A Southwest spin on a Midwest classic. Meatloaf became popular during WWII when cooks had to find ways to stretch what little meat they were rationed. The trick most chefs settled on was mixing oatmeal with the meat. While still a popular dish, this recipe replaces the oatmeal with tortilla chips and the ketchup with salsa. Note: the baking time can vary greatly so don’t assume our meatloaf is done when the recommended baking time has elapsed. Black beans make a nice side, or fire roasted corn (you can buy frozen at Trader Joe’s).
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef – don’t use greasy beef it will come out soggy
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
- 0.75 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese – can use any cheese
- 1 small onion – diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix – 1 oz.
- 2 eggs – beaten
- 4 oz. milk
- 0.25 cups salsa – temp to taste but recommend mild
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare you ingredients prior to starting.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 deg C).
- Mix beef, tortilla chips, cheese, onion, and taco seasoning.
- Mix eggs, milk, and taco sauce together in a separate bowl.
- Add sauce to meat mixture and work into the meat well.
- Press mixture into a 9×5-inch loaf pan and top with a strip of taco sauce down the center. Cover with foil
- Bake until cooked through (internal temp at 150 F, (~45 to 60 mins). Remove foil top for last ten mins of baking if you want a crusted top.
- Let cool ten mins before trying to remove from pan, this will allow it shrink and harden a bit. It will also finish cooking and will reabsorb the juices. If you slice while hot the juices will run out and your loaf will be dry.
- For flare, you can place slice on a lettuce leaf and the slice with shredded cheese, salsa, and dollop of sour cream.
