If you think you don’t like meatloaf, think again! Taco Meatloaf combines all the Mexican food flavors your love with three types of meat for a mouthwatering comfort food recipe sure to become your new favorite. Recipe makes 2 meatloaves too!
It never ceases to amaze me how when the weather changes so does one’s palate; as in digital shift. For me gone are the days of tossed green salads at home to be replaced by soup. Where I could not bear to turn on the oven for months, I cannot fathom going without eating something warm and soul-satisfying once a chill is in the air. Enter Taco Meatloaf, a fantastic recipe for a crowd or to make any dinner special.
Though an omnivore I typically don’t eat a lot of red meat. No big thing behind it, it just works out that way. When I had a recent household request for meatloaf it just felt like, well, so much ‘meat’. I love the classic diner combo with mashed potatoes but it was a bit too much for me edging back into cold weather foods.
Loving anything with Mexican seasonings I pulled up a meatloaf version up from an old cookbook which I adapted to end up with this. This Taco Meatloaf is the best of both worlds to me; a good hearty meatloaf but with a Mexican twist I love so much. The recipe makes two meatloaves so is great for a big group, leftovers or to freeze one for later!
In this age where we are madly trying to strip fat from our diets, we need to remember much of the flavor in ground meats is FROM the fat! I did not want a meatloaf swimming in fat and elected to taper the amount of fat in the ground beef (extra lean and lean) and let the sausage provide most of the fat along with the cheddar cheese on top. As I wrote it up I wondered about adding in some chorizo for the sausage too!
I’ve found this recipe is a winner. People love the wonderful blend of flavors and cooks love the two-for-one of getting two meatloaves in one cooking session. If you shy away from meatloaf worried it will be humdrum, try this version and let me know what you think!
Recipe
Taco Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion , chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper , cored and chopped
- 3 large Garlic Cloves , minced
- 1-2 fresh Jalapeno or Serrano Peppers , cored and diced (remember to wear gloves!)
- 1-2 tablespoons Chili Powder (pick the amount of heat you want)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoons Mexican Oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground Cumin
- 1 28- ounce can peeled , crushed Tomatoes , drained
- 1 pound Ground Sirloin
- ½ pound Ground Round or Ground Chuck
- ½ pound spicy Italian Breakfast Sausage or Chorizo (loose)
- 1 cup dried Bread Crumbs (if making gluten free use gluten free bread)*
- 2 Eggs , lightly beaten
- 1 cup Corn Kernels , fresh or frozen and defrosted
- 8 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese , grated
- 3 Scallions , sliced thinly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large, heavy pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapenos or Serrano chiles, and seasonings until beginning to soften and onion becomes translucent (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add tomatoes and cook at low temperature, covered, for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine the ground beef, sausage, vegetable mixture, bread crumbs, eggs, corn and green onion; mix until fully combined.
- Divide evenly into 2 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes. Drain any juices, spread grated cheddar cheese evenly on the tops of the loaves and bake until melted. Allow to cool slightly before serving (10 minutes).
Verona says
I made this last night and the crushed tomatoes threw me. They were very runny/saucy, and trying to drain them meant losing about half the volume. Did you mean diced tomatoes instead? It turned out fine and the baking time was spot on, but it seemed like using crushed tomatoes and draining half of them away was a bit of a waste. Any advice? Thanks!
Toni Dash says
Hi Verona. This is the way I’ve always made the meatloaf and have not run into any difficulties. Typically I drain canned ingredients by opening the can almost all the way, holding the lid in place and turning it upside down over the sink to drain. If you do substitute diced tomatoes in the future, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Hope that helps.
Verona says
Thanks for the response, Toni! So, just to make sure I’m understanding correctly, you do use the runny crushed tomatoes but just drain off all the puree, correct? My husband thought perhaps I bought the “wrong kind” of crushed tomatoes, but, as far as I could tell, there was only one kind! Anyway, it all worked out–I made the meatloaf for a casual dinner party and it was a big hit with our friends. Thanks for the recipe!
Toni Dash says
Hi Verona. I don’t use a certain type just ‘crushed tomatoes’. Glad you liked the recipe!
Verona says
Perfect–that’s what I was wondering. Thanks again!
Kelly Uhland says
I wish you would of said to drain the tomatoes in the recipes… my meatloaf is very runny…
Toni Dash says
Actually it DOES say to drain the tomatoes Kelly. In the ingredients.
Melissa says
When you freeze one, do you freeze it raw or after it has been baked?
Toni Dash says
You can do either Melissa. This excerpt from The Food Channel may be helpful to you: “Meatloaf can be frozen either fully cooked and cooled or raw ready to bake. Wrap each meatloaf tightly to prevent freezer burn or contamination from raw meat. Whichever method you use, be sure to defrost meat loaf thoroughly in refrigerator before baking or reheating. “
Donna Ausmus says
My husband loved this dish! Thank you for sharing
Toni Dash says
I’m so glad Donna! This is the perfect time of year for it too.
JULIE says
Sounds delicious. What is Italian breakfast sausage. Never seen or even heard of it.
Toni Dash says
Julie if you can find loose Italian sausage you can use that!
Tiffany Overall says
this looks delish!
kylee says
I used everything the same except the tomatoes. They were in puree cause thats all I could find. Im thinking because of the extra “moisture” from the puree thats way. Also, when I dished it out it wasnt your typical meatloaf. It didnt stay together, again I think because it was to wet. I knew it was going to be wetter so I added extra bread crumbs. My husband still loved it, but I told him that if I still use the tomatoes in the puree, I wont use nearly as much. Trial and error, it still tasted good!!
Toni Dash says
I think you are on the right track. It’s amazing how additional moisture can change cooking time and consistency. It should turn out as shown in the photos which gives you a frame of reference.
I’m glad your husband still liked it! Next time it will taste great and look better too!
kylee says
I made this tonight for dinner, as directed, and when I pulled them out at 50 minutes, they were not even close to being done. I put them back in for another hour.
Toni Dash says
Hi Kylee. I’m so sorry to hear this. I’ve made this meatloaf more times than I can count, as have other readers, with no issue. I’m happy to try to help figure out what happened if you like. May I ask if you made any substitutions to the recipe? Is your oven calibrated so you are sure it is baking at 350 degrees? If you can fill me in more I’m happy to work with you. Feel free to respond here or email me too!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
This looks so good! Definitely need to try!!