Easy Meatloaf Patties on the Griddle (for the Best Open-Faced Sandwich!)

Want to make meatloaf on the griddle? Then try these meatloaf patties on your Blackstone griddle or other flat top grill. Serve on some thick cut toast and top with mashed potatoes, gravy, and crispy fried onions for one epic griddle dinner!

A few months ago we went to a restaurant and had an awesome open faced meatloaf sandwich. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since, so of course, I had to try and recreate it on my griddle.

But how do you make a meal that is meant to be baked in an oven on your flat top grill instead? Sometimes you have to get a little creative. So meatloaf patties it is! These griddle meatloaf patties get an awesome crust on the outside just like a hamburger, but they’re loaded with all of the flavor that you love from a good old comforting plate of meatloaf. Here’s how to make them:

Open-Faced Meatloaf Sandwich Ingredients

This open-faced griddle sandwich was pretty involved since there are a lot of components to the finished dish. Between the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and crispy fried onions, you may want to save this recipe for a Sunday supper. That’s why I tried to cut a corner on the gravy. If you want to make your own homemade gravy from scratch, by all means, go right ahead! But this packet was a great substitution.

Here’s what I used for my meatloaf patties on the griddle:

• 80/20 ground beef
• onion
• bell pepper
• egg
• dijon mustard
• Worcestershire sauce
• A1 Sweet Hickory sauce – Or substitute your favorite steak sauce… I’ve been using this one in a lot of my recipes lately.
• ketchup
• breadcrumbs
• minced garlic
• half and half – Or you can also use milk… I always have half and half in my fridge for coffee, so I often use it in my recipes because it’s richer and creamier.

If you’re going to be making open-faced meatloaf sandwiches like I did, then you will also need:

• potatoes, cream, butter, salt, and pepper – For the mashed potatoes
• thinly sliced onions, buttermilk, all-purpose flour, and a good all purpose seasoning – For the crispy shoestring onions
• gravy packet mix – I used the Pioneer brand of Roasted Beef Gravy, but you can also use jarred gravy or make your own.
• thick cut bread or Texas Toast
• salt and pepper

How to Make Meatloaf Patties on the Griddle

Remember, a griddle is just a heat source, so it can be used for a wide variety of cooking methods. Yes, it is better suited to things like sautéing or searing because it’s similar to a giant skillet, but you can use it for other types of cooking as well.

And today, we’re doing it all… From deep frying our own homemade crispy shoestring onions, to whipping up some easy homemade mashed potatoes, to making a simple gravy. So let’s jump right in to how to make these easy meatloaf patties on the flat top grill:

Step 1: Cook diced onions and peppers for the meatloaf mixture.

Since this griddle dinner has a lot of different components, it’s all about timing and making things in the correct order. I believe that meatloaf is best when the ground beef mixture has a chance to set up so the flavors can marry, so I chose to do that first.

To make the meatloaf mixture, first you need to cook your diced onions and peppers on the griddle. Since these meatloaf patties aren’t being baked in the oven, the diced veggies won’t have as long to cook as they would for a normal meatloaf, so you don’t want to add them to the meatloaf mixture raw. Just saute the bell pepper and onion on your flat top grill until tender.

Step 2: Make the meatloaf mixture and form into patties.

While the onions and peppers are cooking, you can go ahead and add all of the meatloaf ingredients to a large bowl. You can print the full recipe at the end of this post.

Then, when the onions and peppers are done cooking, just add them to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix everything together by hand.

After the meatloaf mixture is well combined, it’s time to form it into patties. I used a 1 cup measuring cup to portion out the meat so that each patty was evenly sized. Just fill a measuring cup, then dump that amount out into your hand and pat and press it into a large patty like you would for a thick-cut hamburger:

Step 3: Cook the meatloaf on the griddle.

Before you add the patties to the griddle, season them on the first side (the side that will cook on the griddle first) with your favorite all purpose or burger seasoning. Cavendar’s All Purpose Greek Seasoning or the Pit Boss Bold Burger Rub would both be great choices. Or you can just use salt, pepper, and garlic powder as well. The seasoning will also help to give your patties a nice crispy crust on the outside.

Then, add the patties to the preheated griddle seasoning side down and cook them just like you would a hamburger. After you put the patties on the griddle, you can go ahead and season the top side (unseasoned side facing up) also.

For the best crust, allow the meatloaf patties to cook on the first side untouched for about 2 minutes. The cooking time needed will vary based on the temperature of your griddle and the thickness of your patties.

*CHEF’S TIP – Since the meatloaf mixture has ketchup in it, the sugars may burn a bit giving you a darker looking crust on the outside of your patties where they are in contact with the griddle… but don’t be alarmed! To help keep the sugars from burning too much on the griddle, you’ll want to flip more than once for even cooking.

After the patties have had a chance to cook on each side and develop a nice crust, you may want to dome them to create an oven effect and to help speed up the cooking process.

*You can visit this post to check out my favorite melting dome and my other must-have flat top grill accessories!

Once the meatloaf gets to the desired internal temperature, then you can take them off the griddle and allow them to rest for a few minutes before serving.

I added mine to some thick cut toasted bread to make an awesome open-faced sandwich with mashed potatoes, gravy, and crispy fried onions like this:

Griddle Meatloaf Patties Recipe

Use the recipe card below to print this meatloaf recipe and add it to your binder with recipes for the flat top grill! And if you make these meatloaf sandwiches, be sure to come back and let me know what you think!

And if you’re looking for good Southern comfort food side dishes to serve with your meatloaf, then try these awesome Hash Brown Casserole Griddle Cakes on the flat top grill, too!

Meatloaf Patties on the Flat Top Grill

Created by: Neal

Cuisine Entrees

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

4 -5 patties

Want to make meatloaf on the griddle? Try these easy meatloaf patties that cook up just like a thick hamburger, perfect for the flat top grill! Add the meatloaf to a piece of toasted Texas Toast and top with mashed potatoes, gravy, and crispy fried onions for one heck of an open-faced meatloaf sandwich!

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Ingredients

  

• 1.5 pound 80/20 ground beef
• 1/2 cup cooked diced bell pepper
• 1/2 cup cooked diced onion
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon dijon musard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of your favorite steak sauce
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons half and half – Or substitute milk
• salt and pepper
• your favorite all purpose seasoning or burger seasoning

Instructions

• Preheat griddle or flat top grill on low.
• Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together with your hands until well combined.
• Using a 1 cup measuring cup, portion out the meatloaf mixture and shape into patties, similar to a thick hamburger patty. You should get 4-5 patties from this recipe.
• Season the first side of the patties with your favorite all purpose or burger seasoning, and then add them to the griddle top seasoning side down. Then, season the top upwards facing side.
• Allow the meatloaf patties to cook on the first side for about 2 minutes to set. Then use a spatula to carefully flip them to the other side and continue to cook.
• Once both sides have developed a nice initial crust, continue to flip periodically so that the sugars from the added ketchup do not burn on the griddle. You may need to dome the patties while cooking to create more of an oven effect. Cook until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of about 160 degrees.
• When the meatloaf patties are done cooking, remove them from the griddle and transfer to a plate or cutting board to cool slightly. Then serve with your favorite meatloaf side dishes or add to toasted bread for an open-faced sandwich. Enjoy!

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