Bacon wrapped Halloween meatloaf that is bacon wrapped combines two great proteins in one delicious bite. The addition of mashed potato ghosts makes for a very festive meal!
Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
When you combine bacon and beef you get one unforgettable combination of flavors. I feel like the fat in the pork makes the beef extra moist.
The bacon becomes caramelized and perfectly cooked. When you lattice it around the meatloaf, you not only get a delicious tasting dish but also a very eye catching one as well.
I love to serve it up with this vibrant red cabbage salad with, you guessed it…more bacon! Our gluten-free biscuits are also a great side to this yummy dinner.
Halloween Meatloaf
You guys know that I love making the holidays more fun with food. Like we did with this Halloween charcuterie board or CharBOOterie board!
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Dinners around Halloween usually consist of some kind of spooky dish like this or our gluten-free quesadilla jack o’ lanterns or ghost gluten-free shepherds pie.
My whole family loves meatloaf so making this classic family favorite into an eerie new dish was a challenge I was excited to try. Add classic ketchup with this bacon wrapped meatloaf and it becomes even more spooky.
How to make the BEST Halloween meatloaf
My gluten-free meatloaf recipe is delicious and very similar to this one so we just built off of it…
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Preheat oven to 350° then, in a bowl, combine the beef, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper with your hands. Optional, you can add 2 T ketchup.
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Wash up then place crackers in a blender to crush. It should bring it down to around 1 C of gluten-free bread crumbs. Add them to the meat mixture and mix with your hands until incorporated.
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On a silicone baking mat lined baking sheet, lay bacon out in a lattice
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Mold beef into a loaf and lay on the bacon lattice
- Fold the bacon over the meatloaf
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Flip it all over and tuck extra bacon pieces under the meatloaf
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Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until beef is fully cooked inside
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Meanwhile, boil potatoes, drain and add butter and milk plus salt and pepper to taste
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Place potatoes in a pastry bag and pipe onto meatloaf before serving
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Use black pepper or black beans for eyes
Gluten-Free Meatloaf
When it comes to making a gluten-free meatloaf, the challenge usually comes in the form of the binder. Many people use wheat based bread or crackers.
For this Halloween meatloaf, we decided to try the Crunchmaster classic crackers as our binder. They worked great and made it even healthier thanks to the delicious toasted seeds (sesame, quinoa, flax and amaranth).
The crackers are also lightly seasoned with a wheat free tamari soy sauce giving it an extra boost of flavor.My family really loved the bold flavors of hearty crackers, bacon and grass-fed beef. Our boys said it was their favorite dinner ever…that sure made this mama happy!
Can you make meatloaf with ground turkey instead of ground beef?
This recipe works great with ground turkey or ground beef. Really it comes down to a personal preference. My friend Brianna at Flippin Delicious also has a great gluten-free turkey meatloaf recipe!
Serve it up with our piped hot mashed potatoes ghosts and our gluten-free green bean casserole and you have a homestyle meal that everyone will love!
Can you keep this as leftovers?
One of the great things about a really good meatloaf is that it is even better the next day as leftovers. Have you ever had a Halloween meatloaf sandwich? They are so delicious! Top them with our gluten-free gravy or grilled onions for an extra tasty bite.
This meatloaf freezes fantastic! Just wrap it up in aluminum foil then place it in a freezer bag. You can pull slices out as needed and microwave the for 2-3 minutes.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
If you love this recipe, I recommend these other great beef recipes…
Gluten-Free Tater Tot Casserole
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Halloween Meatloaf with Ghost Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 2 T gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 C gluten-free crackers
- 8 slices of bacon
- 4 potatoes
- 1 T butter
- 1/3 C whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a bowl, combine the beef, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper with your hands.
- Wash up then place crackers in a blender to crush. It should bring it down to around 1 C of gluten-free bread crumbs. Add them to the meat mixture and mix with your hands until incorporated.
- On a silicone baking mat lined baking sheet, lay bacon out in a lattice.
- Mold beef into a loaf and lay on the bacon lattice. Flip it all over and tuck extra bacon pieces under the meatloaf.
- Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until beef is fully cooked inside.
- Meanwhile, boil potatoes.
- Drain potatoes and add butter and milk plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Place potatoes in a pastry bag and pipe onto meatloaf before serving.
- Use black pepper or black beans for eyes.
Notes
Nutrition
*Here is the original recipe photo when we first published it back on October 27, 2016. We have updated it with new photos, step-by-step instructions and more information. 
June says
This is the CUTEST idea! I am totally going to save this to make for Halloween this year.
Chandice says
So glad you love it! It is a fun and festive Halloween recipe. 🙂