Buffalo Cheesy Meatloaf
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This Buffalo Cheesy Meatloaf recipe is perfect when you’re in the mood for a comfort food meal with a kick of spice and plenty of cheesy goodness! It’s made with a combination of ground beef and pork sausage, and two types of cheese. Buffalo sauce is added to the meatloaf mixture and spread on top for a saucy, cheesy meatloaf recipe that’s easy to make with only 15 minutes of hands-on time.
Table of contents
Meaty, cheesy, buffalo sauce deliciousness, it really doesn’t get much better than that!
This recipe was inspired by a popular WhitneyBond.com party app, Buffalo Cheesy Sausage Balls. I wanted to create a “dinner version” of this family favorite recipe, so I came up with this cheesy meatloaf recipe. And boy am I glad I did!
This meatloaf is juicy, tender, cheesy and so flavorful. I seriously want to put this on my dinner menu every week. It’s that good! This is not your traditional meatloaf, this is cheesy meatloaf, AKA the ultimate comfort food meal!
Ingredients
- Olive oil – or another vegetable oil, like avocado or canola oil.
- Onion – a yellow onion has a nice neutral flavor and is perfect in this recipe.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Pork sausage – you’ll want loose pork sausage, not sausage links. I like to use hot sausage for this recipe to pair with the buffalo sauce, but you can also use mild sausage, depending on your spice preference.
- Ground beef – I recommend a ground beef that’s 80/20, meaning 80% lean and 20% fat. This will give you the perfect amount of fat to make a tender, juicy meatloaf.
- Egg – you’ll need one large egg to use as a binder in the meatloaf.
- Breadcrumbs – traditional or panko bread crumbs can be used in this recipe. To make it keto, use pork panko.
- Cream cheese – to make the meatloaf extra creamy and cheesy.
- Cheddar cheese – fresh grated cheese will melt better than pre-shredded cheese in a bag, so I recommend shredding the cheese yourself at home.
- Buffalo sauce – I’ve tried many brands of buffalo sauce over the years, but Frank’s is still my favorite!
Instructions
Find the ingredient amounts, full recipe and video in the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add pork sausage, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and buffalo sauce to a large bowl.
- Add the cooked onion and garlic.
- Use your hands, or a spatula, to combine everything, then press the meat mixture into a loaf pan or springform pan. See more about what pan I recommend in the recipe notes below.
- Place the cheesy meatloaf in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, brush with more buffalo sauce for a glaze on top, then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Place back into the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Optionally sprinkle fresh chopped basil or green onions on top before serving.
Recipe notes
- I love to use this square springform pan to make this meatloaf. You can easily pop off the sides after the meatloaf is baked and slice it up. Any grease drains out into the lip around the bottom of the pan, instead of pooling on top of, or around the meatloaf. You can also use this loaf pan with a drain tray insert that will do the same thing. If using a loaf pan, you may have to cook it for an extra 5-10 minutes, because it will be thicker than if you use a square pan. Always cook meatloaf to an internal temperature of 160°F.
- If you don’t have a square pan, or loaf pan, freeform the meatloaf into a loaf shape, then place it on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Follow the other instructions as listed in this recipe.
- Always pre-cook the onions and garlic before adding them to the recipe. Otherwise they won’t cook down enough in the meatloaf to be tender and will affect the texture of the meatloaf.
- Always make sure to allow the meatloaf to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This will prevent it from falling apart when slicing it.
- This meatloaf has a medium spice level from the hot sausage and buffalo sauce. To make it mild, use mild pork sausage and mild buffalo sauce.
- If you’re not a fan of buffalo sauce, you could also make this recipe with bbq sauce instead of buffalo sauce.
- To spice up this meatloaf even more, use extra hot or hot buffalo sauce. Replace the cheddar cheese with a spicy cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
How to make it gluten free and keto
To make this meatloaf recipe gluten free, substitute in gluten-free breadcrumbs. Always make sure the buffalo sauce used is gluten free. Frank’s RedHot, as seen in this post, is gluten free!
To make this recipe low carb and perfect for those on a keto diet, substitute in pork panko for the breadcrumbs. This will reduce the total carbs per serving from 13 grams, down to 6 grams and the net carbs down to 5 grams per serving.
Storage and reheating
Stored in an airtight container, cheesy meatloaf leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend storing leftovers in the freezer, as the texture of the cheese will change after it’s frozen.
To reheat slices of the leftover meatloaf, place a slice of meatloaf on a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Or pan fry a slice of meatloaf in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, or until heated through.
To reheat a whole meatloaf, or half of the meatloaf, instead of slices, place it on a baking sheet and loosely cover with foil. Reheat the meatloaf in a preheated 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
What to serve with it
No matter what you serve it with, this buffalo cheesy meatloaf is guaranteed to be your new favorite meatloaf recipe! It’s juicy and saucy served right out of the oven, but you can also serve it with buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing on the side for dipping.
For side dishes, I created these Buffalo Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes to go specifically with this dish. They’re a match made in buffalo sauce heaven, but you could also serve it with any of these easy side dish recipes.
More recipes with buffalo sauce
Can’t get enough of the best sauce ever? Keep the buffalo sauce party going with these amazing recipes!
Buffalo Cheesy Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound pork sausage, hot or mild
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 8 ounce cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded – divided
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions, cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the pork sausage, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, cream cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese and ½ cup buffalo sauce to a large bowl.
- Add the cooked onion and garlic.
- Use your hands, or a spatula, to combine everything, then press into an 8 inch square pan, or loaf pan.
- Place the pan of cheesy meatloaf in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, brush with the additional ¼ cup buffalo sauce and top with the remaining ½ cup cheddar cheese.
- Place back into the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
- I love to use this square springform pan to make this meatloaf. You can easily pop off the sides after the meatloaf is baked and slice it up. Any grease drains out into the lip around the bottom of the pan, instead of pooling on top of, or around the meatloaf. You can also use this loaf pan with a drain tray insert that will do the same thing. If using a loaf pan, you may have to cook it for an extra 5-10 minutes, because it will be thicker than if you use a square pan. Always cook meatloaf to an internal temperature of 160°F.
- If you don’t have a square pan, or loaf pan, freeform the meatloaf into a loaf shape, then place it on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Follow the other instructions as listed in this recipe.
- This meatloaf has a medium spice level from the hot sausage and buffalo sauce. To make it mild, use mild pork sausage and mild buffalo sauce.
- To spice up this meatloaf even more, use extra hot or hot buffalo sauce. Replace the cheddar cheese with a spicy cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
- To make this meatloaf recipe gluten free, substitute in gluten-free breadcrumbs. Always make sure the buffalo sauce used is gluten free. Frank’s RedHot, as seen in this post, is gluten free!
- To make this recipe low carb and perfect for those on a keto diet, substitute in pork panko for the breadcrumbs. This will reduce the total carbs per serving from 13 grams, down to 6 grams and the net carbs down to 5 grams per serving.
- Stored in an airtight container, cheesy meatloaf leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To reheat slices of the leftover meatloaf, place a slice of meatloaf on a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Or pan fry a slice of meatloaf in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, or until heated through.
- To reheat a whole meatloaf, or half of the meatloaf, instead of slices, place it on a baking sheet and loosely cover with foil. Reheat the meatloaf in a preheated 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
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