Let’s talk meatloaf guys. I know probably not the most exciting thing to discuss on a Wednesday, but I need to divulge my love of meatloaf once and for all. I mean, c’mon, I was raised in the Midwest people—ketchup runs through my veins.
I’ve been wanting to post a Mexican-style meatloaf for a long time, all spicy and such with a little bit of cheese thrown in, but The Professor (who was not raised in the Midwest) kept telling me not to. “No one eats meatloaf anymore,” he says. I think what he meant was he doesn’t eat meatloaf, because he’s cray-cray.
When Hunt’s contacted me about developing a recipe for National Tomato Month (which is right now, October, this is it) I knew exactly what I would make—Mini Mexican Meatloaves baby, all spicy and cheesy and such.
I’m all about fresh tomatoes for burgers and pico de gallo but when I’m making Chili or Mexican Rice or Meatloaf, I always, always, always use canned tomatoes. All Hunt’s canned tomatoes are grown in California and are canned within hours of being picked so you know the flavor is going to be outstanding and Hunt’s makes several different flavored diced tomatoes to make dinner extra easy. I used the spicy red pepper diced tomatoes for this meatloaf but they also have tomatoes with rosemary and oregano, roasted garlic, or fennel and red pepper.
I adore these miniature meatloaves mainly because they’re so stinkin’ cute but also have the perfect ratio of crusty edges and soft interior, I need a little textural contrast in my meatloaf and this is it. Not to mention they take about half the time to bake as traditional meatloaf, which is awesome, because I don’t know anyone who wishes dinner took longer to make. The kids love them too because their child-sized and perfect for little hands. So everyone’s happy (except for the Professor……who still doesn’t like meatloaf).
Looking for more tomato recipes to celebrate National Tomato Month? Check out Hunt’s Signature Recipe Collection for more great dinner ideas.
Mini Mexican Meatloaves
Adapted from Hunt's Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Hunt's Tomato Sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Spicy Red Pepper, drained
- 1/2 large red onion, minced
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup queso fresco
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F
- Combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and chile powder in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce and combine gently with your hands until well incorporated.
- Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin cups (about 1/2 cup each) and place muffin tin on a baking sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes then remove meatloaves from the oven and top each with 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce mixture. Return to the oven and bake 15 minutes more.
- Serve immediately with remaining tomato sauce on the side.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 321mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 16g
Mini Mexican Meatloaves
Adapted from Hunt's Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Hunt's Tomato Sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Spicy Red Pepper, drained
- 1/2 large red onion, minced
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup queso fresco
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F
- Combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and chile powder in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce and combine gently with your hands until well incorporated.
- Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin cups (about 1/2 cup each) and place muffin tin on a baking sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes then remove meatloaves from the oven and top each with 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce mixture. Return to the oven and bake 15 minutes more.
- Serve immediately with remaining tomato sauce on the side.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 321mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 16g
