Jalapeno Meatloaf
This is a quick recipe and is simple to make. Combine all the ingredients and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 1 to 1.25 hours. I use a square deep dish Corning bake ware bowl and spray the bottom and sides with a nonstick spraying oil before loading the baking dish. I then cover the dish with foil as tight as I can get it around the top but it will not be too tight and let some of the moisture evaporate while protecting the meatloaf. I let the bake dish settle in the hot oven for a 1/2 hour after turning off the oven.
The recipe can vary and I will tell you where.
1 pound of lean ground meat, I prefer ground chuck but a good quality of ground meat will do.
½ packet of a good taco seasoning that calls for a pound of meat if one were going to make tacos. I use Taco Bell or McCormick’s seasoning.
½ cup of celery chopped medium
½ cup of onions
1 medium can of tomato sauce or 1 small can of tomato soup or 1 cup of salsa. One can use 1 can of Rotel and leave out the Jalapenos mentioned below.
1/2 tblsp Cilantro. If you use salsa then it is not necessary to use Cilantro (Coriander).
4-5 slices of Tapioca bread processed in a food processer to make bread crumbs. My g/f is not receptive to gluten so you may use crackers or oatmeal if you don’t have a gluten problem. 4-5 slices of hard bread like Tapioca bread will make about 1.5 to 2 cups of crumbs.
2 large eggs
1 large green bell pepper chopped
¼ cup of chopped Jalapenos. If one is not used to the heat of the Jalapenos then you might try Merrzeta tamed Jalapenos. I use about
1/8th cup of the juice out of the jar into the mixture. You might lay off the juice unless you really like it spicy.
I mash all of the ingredients by hand squishing it between my fingers till thoroughly mixed in a stainless mixing bowl then plop it in the bake dish. If the mixture looks too dry you may moisten it a little and remix it till it feels right. You be the judge on that. Too dry add a little sauce, too wet add a little more crumbs.
I mash it level in the baking dish, make a slight depression in the top and dress the top of the loaf with either ketchup or Heinz 57 sauce prior to baking. I sprinkle a little Coriander (Cilantro) on the top sometimes (optional) after it cools and serve.
One could use salsa for this purpose if you choose to do so.
Leftover meat crumbled and warmed makes fine tacos or burritos. It also freezes well.
