Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf Recipe

Preheat your oven to 350 °F. In a small skillet, melt the 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat. Add the 1 medium onion, finely chopped, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's soft and translucent but hasn't taken on any color.

Stir in the 2 garlic cloves, minced, and cook for just another 1 minute, until fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat and set the onion-garlic mixture aside to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the 2 pounds ground meat (a mixture of 1 pound ground chuck and 1 pound ground pork), the cooled onion and garlic mixture, the remaining 3 oz tomato paste, 1/4 cup milk, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Use your hands to gently but thoroughly mix everything together until just combined; be careful not to overmix, which can make the meatloaf tough.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape directly on top of the bacon strips arranged on the rack, leaving enough bacon uncovered to fold over the top. Spoon the prepared glaze over the meatloaf, spreading it evenly down the sides to cover it completely. Finally, lift the ends of the bacon hanging over the sides of the dish and lay them over the top of the meatloaf, tucking them in if needed.