Taco Meatloaf: Weekday Easy!

As a busy working mom of two, and also a PTA President sometimes weekday meals are hard to prep. This week was especially hard because in the middle of an already action packed activity schedule we had 2 nights (back to back) of PTA family events.

I always try to keep things healthy but also make things I know my kids will eat. In addition, my husband has been especially busy at work and eating late is what we do in our house to make it work. Meatloaf is a great go-to for busy lives because it re-heats beautifully.

• My husband loves everything I make which is one of the many reasons I adore him!

I took a pound of ground chicken (I like to keep my meatloaf a little healthier by using ground chicken or lean ground turkey) out in the morning with the plan to make meatloaf before we had to leave for the PTA event. However, I didn’t plan on the Mexican Meatloaf masterpiece my family devoured.

Let me back-track, meatloaf for dinner is usually my chance to use up som ingredients I already have to build the flavor.

• If I have leftover pizza sauce, pepperoni, basil, and mozzarella cheese I make ‘Pizza Meatloaf.’
• If my fridge is still stocked with bacon, cheddar/American cheese, and pickles it’s ‘Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf’ night.
• If I have kalamata olives, feta, and sun-dried tomatoes I need to use up from my Greek Salad night we eat ‘Greek Meatloaf.’

This particular evening, I had leftover corn, cheddar cheese, taco sauce, and taco seasoning and ‘Mexican Meatloaf’ was born.

The important take-away is meatloaf is really a blank slate for any flavor profile, so surprise your family on meatloaf night by trying one of these delicious twists on the traditional.

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb. Ground Chicken (you can also use turkey, or beef)
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbs. Milk
• 2 Tbs Taco Seasoning
• 1/2 Cup Taco Sauce (I used mild Taco Bell brand but feel free to use your favorite)
• 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
• 1/3 Cup Frozen Corn (you can also used canned)
• Chopped Cilantro, Salsa, and/or Scallions would also be great add-ins. I left them out for fear my kids would reject the meatloaf with ‘green things’ in it.

Directions:

**Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Measure the panko breadcrumbs out in a small bowl and mix in the milk. Let this sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
2. In a larger bowl add the ground meat, taco sauce, egg, taco seasoning, cheese, and corn. DO NOT MIX yet!!!
3. At this point add the panko/milk mixture and combine all the ingredients together until everything is evenly distributed.
4. Put mixture in a greased loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.

I promise this, or another version I suggested, will please any picky eater. Make meatloaf night an adventure!

Enjoy Dinner,

Stacey