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French Onion Meatloaf

French onion meatloaf with deeply caramelized onions and melted Swiss cheese bakes into a sliceable loaf. This French onion soup meatloaf is seasoned with onion soup mix and finished until the cheese is bubbly and golden on top.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
rest 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meatloaf
  • 2 lb ground beef Use 80/20 for best moisture.
  • 0.667 cup breadcrumbs Plain or seasoned both work.
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.333 cup milk
  • 1 packet (1 oz) French onion soup mix Use standard 1 oz packet.
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 0.25 salt To taste; amount varies by preference.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste; amount varies by preference.
Topping
  • 3 onions Thinly sliced, caramelized in butter for 25 minutes.
  • 1 tbsp butter For caramelizing onions.
  • 6 Swiss cheese Slices, used on top.
  • 1 fresh thyme For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and bake base
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan with a light coating so the loaf releases cleanly.
  2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, French onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until evenly mixed with no dry pockets.
  3. Press the mixture firmly into the loaf pan to compact it for clean slices, then bake for 50 minutes until set around the edges.
Caramelize onions and finish with cheese
  1. While the loaf bakes, thinly slice onions and caramelize in butter in a Dutch oven for about 25 minutes, stirring until deep golden brown and jammy.
  2. Spread the caramelized onions over the hot meatloaf and lay Swiss cheese slices on top, covering fully for a cheesy layer.
  3. Return to the oven for 15–20 minutes at 350°F until the cheese is melted and bubbly at the edges and the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Rest and serve
  1. Rest the meatloaf 10 minutes so juices redistribute and the slices hold their shape.
  2. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve warm with the caramelized onion topping.

Notes

Pro tip: Compact the meatloaf firmly in the pan and don’t skip the 10-minute rest—this keeps slices from crumbling. Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days in a sealed container; freeze up to 3 months, tightly wrapped. For a lighter option, swap half the ground beef for ground turkey while keeping the same egg and milk binder.