The Perfect Meatloaf Ingredient When You Want To Add A Little Crunch

Meatloaf night's a treat, but it can get repetitive if you're using the same recipe over and over again. With such a simple dish, it's effortless to whip up alternate versions of this classic weeknight meal and add much-needed variety to the dinner table. Most meatloaf, for example, has a soft, tender mouthfeel without much texture variation. Adding a bit of crunch into the mix will quickly jazz things up, and the perfect solution takes a crispy cue from a beloved Thanksgiving side dish.

Next meatloaf night, open up a can of fried onions — yes, the same onions that go on top of your favorite easy green bean casserole. A cup of the delicious little oniony treats, crushed and added to the meatloaf mix, takes the place of breadcrumbs and adds both an extra helping of onion flavor and some much-needed crunch to the finished product. Glaze the loaf with a drizzle of barbecue or tomato sauce, then sprinkle some extra onions on top for additional flavor and to ensure a mouthful of crispiness in each bite.

Canned fried onions add flavor and texture to recipes of all kinds, especially casseroles. First produced widely in the 1930s and later made popular in the 1950s with the invention of green bean casserole, these tasty little onions are used in many different applications nowadays — from a crunchy burger topping to a crust for chicken or other meats.

Toppings like fried onions work well with recipes that traditionally have more homogenized textures; most casseroles, for example, tend to be on the wet side, and the contrasting texture of a crunchy topping (like breadcrumbs on mac and cheese, for instance) makes a dish all the more appetizing. In the case of meatloaf, not only are the crispy onions a welcome divergence from the smooth texture of the loaf, but the intense onion flavor also mixes well with the meaty flavor of the ground beef. All of the elements in this dish complement one another perfectly.

Fried onions do lose their crunch over time; moisture in the air absorbs into the fried crust and softens it. This process speeds up when the onions are put in a moist environment — say, into or on top of a meatloaf. So that crunch won't last forever, especially after a night in the fridge. But the oniony flavor will persist. (And you can always add an extra handful of fried onions to your heated-up leftovers the next day.)

If a crunchy texture is what you're craving on meatloaf night, canned fried onions are only the start of your options. Many other pantry items can add a similar mouthwatering crunch and will work in tandem with these crispy alliums. Reach, for example, for a box of Ritz — to make a crumbly and buttery garnish and to infuse the meatloaf with the salty flavor of these popular crackers by mixing crushed pieces into the meat. Crushed potato chips also make an excellent replacement for breadcrumbs and a delicious meatloaf topping. If you want to impart an even more unique taste to your loaf, go for a flavor-packed chip variety like barbecue or heighten the allium flavor with sour cream and onion.

Looking for another meatloaf addition that adds crunch and flavor? Bacon could be your answer. Wrapping your meatloaf in fatty, juicy bacon (just as celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern suggests) not only seals in moisture and imparts lots of succulent bacon fat, but that bacon renders in the oven until it's a crispy, crackly crust surrounding the meat. The results might not even last long enough to make it to the fridge.