It's perfect savory addition to a classic meat loaf.

Published on November 24, 2025

Credit:

Carson Downing / Food Styling: Annie Probst

A classic meat loaf recipe usually calls for dry bread crumbs, so your leftover stuffing is the perfect way to utilize the savory holiday side. Feel free to use your favorite barbecue sauce here, but a thick, full-flavor barbecue sauce to season and glaze the meat loaf (we liked Stubb’s Original during testing). Also, if you have leftover cranberry sauce, you can swap some in to make the most of all your Thanksgiving leftovers. Serve up the Stuffing Meat Loaf with leftover mashed potatoes and gravy for a quick, delicious meal.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup leftover cooked stuffing

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving

  • 2 lb. ground pork and beef meat loaf mix, or 1 lb. ground pork plus 1 lb. 92% lean ground beef

  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese

  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

  • 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place stuffing in a large bowl; use your fingers to break up into small pieces. Stir in egg and 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce; let stand 5 minutes. 

  2. Use a fork to mash stuffing mixture into a paste. Stir in meat loaf mix, Parmesan, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and ground black pepper; mix thoroughly. 

    Leftover Cranberry Sauce? Stir together 1/4 cup with 1/4 cup barbecue sauce and use in place of the 1/2 cup barbecue sauce.

  3. Shape mixture into an 8x4-inch loaf on prepared baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes. Brush tops and sides of meat loaf with remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce. Return to oven; continue baking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center reads 160°F, 25 to 30 minutes more.

  4. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with additional barbecue sauce if you like. 

Credits

Recipe developed by Ivy Manning.