Meatloaf with Ritz Crackers

This Meatloaf with ritz crackers is one of the easiest and juiciest meatloaf I’ve ever prepared! It is made of lean ground beef, buttery ritz crackers, onion, garlic, eggs, shredded Cheddar cheese and the best meatloaf glaze! Once you try it, I am sure you will add it to your dinner rotation because it is seriously addictive!
Love meatloaf recipes? Try Cheeseburger meatloaf, BBQ meatloaf recipe, Spinach Stuffed meatloaf or the Best Classic Meatloaf recipe next!

Meatloaf Recipe with Ritz Crackers

I think I’ve made meatloaf 1000 ways because my husband is in love with this comfort food and I have to include it to my weekly menu. Another reason I cook it every week is that it is easy to make, always turns out great and can feed a crowd!

I need to be creative and come up with new ideas to make sure that an old classic dish tastes like something new and unique. I am sure, you will love this ritzy meatloaf for its unique buttery taste that Ritz cookies add and its juiciness.

INGREDIENTS FOR RITZY MEATLOAF

• Ritz crackers: I crush them in a food processor, this guarantees that you won’t feel pieces in a meatloaf. If you plan to leave out milk and soaking step, I highly recommend to crush them before adding to other ingredients.
• Milk: It is optional, but I found that adding ritz crackers without soaking makes meatloaf a little dry to my taste.
• Lean ground beef/ veal: To avoid very greasy meatloaf, use lean ground meat. Both beef and veal work fine.
• Onion and garlic: I don’t sauté onion for this ritzy meatloaf, that is why I chop it in a food processor, this guarantees that it will be cooked properly. But you can sauté onion and garlic before adding to the meat mixture too. Mince garlic cloves, using a microplane grater.
• Eggs: They work as a binding agent. Don’t leave them out because crushed ritzy crackers don’t bind other ingredients as well as bread crumbs.
• Cheddar cheese : You can use any hard cheese of your choice ( Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, Swiss cheese, Emmental…)
• Fresh parsley: Use fresh parsley or coriander leaves.
• BBQ sauce: I love to add bbq sauce, it pairs great with buttery ritz crackers.
• Dijon mustard: If you don’t have Dijon mustard, use regular yellow American mustard.
• Paprika
• Taco seasoning
• Ground black pepper:
• Salt

How to make meatloaf with Ritz crackers

Here are the pictures to help you understand how to make perfect Ritz meatloaf from scratch. I recommend to watch a quick video to get a better idea about the process.

Baking meatloaf in a loaf pan or without it

I never use a loaf pan for baking any meatloaf because I hate how it looks when you take it out. Frankly speaking, I often struggle to take it out without breaking. And I also found that a loaf pan creates steam that makes it dense.

Guys, I don’t have magic binding ingredients! Only Eggs and Ritz crumbs! I have been making meatloaf without a loaf pan for years and it was always perfect! But, sometimes I resort to a loaf pan only for shaping a meatloaf. Actually if you don’t have any pan, shape it, using a parchment paper. Have a look how I do it with my Spinach Stuffed meatloaf. It is very easy and no need to clean any pan later.
The secret to get the juiciest meatloaf without a loaf pan is meatloaf glaze! It prevents the meatloaf from drying out and makes it look fantastic! You will never achieve the same look, baking meatloaf in a loaf pan.

WHAT TEMP AND HOW LONG TO BAKE MEATLOAF

The cooking time is 1 hour 15 minutes. You will bake it for 1 hour, then you need to remove it from the oven and spread the remaining glaze on it. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes.
Bake it at 400°F / 200°C or until its internal temperature reaches 160 F/ 70 C. Use a meat thermometer.

Other beef recipes:

• Classic Meatloaf recipe
• Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy
• Beef Stroganoff
• Chebureki
• Russian Lazy Pelmeni
• Ropa Vieja
• Swedish Meatballs
• Philly Cheese steak
• Mongolian Beef

If you make this Meatloaf recipe with Ritz crackers be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating! I will be happy to hear from you!

Meatloaf Recipe with Ritz Crackers

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5 from 8 votes

MEATLOAF WITH RITZ CRACKERS

By: chefjar

This Meatloaf with ritz crackers is one of the easiest and juiciest meatloaf I’ve ever tried! It is made of lean ground beef, buttery ritz crackers, onion, garlic, eggs, shredded Cheddar cheese and the best meatloaf glaze! Once you try it, I am sure you will add it to your dinner rotation because it is seriously addictive!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Equipment

• Meat Thermometer
• Food processor

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ RITZ MEATLOAF
• ▢ Ritz crackers, crushed- 100 g or 1 1/4 cup
• ▢ Milk- 1/2 cup
• ▢ Lean ground beef/ veal - 1 kg/ 2.2 pound
• ▢ Onion, finely chopped- 1
• ▢ Garlic cloves, minced- 1 tbsp.
• ▢ Eggs- 2
• ▢ Cheddar cheese, shredded- 1 1/2 cup
• ▢ Fresh parsley, chopped- 1/4 cup
• ▢ BBQ sauce- 2 tbsp.
• ▢ Dijon mustard- 2 tbsp.
• ▢ Paprika- 1 tsp.
• ▢ Taco seasoning- 1 tsp.
• ▢ Ground black pepper- 1/2 tsp.
• ▢ Salt- to taste
• ▢ MEATLOAF GLAZE
• ▢ Ketchup- 3/4
• ▢ Pronzu sauce-2 tbsp.
• ▢ Vinegar- 3 tbsp.
• ▢ Brown sugar- 2 tbsp.
• ▢ Onion powder- 1 tsp.

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Instructions 

• Ritz Meatloaf
• Preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C and position the rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a meatloaf pan with some vegetable oil lightly.
• In a medium bowl, combine crushed  ritz cookies with milk and keep aside for 5 minutes.
• Place the ground beef, soaked ritz crackers, chopped onion, garlic, eggs, Cheddar cheese, parsley, bbq sauce, paprika, taco seasoning, ground black pepper and salt into a large bowl and mix just until combined. Don't over mix the mixture because the meatloaf will be firm.
• Transfer the mixture into a prepared loaf pan and shape the meatloaf. Turn it out onto the grill tray/ skillet. If you don't have a loaf pan, place the mixture into a grill skillet and shape the meat log with your hands.
• Meatloaf Glaze
• In a medium bowl combine ketchup, ponzu sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and onion powder. Mix well until lumps free.
• Spread half of the glaze on the meatloaf, using a spoon. Bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and spread the remaining  sauce over the meatloaf.  Bake another 15 minutes.
• Let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Serve with mashed potatoes, cheesy roasted asparagus, aloo palak, fattoush salad, jasmine rice, steamed broccoli or brown rice.
• 

Video

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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