An American classic gets a serious flavor upgrade in this Mexican Meatloaf. Made with chorizo, rolled oats, corn, bell peppers and topped will a fabulous chipotle glaze, this is no ordinary meal!
If you hear that meatloaf is going to be served for dinner tonight, do you cringe or smile? I must say that I doubt too many people cheer when they see meatloaf gracing their dinner table.
Being a foreigner here in the US, my mother took on the challenge of the meatloaf and made it for dinner when I was growing up. I was never a real fan for this dish. So when I finally decided to make my own meatloaf, I decided it needed a big change.
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Recipe highlights
- Economical: There’s a reason why so many of us grew up with meatloaf – it’s not too expensive to create and it feeds your family well!
- Simple: The ingredients used can be found in most grocery stores, including the chorizo. It is also prepared on a baking sheet so you make a big meatloaf and don’t need a loaf pan.
- Texture: I add rolled oats to keep it from being too dense and find it is more nutritious than breadcrumbs. The result? A juicy and tender meatloaf!
- Flavor: The chorizo is mixed in with the meat which adds lots of flavor on its own. And the chipotle glaze on top? That’s my favorite part! I make a little extra glaze and like to serve what’s left with dinner because I always want more flavor! As written, this recipe has a kick to it, but you can easily control the spice level to your family’s personal preference. No one will complain about boring meatloaf with this meal!
Ingredients needed
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- Ground beef: I prefer to use low fat ground beef otherwise this can turn out greasy. Use 85-90% lean ground beef. You can also use ground turkey.
- Chorizo sausage: This is the uncooked chorizo you find at the store. For me, it comes in plastic tubes. It comes in pork, beef and soy. You can use either.
- Onion: You can use regular brown or white onions.
- Bell pepper: I prefer the sweetness of red and orange bell peppers. You can also use yellow or green.
- Rolled oats: I use rolled oats to lighten up my meatloaf. You can chop it up or keep it whole. You can also use ⅓ cup of bread crumbs.
- Corn kernels: You can use fresh or frozen corn kernels. If using frozen, thaw them first or your meatloaf can get watery.
- Fresh cilantro: Fresh herbs give the best flavor. If you are not a fan of cilantro, you can use parsley instead.
- Garlic: Again, I prefer the flavor of fresh garlic but you can swap out with garlic powder.
- Eggs: This is used as a binder for the meatloaf.
- Chiles in adobo sauce: This stuff is smokey magic! I use it in the glaze to add a little kick to the meatloaf. Use less if you do not like it too spicy, or more if you like the heat.
- Tomato sauce: This is used for the glaze. You can also use ketchup, but remember most ketchups have sugar.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, cumin and chile powder.
Step-by-step directions
- Mix the meat. Combine the meatloaf ingredients and work mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Make the glaze. Combine glaze ingredients until thoroughly combined.
- Form the meatloaf. Transfer meat to a baking sheet and form into a rectangular loaf and spread chipotle glaze over the entire meatloaf. Baking it like this means the sides gets a little caramelized. Reserve any remaining glaze.
- Bake til done. Bake the meat loaf at 375ºF until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160ºF, about 45 minutes. Use a large spatula to carefully transfer the meat loaf to a serving platter and serve with any remaining glaze on the side.
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Expert tips and recipe FAQs
Use a baking sheet. This monster of a meatloaf doesn’t fit in a small loaf pan, so form it into a brick on a baking sheet. I prefer baking my meatloaf on a baking sheet in general because it keeps the meat from getting soggy.
Chop everything up. Finely chop the onions and bell pepper to make sure your meatloaf doesn’t fall apart because of big chunks of veggies. Sometimes I even coarsely chop the rolled oats.
Chipotle glaze. If you have never tried chipotles in adobo sauce, it’s a wonderful condiment where a little goes a long way. The adobo sauce has a deep maroon color to it due to the chiles mixed in. Adobo sauce also has a wonderful smokiness about it.
I usually open the can and dump it on my cutting board. I finely chop up the chiles and onions with the sauce and keep any extras in a small Tupperware and store it in my fridge. You can also freeze small batches of it and use it whenever you need it.
Serving suggestions. I like to serve this dish with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes coated in my chili lime seasoning. It’s also great with mashed potatoes. For a little multi-culture touch, I serve my Shirazi salad. YUM!
And you can serve leftovers taco style with a little guacamole!
Family friendly recipes. Need more easy, no stress dinner recipes? My family loves my fabulous Salisbury steak recipe which we serve over mashed potatoes. And if you are looking for another twist on the classic meatloaf, you should definitely try my cheeseburger meatloaf.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover meatloaf in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
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Mexican Meatloaf (Chorizo Meatloaf)
Ingredients
Meatloaf Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ lb chorizo sausage casing removed
- ¾ cup finely chopped onions
- ¾ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup corn kernels
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chile powder
Chipotle Glaze Ingredients
- ¼ cup chopped chiles in adobo sauce
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon diced fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- In a large bowl mix together meatloaf ingredients and work mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and form into a rectangular loaf.
- In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredient and spread this over the meatloaf. Reserve any remaining glaze.
- Bake the meat loaf until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160ºF, about 45 minutese.
- Use a large spatula to carefully transfer the meat loaf to a serving platter and serve with any remaining glaze on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
This post was originally published March 2, 2011. It has been updated with additional content and new photographs.
Chorizo in meatloaf…love it!
too true about the kids 🙂 Loving the idea of the chorizo inside the meatloaf, so delicious!
Too funny. My kids aren't quite there yet, but I can feel it coming!
The meatloaf with the chorizo looks fantastic and sounds full of flavor. Nice twist on a classic dish :o)
Thanks, Merut. Parenting really is the hardest job I ever had. I was the perfect child, so I don't know anything about driving my parents crazy… ha! ha!
Mary – thanks for stopping by!
Wow, that looks really tasty!!
Great blog; happy I found you!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
I think I drove my parents crazy way before the teenager years. But I am sure it is a nice feeling. You should log this away and bring it up whenever he is acting cocky. I'm sure he is very smart and adorable. one day he'll listen again.