What do you fix for dinner when you have ground beef but can’t decide if you want tacos or meatloaf? Mija recently solved that dilemma at our house by making a wonderful Salsa-Loaded Meat Loaf.

Ingredients

Meatloaf

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound ground beef

½ cup salsa

¾ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground guajillo pepper

½ teaspoon cumin

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup sour cream, Mexican crema, or a mix of both

½ cup dried breadcrumbs

½ cup shredded cheddar (or other melting cheese)

Glaze

½ cup ketchup

½ cup salsa (jarred is fine)

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon Salsa Lizano

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, then garlic. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Cook until soft, approximately 7 minutes.

Combine in a large bowl:  the sautéed onion, garlic, and ground beef.

Combine in a medium bowl:  eggs, salt, pepper, ground guajillo, and cumin in a medium bowl. Add the ketchup, salsa, and sour cream. Mix together with a large fork.

Back to the large bowl:  pour the egg and spice mixture over the ground beef. Add the breadcrumbs and thoroughly mix by hand.

Place half of the meat loaf mixture into a greased a 9×13 loaf pan. Spread the cheese over it. Then cover the cheese with the remaining meat loaf mixture.

Bake the meat loaf approximately 45 minutes. Ground meat must cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Pour any excess juices/grease into a heat safe container to cool for disposal.

For the glaze, stir the ketchup, salsa, brown sugar, and Salsa Lizano together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Spread the cooked glaze over the meat loaf. You may wish to save some or make a double batch for serving. Place the glazed meatloaf back into the oven for another 5 minutes. 

Serving suggestions

You may wish to use extra glaze, salsa fresca, pico de gallo, queso fresco, queso blanco, cheddar, or avocado slices in plating.

Substitutions

Guajillo chiles are a mild heat pepper with a slightly fruity taste registering 2,500 to 5,000 on the Scoville scale. For comparison purposes, jalapeños are 2500 to 8000 and poblanos are 1000 to 1500 SHU.

Salsa Lizano is a very popular Costa Rican condiment that is found in most Costa Rican homes and restaurants. It is a brown sauce made from a special blend of vegetables and spices that is used to add flavor to most savory dishes and meats. If you cannot find it (my local international grocery store carries it,) it can be ordered online. Some people substitute worcestershire sauces when they run out or cannot access it.