Don’t keep going.

Add the beef and pork. Break it apart with your hands into small clumbs. Toss gently until you can’t see raw meat, but keep some of the breadcrumb texture visible. Overmix and it gets tight and tough. Patience works better than speed here.

Press half the meat mixture into the pan base and up the sides, about an inch high. Not too thin or it’ll cook too fast on the edges. Pack it so it stays, but don’t squeeze the air out or it’ll turn into a dense brick.

Mound the mozzarella cheese in the center. More than 6 ounces and it oozes out the sides and bottom. Stick with 6. Cover with the remaining meat mixture, packing firmly but gently. Seal the edges so cheese doesn’t leak during cooking. It’ll still leak a bit. That’s normal.

Slide into the oven uncovered. 35 minutes. The top will firm up, edges will brown slightly. You’ll hear a faint pop — that’s the mozzarella cheese inside starting to bubble and melt.

While the meatloaf bakes, stir the ketchup and peach preserves together in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until it’s smooth and shiny. It’ll reduce slightly around the edges after about 5 minutes. The sweetness tames the ketchup’s acidity and adds something warm and unexpected.

Pull the meatloaf out after 35 minutes. Pour the glaze evenly over the top. Return to the oven uncovered for another 25 minutes or until the internal temperature hits 160°F. Watch for a golden crust and juices just starting to pool at the sides.

How to Get Mozzarella Cheese Meatloaf Perfect

Let it rest 7 to 10 minutes before slicing. This matters. Juices redistribute or slicing turns into a falling-apart disaster where pieces shred instead of staying whole. Just sit there. Look at it.

Slice against the grain in thick slabs. A serrated knife works better than a chef’s knife. You’ll see the mozzarella cheese layer running through the middle like it was supposed to be there all along.

If cheese leaks out the bottom and sides — and it probably will a little — don’t stress. Scoop it with bread. Serve it alongside the slices. It’s good.

The glaze should be sticky and glossy, not runny. If it looks too thin when you pull the meatloaf out, brush what’s there and don’t add more. If it looks thick, spread it anyway. It’ll even out in the oven.

Tips and Common Mistakes with Mozzarella Cheese Meatloaf

Don’t use fresh mozzarella. It’ll melt so much it just becomes oil. Low moisture mozzarella cheese — the bagged kind — stays put and actually melts into the meat.

Ground pork is wetter than beef. That’s good here. It keeps meatloaf moist. Don’t skip it and use all beef or it gets dry and hard.

The Worcestershire matters more than you think. It’s salty, it’s umami, it makes the beef taste more like beef. A tablespoon is right. Don’t guess.

Don’t overmix the meat mixture. Overmixing makes it dense and tight. Gently fold everything together. Stop when it looks combined.

The loaf pan should be a standard 9x5. If yours is bigger, the meatloaf will spread out and cook faster. If it’s smaller, it’ll cook slower. Check the internal temp to be sure — 160°F is done, not a timer.

Peach preserves taste weird until you cook them with ketchup. Once they’re mixed and on the meatloaf, they’re actually good. If you really hate peach, use apricot preserves or just double the ketchup and skip the preserves entirely.

Resting time is not optional. It’s 10 minutes minimum. Go make a salad or something. The difference between slicing it hot and resting it is huge — one shreds, one slices clean.

Cheese Mozzarella Sticks Meatloaf Recipe

By Emma

Prep:

25 min

Cook:

55 min

Total:

80 min

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup peach preserves

Method

1. 1 Preheat oven to 340°F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray or coat with lard if you want extra flavor ; parchment paper lining recommended for easy lift out.
2. 2 In a large bowl, mix onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmesan, milk, Worcestershire, salt. The mix smells earthy and sharp from Parmesan; coats fingers sticky but not wet.
3. 3 Add ground beef and pork. Break apart into small clumps; hands do best job. Toss gently, keep some crumb bits visible. Overmixing can toughen the loaf; patience matters here.
4. 4 Press half the meat mixture into pan base and sides, about 1 inch high. In the center mound the shredded mozzarella - more than 6 oz can ooze out so moderate. Cover with remaining meat, packing firmly but not squashing air out or it’ll get dense.
5. 5 Slide into oven uncovered for 35 minutes. The top firms, edges brown slightly. Cheese inside begins to bubble, audible pop of melting.
6. 6 While loaf bakes, stir ketchup with peach preserves on medium heat until smooth, shiny, slightly reduced around edges by 5 minutes. Sweetness tames acidity, adds unexpected warmth.
7. 7 Remove loaf; pour glaze evenly over top. Return to oven uncovered for another 25 minutes or until internal temperature hits 160°F. Look for golden crust, juices lightly pooling at sides.
8. 8 Rest meatloaf 7-10 minutes. This lets juices redistribute else slicing turns into disaster. Use parchment sling or spatula to lift carefully, slice against grain in thick slabs.
9. 9 If cheese leaks, no foul; scoop with bread or serve alongside mustard aioli. Loaf keeps well wrapped in fridge then reheated gently on stovetop or oven.

Nutritional information

Calories

460

Protein

35g

Carbs

15g

Fat

28g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Mozzarella Cheese Meatloaf

Can I use all beef instead of beef and pork? Yeah. It’ll be slightly denser and drier. Pork adds fat and moisture. Not worth skipping but it works if that’s what you’ve got.

What if the mozzarella cheese leaks everywhere? It will probably leak a little. That’s fine. Put the loaf pan on a baking sheet to catch it. You eat the leaky bits with bread.

Can I make this ahead? Mix everything the night before, assemble it in the morning, refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Add maybe 5 extra minutes to the baking time because it starts cold.

What temperature should the oven actually be? 340°F. Not 350. The slower heat lets the center cook before the edges burn.

Can I use a regular loaf pan made of glass instead of metal? Glass transfers heat differently. Might cook faster. Check the internal temp at 50 minutes instead of waiting the full 55. If it’s at 160°F, pull it out.

The glaze seems too sweet. Can I skip it? Sure. Meatloaf stands on its own. The glaze is good but not required. If you use it, use less — a quarter cup instead of two thirds.

Can I freeze this? Freeze it raw, assembled in the pan, up to a month. Bake from frozen but add 15-20 minutes to the total time. Or bake it, cool it, slice it, freeze the slices. Reheat in a skillet on low heat until warm.

What’s the best way to reheat leftovers? Stovetop is better than microwave. Slice it, put it in a skillet with a little butter over medium-low heat until warmed through. Keeps it from drying out.

Can I use fresh mozzarella instead of shredded? Don’t. Fresh mozzarella melts into basically nothing and oozes out everywhere. Low moisture mozzarella cheese — the bagged shredded kind — is what makes this work.