Mashed Potato Meatloaf

Why we love this recipe

Every once in a while I get an unstoppable craving for meatloaf.  It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, there’s nothing to do but drop everything and make meatloaf. 

A good old traditional meatloaf recipe. And usually with this craving comes the need to have mashed potatoes with the meatloaf.

Recently that craving struck…but with a brainstorm! 

I’m completely devoted to shepherd’s pie, and mashed potato meatloaf is pretty much the exact same thing in meatloaf form, when you think about it.

Tender, hearty cooked beef topped with mashed potatoes. And so…I frosted my meatloaf with mashies, and now I need you to do it too!

Ingredients you need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Ground Beef: We like either 80% lean ground beef for this recipe, or the meat loaf mix that you can sometimes find, which is a mixture of ground beef, ground pork and veal.
• Bread crumbs: We recommend panko dried bread crumbs.
• Mashed Potatoes: We usually get some prepared mashed potatoes (you can find them in the dairy section of your supermarket near the canned rolls and cookie dough!) but if you want to make your own, we love my friend Ree’s recipe for cream cheese mashed potatoes!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

Here’s how you make this recipe

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.

STEP 2: Add some dried bread crumbs and milk to a mixing bowl and give it a good stir.

STEP 3: Add some ground beef, salt and pepper, chopped parsley and a few eggs to the mixing bowl and smoosh it all together (I find this works best by doing it with clean hands instead of a spoon).

STEP 4: Pack it into your prepared loaf pan.

STEP 5: Mix some ketchup and brown sugar together and brush it over your meatloaf.

STEP 6: Pop it in the oven for for an hour, and then let it sit for about 10 minutes. Crank the oven up to 450 degrees.

STEP 6: Frost the top of your meatloaf with a generous amount of mashed potatoes, and drizzle some melted butter on top.

STEP 7: Pop your frosted meatloaf into the oven until the potatoes just start to turn a little brown and crispy in places. Let it cool for about 5 minutes and then serve it up!

It’s a mashed potato meatloaf cake!

At this point people will start roaming into the kitchen asking when dinner is going to be ready. Because if there is anything better than mashed potatoes with little crispy edges, I’m not sure what that is.

Recipe FAQs

Equipment we used for this recipe

These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!

• Loaf Pan: Perfect for everything from this meatloaf to a glazed strawberry bread!
• Cutting Board: We love this sturdy dishwasher-safe board, and it comes in all different sizes.
• Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show you the measurements both inside and out.
• Rimmed Baking Pan: Use this super handy pan for anything that might drip onto your oven floor!
• Cooling Rack: Perfect for everything from cooking this meatloaf to cooling these strawberry crumble muffins.
• Basting Brush: This silicone brush is perfect for getting the glaze on this meatloaf just right.

You never know…frosting your meatloaf with mashed potatoes just might convince any meatloaf skeptics in your house that meatloaf is the BEST!

What to serve with this recipe

Other meatloaf recipes we love!

We want to know what you think!

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.

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Mashed Potato Meatloaf

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This easy recipe for mashed potato meatloaf casserole will forever change how you look at traditional meatloaf! Two great tastes that taste great together.

• Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 8
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 pounds ground beef or meatloaf mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Add the milk and breadcrumbs to a mixing bowl and give them a good stir.
3. Add the beef, salt, pepper, parsley and eggs to the mixing bowl and mix it all together (this is best done with clean hands).
4. Form the meatloaf mixture into a loaf shape and place it in the loaf pan.
5. Mix the ketchup and brown sugar together and pour or brush it on the top of the meatloaf, spreading it to the sides.
6. Bake your meatloaf for one hour, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes while you increase the oven temperature to 450.
7. Frost the top (and sides if you can)  of the meatloaf with the mashed potatoes – don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect!  Drizzle the melted butter over the top and pop your frosted meatloaf in the oven until the potatoes just start to turn brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.
8. Let it rest for about 5 minutes, slice and serve!

Notes

• • Ground Beef: We like either 80% lean ground beef for this recipe, or the meat loaf mix that you can sometimes find, which is a mixture of ground beef, ground pork and veal.

• • Bread crumbs: We recommend panko dried bread crumbs.

• • Mashed Potatoes: We usually get some prepared mashed potatoes (you can find them in the dairy section of your supermarket near the canned rolls and cookie dough!) but if you want to make your own, we love my friend Ree’s recipe for cream cheese mashed potatoes!