Mexican Meatloaf Recipe Super Moist!

Mexican Meatloaf Recipe

Last year someone sent me an email requesting a recipe for a wedding dinner, since it just happened that the future newlyweds received a donation of a lot of ground beef to be used for that special day. Well, this recipe could definitely be used for a wedding menu as the main course! It’s nice to see the new tendency of people to donate their time and talent (and I guess also food!) to a couple’s wedding instead of giving gifts, but most times, having a wedding still takes significant money and planning.

Sometimes in Mexico, meatloaf is wrapped with banana leaves, chaya leaves or cheesecloth, and then cooked with steam or boiled in water and herbs. The recipes for meatloaf vary from region to region, some adding capers, olives, and herbs to the meat mixture. There are some with hard boiled eggs and others without it, and even others that stuff the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a large variety of vegetables. But, one thing that most meatloaf recipes have in common is that they are served with rice and a tomato sauce. I have another recipe that I will post in the future that also has vegetables, cold meats, capers, and olives. Today’s recipe, however, is from my aunt Isabel; she loved adding the pickled peppers to the meatloaf, occasionally even chopping them up and mixing them into the meat mixture.

Mexican Meatloaf Recipe

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DIRECTIONS:

• Place an oven-proof tray on the lower rack or bottom of your oven and fill with water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (180C). This will create a light steam. (Please check the ingredients list below)
• Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions and garlic over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are transparent. About 6-8 minutes. Do not let the onions brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Whisk the eggs, milk and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl until well combined.
• In a large bowl, combine ground chuck beef, onion-garlic mix, the beaten eggs, ground saltine crackers, salt, and pepper. Gently mix all the ingredients with a spatula or a fork. Do not knead or over-mix the dough, otherwise, the meatloaf will be chewy and dense.
• Place a large piece of aluminum foil (about 10 inches long) over a baking sheet. Transfer the meat to the aluminum foil and, very gently, shape to form a rectangle of about 6 X 10-inch. Place the hard-boiled eggs in the center of the rectangle and add the jalapeño pepper strips, if using. Form the loaf by lifting the edge of the aluminum foil to the center, and then rolling to form a log.

• Smooth the top and edges with the help of the aluminum foil. Place the bacon strips on top of the loaf and lightly cover with another piece of aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.

Serve with rice, tomato sauce, and salad. Enjoy!

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Mexican Meatloaf Recipe

Sometimes in Mexico, meatloaf is wrapped with banana leaves, Chaya leaves, or cheesecloth, and then cooked with steam or boiled in water and herbs. The recipes for meatloaf vary from region to region, some adding capers, olives, and herbs to the meat mixture. Meatloaf Recipe.

Category dish type: Beef

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 6 - 8

Author: Mely Martínez - Mexico in my Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup white onion chopped
• 2 small garlic cloves finely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pounds ground chuck beef
• ½ cup ground saltine crackers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 6 slices of pickled jalapeños optional
• 4 thick slices of bacon
• You will also need aluminum foil to form and cover the meatloaf.

Instructions

1. Place an oven-proof tray on the lower rack or bottom of your oven and fill with water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (180C). This will create a light steam.
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions and garlic over medium low-heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are transparent. About 6-8 minutes. Do not let the onions brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Whisk the eggs, milk and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl until well combined.
3. In a large bowl, combine ground chuck beef, onion-garlic mix, the beaten eggs, ground saltine crackers, salt, and pepper. Gently mix all the ingredients with a spatula or a fork. Do not knead or over-mix the dough, otherwise, the meatloaf will be chewy and dense.
4. Place a large piece of aluminum foil (about 10 inches long) over a baking sheet. Transfer the meat to the aluminum foil and, very gently, shape to form a rectangle of about 6 X 10-inch. Place the hard-boiled eggs in the center of the rectangle and add the jalapeño pepper strips, if using. Form the loaf by lifting the edge of the aluminum foil to the center, and then rolling to form a log.
5. Smooth the top and edges with the help of the aluminum foil. Place the bacon strips on top of the loaf and lightly cover with another piece of aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.

Serve with rice, tomato sauce, and salad. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

You can use other types of peppers, like red roasted pepper strips.

Provecho!
Mely Martínez,

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