Taco Meatloaf

Yield: 2 meatloaves

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!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red 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 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
• 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

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 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).
3. Add tomatoes and cook at low temperature, covered, for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl combine the ground beef, sausage, vegetable mixture, bread crumbs, eggs, corn and green onion; mix until fully combined.
5. 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).

Notes

*you can always make your own Bread Crumbs by processing 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.