Mexican Meatloaf (Chorizo Meatloaf)

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.

Why you must try this recipe

Despite what we may think, meatloaf is not an American dish. Although almost every country around the world has a version of this dish, its origins are credited to the Germans. Meatloaf became popular during the Great Depression as it was a budget friendly meal that uses an inexpensive type of meat and leftover ingredients.

And today? Meatloaf is still a very budget friendly meal, which is why so many families still make it. I always thought that basic meatloaf was rather bland and boring. In my opinion, it needed a huge flavor boost.

I saw inspiration on the television as Emeril added chorizo to his meatloaf. What a fabulous idea!

The base of my meatloaf is a combination of ground beef and chorizo. I also add chopped onions, bell peppers, cilantro and garlic are mixed in for more flavor.

Usually breadcrumbs are added to it, which keeps it from becoming a dense brick, like you do with meatballs. I add rolled oats.

Emeril added the chorizo in the center of the meatloaf. So when you sliced into it, you would have a circle of chorizo in the center. I prefer mixing the chorizo in with the rest of the ground meat so that the chorizo flavor can disperse throughout. 

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!

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.

Tools to Use

• Chef’s Knife
• Cutting board
• Mixing bowls

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Step-by-step directions

1. In a large bowl mix together meatloaf ingredients and work mixture until thoroughly combined.

2. In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients until thoroughly combined.

3. Transfer 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.

4. 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.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

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.

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.

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.

I like to serve this dish with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes coated in my chili lime seasoning. For a little multi-culture touch, I serve my Shirazi salad. YUM!

And you can serve leftovers taco style with a little guacamole!

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!

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Yield: serves 6-8

Mexican Meatloaf (Chorizo Meatloaf)

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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!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

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

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a large bowl mix together meatloaf ingredients and work mixture until thoroughly combined.
3. Transfer to a baking sheet and form into a rectangular loaf.
4. In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredient and spread this over the meatloaf. Reserve any remaining glaze.
5. Bake the meat loaf until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160ºF, about 45 minutese.
6. Use a large spatula to carefully transfer the meat loaf to a serving platter and serve with any remaining glaze on the side.

Notes

You can use pork, beef or soy chorizo mixes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 618mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 25g

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This post was originally published March 2, 2011. It has been updated with additional content and new photographs.