Coco's Meatloaf

See how to make a comfort food classic, Nashville-style. See more

READY IN 1½ hrs

Coco's Meatloaf

Read Reviews (13)

"Meet Steve Johnson, a Nashville native who grew up learning to cook from his mother, grandmother, and aunt. Along the way, he picked up a few lessons about living right, along with the secret to his mother's meatloaf recipe." — Steve

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Combine onion, green bell pepper, milk, 1/4 cup ketchup, and eggs in a blender and puree until smooth.
Stir ground beef, crushed saltine crackers, kosher salt, dry mustard in a large bowl. Add onion and egg mixture; stir to combine.
Transfer beef mixture to a shallow baking dish and shape into a loaf. Drizzle top of the meatloaf with 2 tablespoons ketchup.
Bake in the preheated over for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let meatloaf to rest uncovered for 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 1 hr
READY IN 1 hr 30 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note:
I also use this recipe to make meatballs. Instead of forming the meat into a loaf, make meatballs and bake on a cookie sheet for 25 to30 minutes. This recipe makes 18 meatballs.

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jun 13, 2012

This is the REAL DEAL. Everyone LOVED this meatloaf. I was too lazy to measure the saltines - I guestimated and used one package of saltines (4 0z) roughly crumbled with my hands. Blending in onion and bell pepper along with eggs etc... is brillant! Mixing it all together with your hands assures that it isn't over worked yet well mixed. Then, by free forming rather than cooking in a loaf pan allows the water in the meat loaf to evaporate, leaving a crispy exterior. Thanks for featuring this recipe, it is a keeper for sure.

—Baking Nana

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jul 19, 2012

I thought this was a good basic meatloaf, not a lot of flavor & I didn't care for the plain ketchup topping. I def prefer the crushed crackers vs bread crumbs!

—lisa

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13 Ratings

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May 12, 2012

The best meatloaf I've had in years!

—Doctortom

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May 17, 2012

Yo...whats up! Dang good stuff...check out Mad Beach Loaf, was inspired.

—flaboy07

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Oct 02, 2012

I dont have a lot of experience making meatloaf, but after watching the video I had to try it. I didnt have dry mustard so I added a teaspoon of table mustard and from reading other meatloaf recipes I added 1/4 cup brown sugar to the meat. For the topping I put ketchup on half and barbecue on the other. Both sides turned out delicious but the barbecue gave it a little more of a kick. I do recommend trying! Also I had to cook for 50 mins instead of 45 mins and to add to one reviewer, one whole sleeve of saltine crackers is 2 cups. My kids absolutely loved it and my husband couldnt get enough! I will definitely be making this one again!! Thank you Steve for posting!

—Bethany

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Jan 26, 2013

Awesome meatloaf... Meatloaf is one of my husband's all-time favorite foods. Unfortunately, it is one food I've never really made well. Even though I don't dislike meatloaf, I never cared for it enough to learn to make it. My first few attempts were-- well-- not good. When I saw this recipe, it seemed like it would hit the mark. After all, how could a grandma named Coco be wrong? It did hit the mark! My husband LOVED it. He even commented, "This will make kickin' sandwiches tomorrow!" He said Coco definitely knew what she was doing. I even had a second helping. :) The texture is spot-on which can make or break a meatloaf in my opinion. The blending of the veggies was a genius idea and actually made prep faster because I didn't have to spend extra time carefully chopping. (I admit that I did throw a couple of garlic cloves in the blender.) Thanks Coco and Steve!

—LilyBugg22

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Aug 13, 2012

I have honestly never made meatloaf before. This meatloaf was absolutely delicious! My kids loved it. I added some chopped kale to add some vitamins.

—maddenmelanie

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Apr 22, 2013

This meatloaf has a good flavor and it is also moist. I have other meatloaf recipes that I like, but I am making room for this one too. It is so delicious and different than any of the other recipes. I didn't change a thing.

—Peachy

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Nutrition

Calories
456 kcal
23%

Carbohydrates
23.5 g
8%

Cholesterol
162 mg
54%

Fat
26.6 g
41%

Fiber
1.3 g
5%

Protein
29.3 g
59%

Sodium
1149 mg
46%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Coco's Meatloaf

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 456
Calories from Fat: 240

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 26.6g 41 %
** Saturated Fat 9.6g 48 %
** Cholesterol 162mg 54 %
Sodium 1149mg 46 %
** Potassium 412mg 12 %
Total Carbohydrates 23.5g 8 %
Dietary Fiber 1.3g 5 %
Protein 29.3g 59 %
** Sugars 5.3g
** Vitamin A 6 %
** Vitamin C 23 %
** Calcium 7 %
** Iron 43 %
** Thiamin 21 %
** Niacin 93 %
** Vitamin B6 23 %
** Magnesium 11 %
** Folate 32 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.