This Mexican Meatloaf is made with ground beef and stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, onions, and pickled jalapeños, then topped with bacon. This moist meatloaf is full of flavor and is perfect for parties and as well as a nice dinner at home.
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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 is good enough that it could definitely be used for a wedding menu as the main course!
Why You'll Love This Meatloaf Recipe
Why You'll Love This Meatloaf RecipeThis is the perfect recipe to make for a large family dinner. It shows off really well. The sliced hardboiled egg in the middle is a fun little surprise. Plus, the bold peppers, garlic, and onion elevate this meatloaf beyond anything you have ever tasted before.
If you are tired of the same old thing for dinner, then you have to try this incredible meatloaf recipe.
🌎 History Of Mexican Meatloaf
Today’s recipe 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.
This meatloaf is made with ground beef and a bacon strip around it with stuffed hard-boiled eggs inside the meat. To keep it moist and juicy, the meatloaf is wrapped in foil before baking.
Although I used aluminum foil, in the South of Mexico, meatloaf is sometimes 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, with 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.
One thing that most meatloaf recipes have in common is that they are served with rice and tomato sauce.
🙋♀️ FAQ
Before I share my spicy meatloaf recipe, here are a few questions I've been asked about homemade meatloaf.
What can I do with the leftover meatloaf?
This juicy meatloaf is very delicious and I know you don't want it to go to waste. Well, if you happen to have any leftovers, you can use it to make several dishes.
You may break the meat into small pieces using a fork and use it as a filling for ground beef tacos. You can even make crispy tacos or leftover tacos with it.
Meatloaf sandwiches are another great option. I know many people enjoy meatloaf sandwiches and this recipe will be perfect to use for that.
Of course, you can also just enjoy this meatloaf in its original form as a leftover. It's delicious!
Can you freeze ground beef meatloaf?
Yes, you can freeze this meatloaf before or after cooking. But you need to cover/wrap it well before freezing. To use it, make sure it is completely thawed before baking.
How long can you keep meatloaf in the fridge?
You can store leftover meatloaf for 3 to 4 days.
Should you cover a meatloaf when you cook it?
Absolutely! If you haven't done this before, it may seem strange. But, I promise it works! You need to cover your meatloaf with aluminum foil to keep it moist.
📋 Ingredients
This Mexican meatloaf is super tasty with wholesome ingredients and traditional Mexican spices.
Here is the list of ingredients you will need:
- Ground chuck beef, I like to use organic grass-fed with an 85% lean/15% fat content
- Bacon, center-cut has less fat
- Butter, unsalted
- White onion & garlic
- Eggs
- Milk, whole or 2%
- Worcestershire sauce
- Ground saltine crackers
- Salt & pepper
- Pickled jalapeños (optional)
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
🔪 Instructions
To make things easier for you, I am going to break down the directions to make Mexican meatloaf into sections.
Prepare The Oven
- Place an oven-proof tray on the lower rack or bottom of your oven and fill with water. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (180C). This will create a light steam.
Saute The Aromatics
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions and garlic over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are transparent. This will take about 6-8 minutes.
- Do not let the onions brown.
- Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Mix The Ingredients
- 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.
Shape and Form The Meatloaf
- 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 it to form a log.
Wrap It With Bacon And Bake
- 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.
🍽 Side Dishes
Mostly Mexican meatloaf is served with rice, salsa or tomato sauce, and Salada. And this juicy ground beef meatloaf also goes perfectly with these side items.
For the rice dish, you may choose between Mexican White Rice or Red Rice. Any simple salad such as Avocado, Tomato, Corn Salad, or Hearts of Palm Salad would go perfectly with this ground beef meatloaf.
In some parts of Mexico, it is even served with mashed potatoes and but no gravy is added. You may also serve it with similar side dishes according to your taste.
📚 More Authentic Mexican Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for Mexican meatloaf, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes made with beef:
I hope you make this Mexican meatloaf! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment down below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
📖 Recipe
Mexican Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup white onion chopped
- 2 cloves small garlic 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 large hard-boiled eggs
- 6 slices of pickled jalapeños optional
- 4 slices thick bacon
- You will also need aluminum foil to form and cover the meatloaf.
Instructions
- Place an oven-proof tray on the lower rack or bottom of your oven, and fill it with water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (180C). This will create light steam.
- 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 it 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 the 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!
Notes
- You can use other types of peppers, like red-roasted pepper strips.
- Can you freeze ground beef meatloaf?
- Yes, you can freeze this meatloaf before or after cooking. But you need to cover/wrap them well before freezing. To bake, make sure it is completely thawed before baking.
- How long can you keep meatloaf in the fridge?
- You can store leftover meatloaf for 3 to 4 days before reheating and serving.
- Should you cover a meatloaf when you cook it?
- Absolutely, You need to cover your meatloaf with aluminum foil to keep it moist.
David
I use salsa and crushed Tortillas chips
Maricela Espinoza
My mom used to make this meatloaf for us the only difference was she would cover it with mashed potatoes so every slice has the mashed potatoes on the outside
ROCIO
I've never made meatloaf! I will definitely be trying your recipe!
Anonymous
it was delicious, plus I added some green chilli strips to it. fabulosos!!!!
mmartinez
Thank you for the feedback!
Marc.825
What a delicious take on yummy comfort food... me, I add more eggs and more bacon (blushing), bravo!!
Nammi
oh yumm!! love meatloaf and I like the idea of the eggs inside