German Meatloaf, Falscher Hase is creamy, full of flavor, soft, and does not fall apart when you cut it. The surprising egg filling and crispy bacon make this Meatloaf much tastier. This is not some minced meat shaped into a loaf of bread; this is real enjoyment!
German Meatloaf - Falscher Hase
Meatloaf is German food and is budget-friendly. And that is precisely why this German Meatloaf was used for. After the war, when meat was scarce, this was the solution to put something tasty on the table. With a rabbit flavor (hence falscher hase is a German word for fake rabbit), a favorite comfort food in Germany.
Filling the Meatloaf with eggs and covering it with a top of bacon slices gives it a lot of flavors and keeps it creamy. And besides being a cheap meat meal, this is a super easy meatloaf recipe. Just in a cake tin, which is in the oven, within 10 minutes. A traditional German meatloaf recipe that is juicy and tasty.
And do you like Meatloaf? Then you will also like this Meatloaf with glaze or chicken meatloaf from the oven.
Jump to:
What do you need for German Meatloaf (Fake Rabbit)?
To prepare this German Meatloaf - Falscher Hase, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- A mixture of Ground meat - One of the secrets of a creamy meatloaf is to choose half ground beef and half ground pork. That is a bit fatter and has more flavor.
- Breadcrumbs - Plain bread crumbs to bind the minced meat. Traditionally, two leftover kaiser balls (leftover from breakfast or the day before) are soaked in milk for a few minutes, squeezed, and finely ground.
- Shallot and Garlic - Seasonings for the ground meat
- Parsley - Nice and fresh, finely chopped through the minced meat.
- Eggs - You use three peeled whole hard-boiled eggs as the filling in the middle of the meat; I always use large eggs. You use two eggs through the minced meat mixture to bind it.
- Bacon - Adds great flavor and keeps the Meatloaf moist.
- Mustard - Use smooth yellow mustard. It gives the Meatloaf a little spice.
- Paprika powder - Has a spicy taste, adding umami to the Meatloaf.
How to prepare Savory German-style Meatloaf
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter in the pan and fry the finely chopped shallot for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Put the minced meat in a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, onion mix, eggs, mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper, and knead well. Mix until the meat is just mixed, but not too long, or your German Meatloaf will become solid.
- Place half of the meat in the cake tin, and place the three peeled, hard-boiled eggs in a straight line in the center.
- Cover with the rest of the minced meat and divide the strips of bacon over the meat. Place Meatloaf with egg in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for 45 minutes until cooked through (and the internal temperature is 170 °F (75 °C), you can check this with a meat thermometer). Remove meat from the oven and take it out of the tin.
Serve - Slice this delicious German Meatloaf into thick slices. This goes well with mashed potatoes, red cabbage from the slow cooker, and Jäger sauce.
Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
- If you're serving Jäger sauce, prepare it while the Meatloaf is baking in the oven.
- You can prepare the Meatloaf on a baking tray (shape meat on baking paper), but a 6-inch loaf pan will do just fine, and your Meatloaf will keep its shape.
- Boil the eggs for 4-5 minutes until they are semi-hard, and run them under cold water to make them easier to peel. They will continue to cook in the oven. They can become too dry in the oven if you cook them completely hard-boiled. You can cook them up to one day in advance and store them in the fridge.
- Also, tasty seasonings: ½ teaspoon of sage, a teaspoon of tarragon, or oregano. Or finely chop two gherkins and mix them with the minced meat.
- If you don't want to cover the top with bacon, brush the German Meatloaf with melted butter every 10 minutes that you bake it in the oven. Then it won't dry out, and you get a delicious crust.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- loaf / pound cake tin 6 inches / 15 cm
- A conventional oven is used. When using a convection oven (with air fan) decrease the temperature with 30 °F / 20 °C
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot minced finely
- 1 clove garlic squeezed
- 2 pound ground meat 1 pound ground beef 1 pound ground pork would be perfect.
- ¼ cup dry bread crumbs
- ½ oz. Fresh Parsley sliced finely
- 2 eggs size M
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 3 hard-boiled eggs size M or L, peeled
- 6 slices smoked bacon
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F or 320 °F - Grease a cake tin with butter, and line with baking paper.
- Melt butter in the pan on medium heat and fry the shallot for 3 minutes until translucent. Stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds.1 tablespoon butter, 1 shallot, 1 clove garlic
- Place the ground beef in a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, fried onions with garlic, eggs, mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper, and mix until just combined.2 pound ground meat, ¼ cup dry bread crumbs, ½ oz. Fresh Parsley, 2 eggs, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- Put half of the meat in the tin, place the three hard-boiled eggs on top and cover with the rest of the meat.3 hard-boiled eggs
- Place the bacon strips on top of the Meatloaf.6 slices smoked bacon
- Bake for 45 minutes until the core temperature is 170 °F (75 °C). Remove from the oven and remove the tin. Serv
Notes
- Also, tasty seasonings: ½ teaspoon of sage, a teaspoon of tarragon, or oregano.
- Or finely chop two gherkins and mix them with the minced meat.
- Refrigerator - You can store the Meatloaf in the fridge, covered, for 2 to 3 days.
- Freezer - Wrap the bread in 2 layers of aluminum foil and freeze. This keeps it good for up to a month. Then, let it thaw in the refrigerator. Tip - Keep the meat in slices and put baking paper in between. This way, you can take out the number of slices you need.
- Tip - Leftovers Meatloaf with egg can be eaten warm or cold. Nice, for example, the next day, thinly sliced on bread.
- Reheat - If you want to warm up the German Meatloaf, place it in an oven dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Heat at 350 °F (180 °C) for 25 minutes, or until the inside of the Meatloaf is warm.
Stephanie says
All the recipes I've tried from this website have been delicious - and this German meatloaf is no exception. The dish is loaded with flavor and, yes, it does slice nicely so it looks great on a serving plate (love the surprise egg!).
Gloria says
I love a good meatloaf recipe. This looks and sounds fantastic. I know it will be a hit with the kids and hubby for dinner one night this week.
debra says
This is next level meatloaf! What a gorgeous slice....beautiful presentation and everyone adored how tasty it was.
Nora says
Love your "falscher Hase" recipe! It's soft and juicy, like it should be! Awesome!
Swathi says
German meat loaf looks delicious I love this I need to try it.
Andréa says
I agree. It really is delicious!
Andréa says
It sure is soft and juicy. Thank you!
Andréa says
Thank you so much!
Andréa says
The surprise egg is really a great feature, I agree. Thank you for your nice words!