Golden Corral Meatloaf Recipe: Elevate Your Delicious Dinner

Meatloaf is the star of the Golden Corral dinner buffet. This meatloaf is a mouth-watering dish with its flavorful, earthy spices, and moist, soft texture.

This delicious meatloaf recipe doesn’t take much time to bring together, and you can prepare it with essential, everyday ingredients.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Golden Corral Meatloaf Recipe

Ingredients

• Ground beef — 2 pounds.
• Onion — 1 pc., medium-sized, finely chopped, or grated.
• Celery stalk — 1 pc., finely chopped.
• Garlic powder — 1 tsp., or 1 ½ tsp.
• Dried thyme — ½ tsp.
• Dried rosemary — ½ tsp.
• Dried oregano — ½ tsp.
• Dried basil — ½ tsp.
• Ground black pepper — ½ tsp.
• Ground cloves — ¼ tsp.
• Salt — ½ tsp., to taste.
• Bread crumbs — ½ cup, or panko.
• Parmesan cheese — ⅓ cup, grated.
• Eggs — 2 pcs., medium-sized.
• Whole milk — ½ cup.
• Extra virgin olive oil — 1 tbsp.
• Tomato sauce — ½ cup.

Instructions

1. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit first.

2. Mix the ground beef, onion, celery stalk, garlic powder, rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, cloves, salt, pepper, bread crumbs (or panko), and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl.

3. Crack the eggs in another bowl. Add milk and whisk until combined. Add the extra virgin olive oil and tomato sauce. Mix the liquid ingredients well.

4. Pour the liquid mixture over the meat mixture. Knead the mixture with your hands to make sure the meatloaf ingredients are well integrated.

5. Transfer the meatloaf mixture into the greased bread tin. Press down to ensure that the meatloaf is evenly placed in the tin.

6. Put the tin in the preheated oven and bake the meatloaf for about 60 minutes. Check after 50 minutes.

7. When the meatloaf is completely baked, take the tin out and let the meatloaf rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. If you have time, it is better to let the meatloaf rest for another 15 minutes.

8. Remove the meatloaf from the tin over a service plate. Slice into pieces. Serve it with gravy or tomato sauce.

Substitutions

• Ground beef — You can make Golden Corral meatloaf with ground turkey instead of beef.

• Eggs — It is preferable to use eggs for the copycat Golden Corral meatloaf. But if you want to reduce the number of eggs, you can use only one egg and replace the other with two tablespoons of heavy cream. If you wish to have egg-free meatloaf, you can substitute the eggs with four tablespoons of heavy cream.

• Spices — Instead of putting spices individually, you can add all-purpose seasoning or other spice combinations of your choice, such as garam masala, Cajun spice, etc. If you choose to add ready-to-use mixed spices, be careful with the amount, and make sure not to add too much.

• Olive oil — You can substitute olive oil with vegetable oils such as sunflower or canola.

Variations

• Make it gluten-free — If you're gluten intolerant, add coarse ground cornmeal instead of breadcrumbs. Another substitute for a gluten-free option would be roasted chickpea flour.

• Add a refreshing touch — Finely chop a handful of fresh parsley leaves to alleviate the freshness of the meatloaf. Fresh parsley leaves will also give some Middle Eastern vibes to your dish.

• Add extra flavor — Mix ketchup, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and serve this sauce with the meatloaf. This sauce has sweet, savory, and tangy elements of taste. This addition will bring an umami taste to the meatloaf and accentuate the overall flavor of your meal.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons.

• Chopping board.

• Bread tin or mold.

• 2 mixing bowls.

• Oven.

Storage

• This copycat Golden Corral meatloaf freezes well. So, you can prepare the meatloaf ahead and keep it in the freezer for later use. Store it in an airtight container to keep it. If you don’t have an airtight container, you can cover the meatloaf completely with plastic wrap. 

• If you want to store it in the refrigerator, cover it with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container. It will last up to four days if properly stored.

Pro Tips

• Lean or low-fat ground beef works best for this recipe. If the fat content of the meat is high, the texture of the meatloaf could be too soft to handle. 

• Make sure that all the ingredients you will use in the copycat Golden Corral meatloaf are fresh since the freshness of the ingredients will affect the taste.

• For the leftover meatloaf, be careful with reheating. Bring the meatloaf to room temperature first before reheating it. Exposing cold meatloaf directly to high temperatures may negatively affect the taste and can cause spoilage of the food.