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Skillet Meat Loaf

Jim Henkens

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED March 16, 2025

Flattening out meat loaf to cook it in a skillet reduces cooking time and also dramatically increases the surface area to maximize crunch. I’ll go ahead and say it: faster, better, revolutionary. Serve with Dressed Cooked Vegetables or Steamed Vegetables and warm bread or rolls. Or make a batch of Mashed Potatoes. And the leftovers make a couple terrific sandwiches.

 

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Skillet Meat Loaf

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup grated)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a large skillet (preferably cast iron) and put it in the oven to heat while you prepare the meat loaf.
  2. Combine 1 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup milk, the ground beef, ground pork, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  3. Grate 1/2 cup Parmesan and add to the bowl. Peel and chop 1 clove garlic and add to the bowl. Crack the egg into the bowl. Gently mix the ingredients together with your hands; avoid over-handling.
  4. When the skillet is hot, carefully transfer the mixture into the pan with a spoon or spatula, gently pressing down so the meat loaf has an even thickness. Spread 1/4 cup ketchup on top.
  5. Bake until the loaf is firm, 15 to 20 minutes; a quick-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160°F.
  6. Turn the broiler to high and put the rack 4 inches from the heat. Move up the meat loaf and broil until the top is brown and crisp, 2 to 5 minutes.
  7. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Recipe variations

Skillet BBQ Meat Loaf.

Omit the Parmesan cheese or replace it with grated Jack cheese. Drizzle the top with barbecue sauce instead of ketchup.

Skillet Miso Meat Loaf.

Omit the ketchup. Substitute 1/2 cup any miso for the Parmesan (remembering that lighter is milder than red and brown) and 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped, for the garlic.

Skillet Chicken Meat Loaf with Salsa.

Any kind of cooked or jarred salsa is good, but I especially like a green tomatillo-chile salsa here. Substitute ground chicken for the beef and pork and crumbled queso fresco for the Parmesan. Spread 1/2 cup salsa over the top of the meat loaf.

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