Halloween Mummy Meatloaf

Nutrition Information

IMHO this easy meatloaf recipe is the best way to serve a mixed crowd - which makes it perfect for any Halloween party.

This homemade meatloaf is inherently gluten free, and very low in carbs. Coming in at just 3 total carbs per serving - and less than 3 grams of net carbs per serving - it’s keto friendly.

While it’s great for celiacs, diabetics, those following a keto lifestyle, and the bacon lover in your life, don’t let the specialty nature of it fool you - this tasty meatloaf will be loved by all .

While I’m not a fan of “tricking” people by hiding veggies in food... this is a great meatloaf recipe for those looking to get some extra veggies into their diet, or have texture issues with vegetables in general.

It’s high in protein and dairy free, also!

Halloween or not, it’s our favorite meatloaf recipe for good reason!

Meatloaf Ingredients

This recipe has a simple ingredient list, all of which should be available at any local grocery store.

A few thoughts:

Ground Meat

We’ll usually use 2 pounds of ground beef (extra lean ground beef works best), but you can use any type of meat you like.

When we made it for these photos, we used ground chicken. Ground turkey also works great, and this would be fantastic with bison or venison.

I find a big difference between fresh ground chicken, and a lot of the frozen ground chicken we’ve purchased.

Fresh ground chicken tends to hold the loaf shape better, as the previously frozen stuff tends to be more ...liquid.

... you just may need to adjust / mold it a bit with your hands, after turning it out onto the baking pan.

Also, if it does flatten out, keep an eye on your cooking time - a flatter meatloaf will cook a lot faster than one that has some height to it!

Bacon

A loose bacon weave forms the “mummy wrappings” - the strips of bacon you use will impact the final flavour AND appearance of your meatloaf.

Thick slices of bacon don’t cook down as well as thin slices. You don’t have to go to the paper thin hotel cut bacon, but regular > thick cut.

Regular pork bacon works best, as chicken bacon and turkey bacon don’t have enough fat to kind of “shrink wrap” the meatloaf as it cooks down.

As such, it can be loose and look sloppy.

Vegetables

This recipe involves a few different types of veggies, all cooked down in a bit of olive oil.

For specific veggies, I use fresh minced onion and garlic. A small or medium onion works great, along wth a few cloves of garlic. I’ll usually go with 4 or 5 cloves.

Beyond that, I use finely chopped mushrooms (Usually crimini / baby bella, but button mushrooms / white mushrooms work fine!), and “grated veggies”.

What the grated veggies consist of varies from day to day, both in terms of which veggies I use, and what proportions I use them in.

You can use whatever you like, the key is to cook it down before adding it to the meatloaf.

This removes the excess water, and allows the veggies to act more like a filler - in place of bread crumbs and whatnot.

If you don’t cook them down first, they’ll release that water as they cook, and your meatloaf can fall apart.

Everything else

Rounding our this bacon wrapped meatloaf recipe, we have:

Large Eggs
Dijon mustard
Dried Parsley (can use ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley)
Ground Black Pepper
Salt
2 Green olives with pimento.

Not a fan of green olives? You can use black olives. It’s all good.

How to Make Halloween Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F, Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine oil, grated veggies, mushrooms, onion, and garlic together in a frying pan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until veggies are soft, mushroom moist, and onions are translucent. Remove from heat, allow to cool.

I like to leave a spot free of bacon slices, for the eyes to “peek through”.

Pack your meatloaf mixture into the pan, pressing firmly and evenly.

Invert the loaf pan onto the prepared cookie sheet, turning out the meatloaf with all of the ends tucked under it.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165F , when measured with a meat thermometer.

For best results, blot the cooked meatloaf with a paper towel to remove excess bacon grease.

Serve hot, with green beans, hot sauce, chili sauce - whatever you like meatloaf with.

I like to serve it with Cauliflower Mash, and those who aren’t watching their carbs can have mashed potatoes.!

Leftover Meatloaf

This meatloaf is great the next day... or even a couple of days after that. You can snack on it cold, or reheat it.

Just allow the meatloaf to cool to almost room temperature. You can then wrap meatloaf in plastic wrap, or transfer it to an airtight container.

Try to eat within 3 days.

Variations

While we love this recipe as-is, feel free to brush it with your favourite BBQ sauce or tangy ketchup glaze.

If you need it keto, you can use Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute in any sweet glaze recipe, as a quick way to cut the carbs.

Using a sugar free ketchup in any glaze that involves a ketchup mixture is another quick way to control carb count.

For an extra bit of smokey flavour, you can cook this meatloaf in a smoker. Just hot smoke it at 300 F for 2-3 hours, until the internal temp reaches 165 F.

More Meatballs - and Meatloaf! - Recipes

Meatballs and meatloaf can be really great comfort food. Here are a few variations I’ve come up with:

Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatloaf
Easy Keto Swedish Meatballs
Jalapeno Popper Meatloaf
Keto Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze
Low Carb Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Low Carb Chicken Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce
Scotch Egg Meatloaf Recipe
Stromboli Meatloaf