I haven't experimented with a "surprise" recipe in a long time. This was a "I need to clean out my fridge and I don't want to go to the store again this week" type of dinner. So, what does a person (me) do with a ton of leftover taco night food? Why, make a meatloaf of course! It was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.
Jen's Mexiloaf Surprise
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup of leftover, seasoned taco meat (I threw this in just because I wanted to use it.)
1 cup of Mexican rice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 eggs beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup salsa of your choice, plus additional for topping
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, saute onions and peppers over high heat until soft and starting to get browned (like you would want in fajitas.) Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. In the same large bowl, mix all of the other ingredients with the exception of 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly. Form ingredients into a loaf shape (I actually use a non-stick loaf pan, but you could use a lined sheet pan to make a free-formed loaf, as well.) Spread additional salsa on top and bake for 45 minutes-1 hour, uncovered. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut into slices and top each portion with a sprinkle of the remaining cheddar cheese.
The Result:
This turned out to be fantastic! When I started cooking, I was not sure where I was going with this dinner, but I'm happy to say it ended up being pretty darn great. I served a small salad and leftover refried beans as side dishes, which complemented my meatloaf perfectly. Yum! This "surprise" is a keeper.
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