Sometimes, substituting just one ingredient in a very traditional dish makes a load of difference. Meatloaf is probably as traditional as it gets. Many of us grew up having our family’s brand of meatloaf pretty often. Cooking meatloaf using crackers is a piece of cake.

This cracker meatloaf takes one of the most common meatloaf combos and substitutes just one thing. Instead of regular bread crumbs we will use oily salty crackers, something like Ritz. It may not seem like a lot of change, but the texture of this meatloaf is actually quite different.

See for yourself! Ritz crackers are made of very fine flour and they are also already baked, so when you use them as a filler, they add extra airiness and fluffiness to the meatloaf mix. I love this easy meatloaf recipe with crackers.

There are a few tips to making this meatloaf especially tender. First, it’s best if you mince the onions in a food processor so that they are chopped real fine. Second, mix everything by hand, but try not to overmix it unless you’re fan of brick-like texture for meatloaf. Nope, not even the extra fine crackers will save your meatloaf in this case.

If you like your meatloaf crispy on the outside, it’s best to cook it in a regular baking dish instead of a loaf-shaped one.

Glaze it with ketchup or a mix of ketchup and a steak sauce. I like glazing my meatloaf before and after baking for extra flavor. Other than that, just follow the simple instructions of meatloaf recipe with crackers and ketchup below and I hope you enjoy this recipe!