Healthy Mexican Meatloaf
Packed with lean protein, vegetables, and the bold flavors of chipotle chiles, ground cumin, and Mexican oregano, this Healthy Mexican Meatloaf proves that comfort food can be both nourishing and delicious. It’s an easy easy weeknight main dish that delivers all the satisfaction of traditional meatloaf with a lighter, Southwestern-inspired twist.
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – How to Make a Mexican Meatloaf Healthy
Mexican meatloaf isn’t inherently unhealthy. What tends to make it less healthy are the same factors that can make any meatloaf calorie-dense or high in sodium and saturated fat. In the process of creating a healthier meatloaf option, I looked at many Mexican meatloaf recipes.
To say I was surprised is an understatement.😮 Many of them seasoned the meatloaf with taco seasoning – loaded with preservatives and sodium. I saw a lot of meatloaf oozing with cheese, packed with corn, heavy on breadcrumbs, and topped with sour cream or other heavy sauces.
There is more to lightening up a meatloaf than reducing fat content. I thought about using my healthy homemade chorizo to boost the flavor, and while I still like that approach, I was concerned that readers would opt for a commercial chorizo that is very high in saturated fat and additives. The only cheese included in the recipe is crumbled cotija
All that to say, I decided on a simple meatloaf with reduced fat (some fat is required for flavor and texture). A mixture of ground pork (can be quite lean) and either ground chicken or turkey gets a bold mixture of spices, chipotle with adobo, puréed onion, ground up stale corn tortillas, finely chopped bell pepper. Lastly, rather than topping with the meatloaf with ketchup, cheese, or sour cream, I suggest topping with your favorite salsa for the last 15 minutes.
These ingredients result in an easy-to-slice meatloaf, perfect for topping as desired, or stuffing into a wrap of burrito. In fact, a meatloaf burrito with Hatch green chile is in the works!
📋 Ingredients Notes
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Preheat oven to 350°F/177℃. Add onion, chipotle and adobo, and garlic to a small food processor. Pulse until smooth. NOTE: 2 chipotles with 1 tablespoon adobo does add subtle heat to the meatloaf. If you like the heat, try it with 3. If you don’t want heat, but you want the smoky flavor, 1 should deliver that.
- Step 2 – Add the ground cumin and oregano. Sauté until fragrant – an additional 1-2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly while proceeding.
- Step 3 – Add the ground meats, corn tortilla crumbs, cotija, finely chopped pepper, eggs, and onion-chipotle mixture to a large prep bowl.
- Step 4 – Combine all meatloaf ingredients. The goal is to combine all ingredients without overworking the meat, which can make meatloaf dense and tough. NOTE: Over-mixing compresses the proteins and can result in a firm, sausage-like texture rather than a tender meatloaf.
- Step 5 – You have 2 options. Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled loaf pan, or shape it free-form on a parchment-lined sheet pan for more browning. NOTE: A free-form meatloaf cooks faster if time is a concern. If you’re topping with salsa as recommended, you may find the loaf pan helpful in retaining the salsa.
- Step 6 – Place meatloaf – without salsa – in the preheated oven. Roast 45 minutes before topping with your preferred salsa. Return to the oven.
- Step 7 –
with Skillet Mexican Charred Sweet Corn, and a green salad with avocado,
heirloom tomato, queso fresco, and pepitas.
❓FAQ
Yes, Mexican meatloaf is often even better the next day. As it rests overnight, the flavors from the salsa, garlic, cumin, oregano, and other seasonings have more time to meld. The loaf also firms up, making it easier to slice cleanly. See ideas below!
Microwave: Cover loosely and heat until warmed through. This is the quickest method, but not the best in my opinion. You may end up with dry edges.
Oven: Cover with foil and reheat at 325°F until hot.
Skillet: Slice and lightly brown in a skillet for crisp edges. This is my preferred method.
Cool before slicing. If stacking the slices, place parchment between slices. Label and date. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
🥪Leftover Ideas
Like many meatloaf recipes, this Mexican Meatloaf tastes even better the next day. The spices and chiles have time to meld, creating deeper flavor and making leftovers ideal for tacos, burrito bowls, and easy lunches.
While it may be tasty, chunks of vegetables – zucchini, bell pepper, sweet corn – or beans will result in a meatloaf that doesn’t hold together. I chose fine chopped ingredients to make it easy to slice and serve.
If your tortillas are very dry and crisp, grind them fairly fine. If they’re merely stale and leathery, a slightly coarser grind works well and can give the meatloaf a more rustic texture.
A free form meatloaf cooks faster than a meatloaf cooked in a loaf pan. It time is an issue, you may want to skip the loaf pan.
Just a personal note from the recipe creator: On photo day, I had a mid-cooking mini-crisis that I had to deal with. That made my meatloaf late coming out of the oven. I did not let it stand for 10 minutes, and you can see the juices that escaped. It was absolutely delicious, and perfectly cooked, but I ignored my own advice and recipe instructions!
Healthy Mexican Meatloaf Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion - cut in chunks
- 2 to 3 chipotle peppers with adobo - about 1 tablespoon of adobo
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano - Mexican oregano if possible!
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 eggs - whisked
- 3 corn tortillas - pulsed in processor to crumbs
- 3 ounces aged cotija - crumbled
- 1 medium bell pepper - finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt and several grinds of pepper
- ½ cup salsa+/- - for topping
- garnishes - chopped scallion and/or cilantro, cotija, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177℃.
- Combine onion, garlic, and chipotle and adobo in a small food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Add a drizzle of oil to a sauté pan over medium-high heat. With a spatula, scrape the onion mixture into the pan, and sauté until the mixture is bubbling. Add ground cumin and oregano, and sauté until very fragrant (about 5 minutes total). Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add ground meats, bell pepper, egg, cotija, corn tortilla crumbs, salt and pepper. Using your hands, thoroughly combine.
- Form mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf and place in a medium roasting pan. Bake for about 45 minutes before spreading your salsa over top. Continue roasting until meatloaf is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of meatloaf registers 160°F/71℃. Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.