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!
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).
Recipe Notes
*To make your own Bread Crumbs process dried or stale bread in a food processor until forming crumbs. I do this often with the end of homemade gluten free bread loaves and store them in the freezer for use.
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!!
carol says
this does look good! and the kids get tired of the “same ole” meatloaf. i think i would add a few cornchips to the topping tho… next to bacon, cornchips make everything better!! hahaha!
Liz says
I like this recipe. Thank you.
Pam says
This sounds yummy! What do you think of grinding/crushing up tortilla chips to use in place of the bread crumbs? Or maybe half bread crumbs, half tortilla chip crumbs?
Toni Dash says
I think it’s completely brilliant and you should forego the bread crumbs all together and use the corn/tortilla chips ground up. And then I think you should invite me over for taste testing! Please ‘report back’ with the results. I think it will be fantastic!
Liz says
Would you recommend any substitute for corn? Would beans work?
Toni Dash says
Hi Liz. You certainly could try something like beans as a replacement for corn (I’d go for black beans, pinto beans or kidney beans). The corn contributes to the texture and flavor but if you don’t like it or cannot eat it, by all means try beams! Let me know how it turns out!
Shannon Russell says
I made this for my picky family using ground beef and chorizo and they all went for seconds. No more dry meatloaf .
Mary Ann says
This looks great… I’ve been making something similar for years but instead of the individual seasoning and veggies I just use a jar of salsa mixed with the meat, sausage, egg and breadcrumb, and I add the shredded cheese right in the mix. very yummy!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
YUMmy Mary Ann! It’s lightly snowing here. The Yankee Beware soup is gone and your version sounds fantastic. Going to rummage through my pantry now with fingers crossed to whip up something similar!
Jenny (VintageSugarcube) says
There are not words to describe how good that looks right about NOW!
Lea Ann says
Where did you find that cowboy boot napkin????? Love it.
I made meatloaf last weekend and was thinking about turning it into a Mexican version. Glad to hear there's a recipe in Collage. Love those cookbooks. Great photos Toni.
Baker Street says
That cheddar topping is just perfect! Your meatloaf looks great!
kita says
My boyfriend wont touch a meatlaof – has he ever tried one – nope, just knows they are yucky. I am going to have to force this one on him because it sounds amazing! He will just have to deal 😉
Christine's Pantry says
Wow! This looks great. Yum factor.
tartedujour says
Yum! I love it when someone takes a classic and puts a new twist on it! This looks delicious… I have my share of boring meatloaves and I would definitely makes this. I'm still waiting for the cool air to kick in here… lucky!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
You know how you find a great recipe or two in a cookbook that you go back to over and over but sort of ignore all the rest? Well, that's me and Colorado Collage…I've never seen this recipe and yet it sounds terrific. I haven't made meatloaf in years. Maybe this will be my 'What's old is new again' moment.
I know the Denver Junior League cookbooks seldom disappoint; all are favorites of mine.
Eliotseats says
You are right about the change in seasons affecting one's taste buds. I LOVE all this gooey cheese.
Sue Troller says
Yum! Can't wait to try this – boring meatloaf be gone. And the cheese heads in my household will surely be thrilled.
Rosemary says
Love the napkin 🙂 — (And the meatloaf, too!)
The Mom Chef says
Oh my gosh. I saw all that cheese on the plate and my tummy growled. It looks amazing. Wow, oh wow.
Kim Bee says
This looks absolutely amazing and hearty. Just screams fall. We were just sitting around at Thanksgiving (Canuck version) and talking about how to jazz up meatloaf. Think I'll pass this one on to my brother who doesn't care for traditional meatloaf. Good jazzing on your part. Love it!
Asian-spice mix says
meatloaf looks delicious and i love that cheddar cheese topping.
Ridwan
Kirsten@My German Kitchen...in the Rockies says
I am sure my family would like this meatloaf as well. Great dinner idea! Chorizo sounds fantastic in it.
Thanks Toni.
Oh, I want the Cowboy napkin, please.