Eat Move Make

food | travel | lifestyle

Follow Eat Move Make!

The Secret of BBQ Ranch Meatloaf!

By 126 Comments

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This BBQ Ranch meatloaf recipe was inspired by my partnership with Naturally Fresh® Brand. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been working on having the best meatloaf recipe for the last year or so, and it just keeps getting better and better.  With my latest tweak, I think I may have nailed it. I mean look at this… does it not get you drooling?

BBQ Ranch Meatloaf recipe - best meatloaf recipe!

The magic in my latest tweak comes from Naturally Fresh Lite Peppercorn Ranch Dressing, which if you’re familiar with Naturally Fresh, you know is primo quality home-style salad dressing with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. (They make dips too!)

(Note: You could also use Naturally Fresh® Brand Ranch or Lite Ranch in the recipe.)

It’s completely different from the bottled dressings you might be used to (and believe me, you can taste the difference) because it does not have:

~Artificial thickeners to make up texture that should come from real ingredients.
~Monosodium glutamate (MSG), an artificial flavor enhancer.
~Artificial preservatives. (That’s why you’ll only find Naturally Fresh® Brand products in the refrigerated section, most likely near the produce.)
~Artificial colors or flavors.

easy meatloaf recipes with Naturally Fresh Lite Peppercorn Ranch dressing

So you can imagine how that home-style better-for-you goodness turns things up a notch in my BBQ ranch meatloaf recipe (aka best meatloaf recipe evah!)

ranch dressing in easy meatloaf recipes

Nummy num nums.

BBQ ranch meatloaf

BBQ Ranch Meatloaf Recipe

Print Pin

BBQ Ranch Meatloaf

Author Liz Mays

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs lean ground beef
  • 1 lb ground Italian sausage
  • 1 poblano pepper deseeded and diced
  • 1 cubanelle pepper deseeded and diced
  • 1 cup diced sweet onion
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup Naturally Fresh Brand Lite Peppercorn Ranch Dressing Ranch or Lite Ranch can also be used
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 1/4 cups BBQ sauce divided
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

Instructions

  • Using hands mix meat, peppers, onion and egg thoroughly. Mix in bread crumbs.
  • Form the meat mixture into a uniformly thick loaf in a rectangular baking pan.
  • Spread 1 cup BBQ sauce over top.
  • Bake uncovered 1 1/4 hours. Drain off extra grease. Spread 1 cup BBQ sauce over top again, and bake another 20 minutes.

 

BBQ Ranch Meatloaf Recipe - the best meatloaf recipe!

Enjoy!

To find a retailer that sells Naturally Fresh® quality home-style salad dressings and dips, click here.  You’ll see how delicious a difference it is when you use a quality home-style salad dressing with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

About Liz

Liz is a midwestern mom gone southern (accent in transition). She lives in North Carolina and loves cooking, baking, traveling, movies, crafts, hot and cold tea, wine, pizza and the occasional nap. She also revels in the fact she's a crazy cat lady.

Comments

  2. Rebekah@naturallyblessedmama says

    This looks like a great recipe!! I’m trying it for dinner tonight. It looks so moist and juicy! I will be using duck eggs, dairy-free ranch dressing, and oatmeal in place of the bread crumbs that way it will be gluten-free and dairy-free. I can’t wait to taste it!! I pinned and shared it.

    Reply

  4. Marie says

    Okay, this whole plate looks seriously delicious! We will absolutely be trying out this meatloaf soon. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us at Merry Monday this week!

    Reply

  5. Eileen Kelly says

    My family is not a meatloaf fan and it bothers me because it is such an easy dish to prepare. Your recipe is wonderful. I love the addition of the peppers and the peppercorn dressing and the combo of meat and sausage, I am pinning. I think I finally found the recipe they will love. Pinning. I wil let you know how it goes. “:)

    Reply

  15. Nikki Jenner says

    That looks so delicious. I also love adding ranch into my burger mix. It gives the meat so much flavor.

    Reply

  16. Comment as Courtney Gillard says

    The meatloaf looks mouthwatering. Ranch is also my favorite sauce, but I’ve never tried adding it to my meatloaf. I should try your recipe.

    Reply

  17. lalaine says

    Oh my! This meatloaf looks amazing! I love anything with BBQ on it and I am sure the sweet sauce brought wonders to the dish. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  20. Nicole Etolen says

    Perfect pair! I love everything in your plate, they make me hungry. Will definitely try this.

    Reply

  25. Amy Orvin says

    Your recipe looks amazing! I have never heard of the Naturally Fresh dressing before, but it looks good, too. I would love to try this for my family.

    Reply

  27. Janell Poulette says

    It’s funny that an ingredient as simple as this can make the difference for meatloaf. I am going to give this a try this week.

    Reply

  30. Ave says

    Your BBQ Ranch Meatloaf looks so delicious! I haven’t had a meatloaf for ages, seems that I have to add it to the menu again. I really like the idea of using Italian sausage!

    Reply

  38. Mhaan A says

    I must admit that this recipe looks incredibly delicious. And I think everyone loves barbecue! This is perfect for the weekend to share with the whole family.

    Reply

  40. wendy says

    My family is a huge fan of meatloaf. This looks awesome! We are going to have to try this! Thank you for the great recipe!

    Reply

  45. Amanda Love says

    This recipe looks so good and I love that you added ranch to the meatloaf, that definitely adds flavor to it especially when it hits the barbecue sauce. This is a lovely comfort food that’s an all time favorite even at home! I’m sure my family will fall in love with this recipe!

    Reply

  46. shelly peterson says

    We love meatloaf and this is an amazing recipe. It has so many yummy ingredients I would never have thought to use. I will have to try this.

    Reply

  47. Robin Rue says

    That meatloaf looks absolutely amazing. I have heard about putting ranch into it but have never tried it. Now I must.

    Reply

  49. Rebecca Swenor says

    Meatloaf is an easy dish to prepare and make for the family. This recipe sounds and looks good so I am going to have to try it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

  54. Michele says

    Meatloaf–one of the easiest and hardest dishes to make! I have yet to make it the same way twice-but I am never quite satisfied. Although I could not add those peppers in (my stomach would rebel) I will definitely try using that BBQ sauce and lite dressing-(O am pretty sure I have seen it where I shop)

    Reply

  59. David says

    I’m really not enjoying meat in the past couple of months but the look of this is very tasty. I would love to try this, even though I will fail if I try to cook.

    Reply

  62. Elizabeth O. says

    Very traditional, I’m sure it’s going to be a hit in parties as well as dinner with the family! It’s quite easy to make and although I don’t eat meat, it would be nice to prepare this for the rest of the family who does.

    Reply

  64. Annemarie LeBlanc says

    I was just wondering if instead of cooking the meatloaf in the oven, could it be possible to steam it instead? I think it would come out juicier. My only issue would be it may not be firm enough to slice.

    Reply

  81. Catherine S says

    This looks so amazing. I bet I could get my son to eat this meatloaf. He normally turns his nose up at it. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  82. Empire says

    I know this is supposed to be about the meat loaf, but I just couldn’t keep staring at the corn and beans!
    Ahhh, it’s been so so long since I’ve had corn..

    Reply

  84. Brandy says

    I will be honest, I am not a huge meatloaf fan, but as a child I Loved it. I will try this recipe and see if it brings back my childhood tastebuds 🙂

    Reply

  92. Erika says

    Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t “do” ranch and I’m not going to make an entire meatloaf for me for one dinner. I need to try this dressing. I usually avoid light or fat free ranch because it always has that fonky aftertaste.

    Reply

  95. Laura H says

    Meatloaf is one of those classic American dishes I hear a lot about on TV but I’ve never actually tried myself! It looks really tasty with the BBQ sauce so I should try make this myself at home 🙂

    Reply

  96. Jeanine says

    This looks and sounds so delicious! Different than what I’m used to! Would love to give it a try, would be a hit with the fam!

    Reply

  98. Kerry says

    I would never have thought to pair these two together but it actually looks delicious! Will need to give it a try 🙂

    Reply

  107. Chrishelle Ebner says

    I have put ranch dry mix in my meatloaf, but I have never thought of putting the actual dressing in my recipe. This looks amazing I will definitely be trying it this week. Yummy.

    Reply

  112. Stacie V says

    I am always looking for new meatloaf recipes to try. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make this for dinner this week.

    Reply

  118. Kathy says

    That looks really good. I haven’t had meatloaf in such a long time. I bet this recipe tastes amazing. I can’t wait to try it out.

    Reply

  120. Shauna Torres says

    Now this is one dish I know my family would love. I have always done ketchup or tomato sauce, but I love the idea of BBQ… so cool. Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  123. Elizabeth Gilbert says

    I was officially drooling just at the name of this recipe and then I saw the pictures. We love meat loaf in our house and I will have to have my husband make this! YUM!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

shares