Sandra Paula Deen’s meatloaf with Ritz crackers combines ground beef, crushed buttery crackers, sour cream, shredded cheddar, and Worcestershire sauce baked at 350°F. A cream of mushroom and cheddar sauce serves alongside for spooning over each slice. One loaf takes about an hour and feeds six to eight.
Paula Deen, known for Paula’s Home Cooking on Food Network, skips egg and uses a full cup of sour cream instead. Fat content in sour cream prevents a two-pound loaf from drying out through the full baking time. That keeps the cracker-bound interior from packing dense in the center before the crust browns.
Lining the baking sheet with white bread gives the loaf somewhere to drain without sitting in its own fat. The bread absorbs grease as it renders out of the beef, then goes straight in the trash after baking. That keeps the bottom crust dry and the loaf stable enough to slice cleanly.
Paula Deen Meatloaf with Ritz Crackers Recipe
Description
Deen Meatloaf with Ritz Crackers Recipe: ground beef, crushed buttery crackers, sour cream, and cheddar baked at 350°F. Ready in 1 hour. Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Meatloaf
Baking Base
Sauce
Garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the white bread slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, House Seasoning, Seasoned Salt, onion, bell pepper, cheddar, crushed crackers, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well by hand until fully combined.
- Shape the mixture into an 8×3-inch loaf and place it directly on the bread-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the loaf is well browned and cooked through. Discard the bread slices and transfer the loaf to a serving plate.
- While the loaf rests, combine the cream of mushroom soup and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shredded cheddar and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the sauce over the meatloaf and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
FAQs
Does the cream of mushroom sauce need to be made on the stovetop, or can it go in the oven?
The sauce is made on the stovetop after the loaf comes out, not alongside it in the oven. Condensed cream of mushroom soup separates at high oven heat over a long bake rather than staying creamy. Making it on the stovetop in the final minutes keeps the cheddar smooth and the sauce pourable.
What happens if the meatloaf bakes past the one-hour mark?
Ground beef at this fat level starts to lose moisture noticeably after 70 minutes, producing a denser, drier slice. The cheddar inside the loaf can melt out into the drippings rather than staying distributed through the meat. Check the internal temperature at 45 minutes and pull the loaf as soon as it hits 160°F.
Can I mix and shape the loaf the night before and bake it the next day?
Mixing and shaping the loaf the night before works well for weeknight cooking. Cold meat adds 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time, so rely on the thermometer rather than the clock. Cover the loaf tightly before refrigerating and set it out 15 minutes before baking to reduce the cold-center risk.
What other Paula Deen ground beef recipe fits naturally into a weekly rotation?
Two ground beef recipes in a weekly plan deliver different flavors without doubling the grocery list. This loaf comes with a cream sauce; a pasta bake takes the same beef in a different direction entirely. Paula Deen baked spaghetti on Sandra Kitchen layers ground beef under pasta for a fork-forward dinner with a completely different finish.
What side dish pairs best with this meatloaf for a Southern dinner?
A rich mushroom-cheddar sauce over a two-pound loaf leaves little room for a heavy, creamy side. A side cooked by a different method keeps both dishes running at the same time without fighting for oven space. Paula Deen’s slow cooker mac and cheese on Sandra Kitchen runs hands-off while the meatloaf bakes, keeping the oven free.
