Ratloaf (Halloween Meatloaf)

This ratloaf (Halloween meatloaf) recipe is stuffed with cheese, BBQ sauce, and French-fried onions, and shaped like a rat with oozy, cheesy innards.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 60 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 948 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups dry bread crumbs
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup French-fried onions
• 3 large black olives
• 3 spaghetti noodles, broken into halves
• 2 slices red potato
• 0.75 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Combine ground beef, milk, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.

Step 3

Combine 1 cup French-fried onions, ¾ bottle barbecue sauce, and Cheddar cheese in a separate bowl.

Step 4

Place about ½ ground beef mixture on a sheet of waxed paper; form into a rat body shape. Spread thick layer cheese mixture on top, leaving ½-inch space around outer edges.

Step 5

Place remaining ground beef mixture on top cheese mixture layer, forming rat body shape, sealing cheese mixture completely inside so cheese doesn't ooze out while baking.

Step 6

Place a rimmed baking sheet on ratloaf; carefully flip over. Reshape ratloaf as needed; insert olives for eyes and nose, spaghetti for whiskers, and potato slices for ears into ratloaf. Spread remaining ¼ bottle barbecue sauce over ratloaf. Crush remaining 2 cups French-fried onions; sprinkle on top and around ratloaf.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven until cooked through and cheese melts, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Cool before slicing, 5 minutes.