Hundreds of Redditors Are Sharing Their Meatloaf Secret Ingredients & These Are the Ones We're Dying To Try

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There are some recipes we’ve made so many times, we don’t even try to look up something new when we make it. We’re on dinner autopilot or something. But it turns out that even for those staple recipes that got us through childhood, there are still new techniques and ingredients to discover that can take things to a whole new level. Case in point? Meatloaf. Many of us just make the same basic meatloaf recipe we grew up eating, but it really is one of those recipes that have a thousand variations (just look at Giada De Laurentiis’ meatloaf parm recipe). Recently on Reddit, one person in the Cooking subreddit asked, “What’s the secret ingredient in your meatloaf?” The question recieved more than 600 replies, and these are some of our favorite ideas.

Lipton Onion Soup Mix

One meatloaf secret ingredient that all of us probably already have on hand? Lipton Onion Soup Mix. “Lotta stuff going on in that little packet that makes it a big flavor booster,” shared one cook, while another said, “I typically use the beefy onion flavor for mine…those packets are a huge time saver!”

Lipton.

Stove Top Stuffing

Don’t save stuffing for Thanksgiving — it turns out it can help our your meatloaf, too. More than one person reported they use “crushed up Stove Top Stuffing instead of bread crumbs,” which adds extra flavor to the mix.

Stove Top.

Pecorino Romano and Chopped Capers

One adventurous cook shared that they add Pecornino Romano cheese and chopped capers to their meatloaf. We’re intrigued by the savory, salty punch this must add to the dish, and we’d be especially interested in trying it in a meatloaf that’s made partly with ground Italian sausage, another Redditor’s suggestion.

Grated Zucchini

Zucchini is one of those ingredients that you can seemingly put in just about any recipe. A Redditor shared that they add “grated zucchini, pressed free of liquid after grating” to their meat mixture. The result? “I’ve never had a more juicy meatloaf.” What if you’re using a leaner ground meat? “If you’re using ground turkey, don’t press the liquid out” of the zucchini, advised one commenter.

Sausage

Multiple people said that adding sausage to their meat mixture was the secret to flavorful meatloaf. People reported using Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, and Mexican chorizo.

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