Meatloaf might not be the prettiest dish you’ll ever make, but sometimes the uglier ones are actually the best. Cape Cod Cranberry Meatloaf is one of those recipes!
Cape Cod Cranberry Meatloaf
It’s definitely not pretty (and I totally bow down to anyone who has the ability to make gorgeous meatloaf), but it sure is good. The meat itself is tender, and the sweetened cranberry sauce lends a slight sweet flavor to the dish and it’s easy to put together. A dinner-repeat in our house for sure.
🛒Ingredients needed:
- cranberry sauce
- dark brown sugar
- ground beef
- milk
- onion
- ketchup
- breadcrumbs
- eggs
- fresh rosemary and thyme
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- bay leaves
✏️How to make Cape Cod Cranberry Meatloaf:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce and brown sugar. Place the cranberry sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (except bay leaves and thyme sprig) and mix well. Set the meat loaf mixture in the pan on top of the sauce.
- Top the loaf with bay leaves and thyme sprig and bake 1½ hours or until cooked through. **Place a rimmed pan on the rack under the loaf to catch any excess drippings. (Line that pan with foil if you want easy clean up!)
- Allow the loaf to cool for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprig. Very carefully use a spatula to scoop underneath the meatloaf and move it to a serving plate. Drizzle some of the pan juices over the loaf.
➡️Recipe Tips:
- If you’d like to use a leaner ground beef, you certainly can, but the meatloaf will turn out a little drier.
- You could also try using a combination of lean ground beef and ground pork.
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of cranberry sauce and ketchup that are known to be GF, and use GF breadcrumbs in place of regular breadcrumbs.
✔️What to serve with Cape Cod Cranberry Meatloaf:
- I like to serve it with my favorite scalloped potatoes.
- I think this meatloaf would be perfect with roasted Brussels sprouts on the side.
- Since the meatloaf has some of the flavors of Thanksgiving in it, you could even try serving it with a great stuffing.
★How to Store:
Leftovers can easily be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in the freerzer for up to 3 months.
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- My family loves this meatloaf, so no complaints at dinner!
- I love that the meat itself is tender, the sweetened cranberry sauce lends a slight sweet flavor and all of that keeps my tastebuds happy.
- Leftovers in a sandwich the next day? Maybe with a bit of extra cranberry sauce? Amazing!
Favorite Meatloaf Recipes:
Cape Cod Cranberry Meatloaf
This comforting meatloaf is baked in a cranberry sauce and served with pan sauce drizzled over the top.
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2½ pounds ground beef (I used 85% lean)
- ½ cup milk
- 1 small (about ¾ cup) onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 to 4 whole bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce and brown sugar. Place the cranberry sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (except bay leaves and thyme sprig) and mix well. Set the meat loaf mixture in the pan on top of the sauce.
- Top the loaf with bay leaves and thyme sprig and bake 1½ hours or until cooked through. **Place a rimmed pan on the rack under the loaf to catch any excess drippings. (Line that pan with foil if you want easy clean up!)
- Allow the loaf to cool for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprig. Very carefully use a spatula to scoop underneath the meatloaf and move it to a serving plate. Drizzle some of the pan juices over the loaf.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of cranberry sauce and ketchup that are known to be GF, and use GF breadcrumbs in place of regular breadcrumbs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 428kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 529mg, Potassium: 533mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 174IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I will definitely be making this again! Made for the first time for Valentine’s Day. The recipe made enough to fill a large heart-shaped cake pan and another small one. I put the drippings in mashed potatoes. Next time, I will make a gravy with them. The fresh rosemary and thyme on top were killer. My kitchen smelled so good for days. I put half the meatloaf in the pan, added cheese, then put the rest of the meatloaf on top.
I also added worcestershire sauce, A1 sauce, and a little onion soup mix.
I’m so glad that I found your recipe! Years ago, on a new cakepan liner, I found this recipe and another one for poppyseed lemon cake with a banana cream filling. Both were fantastic! But many years and many moves later,I’ve lost both recipes. From what I recall, your cranberry meatloaf is identical. I’m saving it for future reference, as this is my FAVORITE way to have meatloaf!!! (Now if I could just find that cake recipe…) Thank you!!!
This recipe was absolutely amazing!! My entire family enjoyed the meatloaf.
We have ‘meatloaf’ pans that strain the fat away at the bottom, so I just mixed the cranberry and sugar into the meat.
Thanks for sharing it! 🙂
I was looking for a ground turkey recipe on Pinterest and found this. I did make it with ground turkey and it was super tasty. Definitely going to be a repeat in my menus.
I made this for dinner last night. It was delicious. My mom, who has made many meatloaves, said this was the best tasting meat loaf she’d ever tasted. Who knew a little cranberry sauce could make all the difference?! I will be making this recipe again.
Brown food is so hard to photograph – but I have to say this looks fantastic! I just bought some ground turkey and was planning on making some meatloaf this week – we’re all in the mood for some comfort food after the hurricane. I love the sweet tangy flavor of cranberry sauce in this recipe – going to have to give this a whirl!
Made this last night for my family! I did substitute ground turkey for the beef because that is what I had on hand. This was soooo good! My family loved it! A nice combination of savory and sweet. It was almost like Thanksgiving dinner in a loaf! Thanks so much for a great recipe!! I’m keeping this one 🙂
I’ll have to try it with turkey!
Ok, I don’t particularly like meat loaf but my husband loves it! With the addition of cranberries and brown sugar I may love it too. Thanks for this lovely fall recipe.