Keep Meatloaf From Falling Apart With One Breakfast Boxed Mix

If you've ever made meatloaf only to have it crumble to pieces, you know this is one case where too tender is actually not a good thing. While you do want your meatloaf to be moist, the meat should stay together when cut into slices or bites. To achieve this cohesive texture and form, home cooks usually use a mix of binding ingredients, such as bread crumbs or crushed crackers along with eggs, in a classic homemade meatloaf recipe. However, it's less known that you can also keep meatloaf from falling apart using one popular and delicious boxed breakfast mix you likely already have in the pantry: Bisquick.  

Bisquick has long been used for culinary feats other than biscuits, including a quick homemade pasta recipe popular in the 60s. Boxed pancake and biscuit breakfast mix like Bisquick (or other brand equivalents) works wonders when added to lean ground beef, spices, ketchup, brown sugar, and an egg or two to make meatloaf. Just as in the case of using Bisquick as a shortcut binder for sausage meatballs, the flour is a key binding agent (in a manner similar to breadcrumbs) and helps retain the structure of meatloaf so it doesn't crumble, while absorbing and maintaining the moisture of the dish during and after cooking. All you need is about half a cup to two-thirds a cup of Bisquick per loaf to keep your homemade meatloaf both juicy and cohesive in form, simultaneously. 

When we talk about binding ingredients in meatloaf, we also need to talk about moisture because you don't want the meat to become too dense or dry. Whether you use breadcrumbs or Bisquick as a binder to keep the loaf from crumbling, these binding ingredients retain moisture (and flavor). So, to remedy this potential dilemma, some home cooks add a bit of baking soda to their meatloaf to create a little lift to the protein structure. This helps keep meatloaf juicy and moist while imparting structure.

Beyond binding, Bisquick also adds flavor to meatloaf — making it an enticing addition to your next take on the classic weeknight dinner. Just like using crushed flavorful crackers, like Ritz, for binding and to add a tasty twist to meatloaf, the salt, sugar, and tangy buttermilk in Bisquick mix add great flavor to the meatloaf mixture, which can set it apart from other traditional versions. Plus, buttermilk is also among the many ingredients that help keep meatloaf moist. Of course, you can still (in fact, it's recommended) that you still include other ingredients that create a moist, cohesive meatloaf, including ketchup or barbecue sauce.