This easy dinner combines delicious Mexican flavors into a moist meatloaf with a cheesy top. It is weeknight friendly, taking only 10 minutes to prep. Make it with ground turkey or ground beef for a gluten free, high protein dinner! It can be made as a freezer meal and leftovers heat up well.
We LOVE Mexican food. Tacos, enchiladas, street tacos – really anything and everything Mexican. We also love a good meatloaf…
Classic Mexican Taco Flavors Make GREAT Meatloaf!
As it turns out classic Mexican food makes for great meatloaf! I made this several times in a row while I was getting everything just right and Jonathan was thrilled to come home and find this waiting for him.
Warm, flavorful, comforting and healthy! This dinner has it all! It is one of our weeknight staples now.
You can spice it up by using jalapenos or keep it simple by making Mexican rice in your rice maker ahead of time. If I know I have a crazy day I make Mexican rice the day before and then assemble the meatloaf. I keep in in the fridge covered with plastic wrap and just pop it into the oven the next day. Crazy day managed!
How To Prevent Dry Meatloaf
Using a good quality digital kitchen thermometer makes it easy to get food done correctly without overcooking it. Nobody likes dry meatloaf!
I’ve become deeply loyal to the ThermoWorks brand for their high quality and reasonable prices.
This is our favorite Mexican rice. It is super easy to prep. I use it in the meatloaf and serve it on the side sometimes too.
If you like quick and easy dinners give this excellent Slow Cooker Pot Roast a try. It is one of my most popular recipes and gets great reader reviews!
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Want to learn more? Come check out my class, The Confident Kitchen!
Mexican Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 lbs hamburger no more than 12% fat or ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped onions - optional
- 1 chopped bell pepper your favorite color or 4 chopped jalapenos with or without seeds
- 2 packages of taco seasoning or what you usually use for 2 lbs of beef – gluten free if desired
- 2 cups of cookedMexican or white rice not packed into the measuring cup
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup salsa I used Pace brand
- 1-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or whatever cheese you love for tacos
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a loaf pan (9.25”x5.25”x2.75”) with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Crumble the beef into a bowl. Add onion, pepper, taco seasoning, rice and eggs.
- If desired use food service gloves or spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray. Use your hands to mix the contents of the bowl just until combined but do not over mix or mash.
- Put the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, pressing slightly to make the loaf flat on top. Spread the salsa over the top and bake in a preheated oven until it has reached 160 F, about 40-60 minutes.
- Scatter the cheese over the top and melt / brown the cheese under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve With Your Favorite Taco Toppings
- additional Mexican Rice
- flour or corn tortillas
- chips
- guacamole
- salsa
- sour cream
- onions
- tomatoes
- olives
- lettuce
Gentle Joy Homemaker
That meatloaf looks wonderful… and it is so colorful also. 🙂
Oliver Maxwell
Making meatloaf tonight. Haven’t eaten yet. It’s still in the oven. I used ground beef I had on hand. It wasn’t 12% or less fat. Lol.
Mirlandra
LOL – Oliver recipes are a guideline! A place to begin! And most are fully able to have lots of switching up done. I hope it turned out amazing!