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Mexican meatloaf

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This easy, 1-bowl Mexican meatloaf is made with ground turkey, cheese, chilies and salsa! It’s perfect for a hands-off dinner the whole family will love!This easy, 1-bowl Mexican meatloaf is made with ground turkey, cheese, chilies and salsa! It's perfect for a hands-off dinner the whole family will love! #easyrecipe #meatloaf #groundturkey | www.familyfoodonthetable.com

A lazy Sunday, sleeping in, reading the paper, playing with the kids, making a dinner that cooks all day so we can sit around for supper together and discuss the week to come… These are things that do not happen in my house.

I’d like to think that may be possible someday, but I’m yet to see a family where this is the norm.

For us, we’re up early with the kiddos (M is 4, J is 2). On the weekends, M comes in our room and wakes us up. She climbs into bed with us and snuggles for a few minutes before announcing it’s time for everyone to get up.

Sometimes she fetches my slippers and lays out my toothpaste in the bathroom. She’s a sweetheart for sure, but I think she’s also trying to speed me along so I will go make her breakfast.

An easy, 1-bowl healthy Mexican ground turkey meatloaf with cheese, chilies and salsa! | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

And once my feet hit the floor, we’re usually going, going, going until the late afternoon. Errands, parties, going for walks, putting together puzzles, reading books, maybe going out for lunch, coloring, more books, cleaning up, cleaning up, cleaning up…

It’s a bit relentless.

So for now, we don’t have Sunday suppers that take hours to prepare. We have dinner that I’m lucky to squeak out and get onto the table before I collapse in a heap.

And despite the chaos, I still demand healthy, fresh and flavorful. This Mexican meatloaf seriously checks each of those boxes AND it’s super, super easy. 🙌

Put all of your ingredients into a bowl (yup, just one bowl!), mix very well, shape into a loaf and bake.

Voila! You’ve got yourself a crowd-pleasing, cheesy, healthified (hello ground turkey and chopped fresh spinach, I’m looking at you) and flavor-packed meatloaf ready for devouring.

This easy, 1-bowl Mexican meatloaf is made with ground turkey, cheese, chilies and salsa! It's perfect for a hands-off dinner the whole family will love! #easyrecipe #meatloaf #groundturkey | www.familyfoodonthetable.com

Add some brown rice or maybe some paprika potatoes (or my go-to 10-minute microwave “baked” potatoes), some steamed broccoli or a really simple spinach salad and suddenly, it’s a spread.

A spread worthy of Sunday! Without the all-day fuss.

Sunday doesn’t have to be an ordeal, and meatloaf definitely doesn’t have to be boring. Try this Mexican version and have a mini fiesta in your mouth any night of the week.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Are you a meatloaf lover? Me too! Check out my BBQ cheddar turkey meatloaf — another 1-bowl turkey meatloaf that packs a serious flavor punch.

Also, be sure to check out my VIDEO for this easy Mexican-style meatloaf.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Mexican meatloaf

Mexican meatloaf

An easy, 1-bowl ground turkey meatloaf with cheese, chilies and salsa!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Inactive Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey (I use 7% fat)
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
  • 3/4 cup salsa, divided
  • 1 cup packed spinach leaves, chopped
  • 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • extra cheese and salsa, for serving, if desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400.
  2. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients (using just 1/2 cup salsa). Mix well. I start with a fork to get it going then use my hands so I don’t overwork it.
  3. Turn the meatloaf mixture out onto an ungreased baking sheet and shape into a loaf, about 8 inches long.
  4. Top with remaining 1/4 cup salsa and bake at 400 for 45 minutes.
  5. Remove and let stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
  6. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this meatloaf gluten free.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 510Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 177mgSodium: 1033mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 39g
© Kathryn Doherty
Cuisine: American / Category: Main dishes
An easy, 1-bowl ground turkey meatloaf with cheese, chilies and salsa!

This easy, 1-bowl Mexican meatloaf is made with ground turkey, cheese, chilies and salsa! It's perfect for a hands-off dinner the whole family will love! #easyrecipe #meatloaf #groundturkey | www.familyfoodonthetable.com

Comments

  1. Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry says

    I’m the same as you Kathryn when it comes to dinner – nothing fancy for us either! The chaos of life just doesn’t allow it 😛 I’ve just pinned this – I would love to try making it with chicken mince. Sounds so yummy, and would make a great work lunch the next day too, I imagine 🙂

    Reply

  2. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    Since it’s just me and the hubster, Sunday is normally the day we cook dinner together. But we still don’t make anything that takes hours… mostly because he doesn’t want to be in the kitchen that long. That is a job for me. 😉 I happen to love a good loaf of meat and yours looks delish, Kathryn! LOVING the Mexican spin on this!!! I could probably eat half of this meatloaf all my myself! 🙂 Cheers, my dear!
    P.S. Your daughter sounds absolutely adorable… slightly exhausting, but 100% adorable!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Aw, so sweet that you guys get in the kitchen and cook together! And I have been known to eat several servings of this – just so tasty! And thanks, she is pretty adorable (not that I’m biased ;))

      Reply

  6. Lizzie says

    Makes me want to go out and buy zingy striped towels!! Seriously, this looks fantastic. I think I’m going to cut the salt down just a tad and add some cumin, which we adore. I want this right now.

    Reply

  7. Adina says

    Sounds very much like one of our Sundays. The only occasional break we get is sometimes (mostly in winter or when the weather is really bad) for 1 h 30 at noon when the kids are watching a children’s tale on tv. Then we can get on the couch as well with a good book in the hand. Otherwise…. just like you. The meatloaf looks amazing, I was thinking about making one again soon, thanks for the reminder.

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Ha, glad to know I’m not alone Adina! And glad to hear you occasionally can sit down with a good book – those moments are cherished, I’m sure 😉 Definitely put meatloaf back on the menu and let me know if you try this version. Packed with flavor!

      Reply

  8. simonacallas says

    What a simple yet elegant and delicious meal for a family dinner ❤ We love meat loaf and I’m sure we’d love this one too 🙂 Congratulations for the wonderful photos! 🙂

    Reply

  12. Katie says

    Awesome recipe, I have a very similar one called Fiesta Loaf (sounds horrifying but it’s amazing!) that uses many of the same ingredients and cilantro – yum! Found you at Friday Favorites, thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  14. Janet Vinyard says

    Hi Kathryn, This recipe sounds and looks so delicious! I love to use turkey for meatloaf and I love all the Mexican flavors plus the spinach that is added to this dish! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to trying this soon! Blessings, Janet

    Reply

  15. Alice says

    Perfect, exactly the recipe I was needing, I’ve seen this in some places but I’ve never done it because I thought it was difficult but now that I’ve seen in your article that it’s simple to do, that’s great thank you.

    Reply

  56. Nancy C says

    Husband doesn’t like spinach, so wondering how this would work without it. We don’t do beef, so anything that spices up turkey is always interesting.

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Nancy! I hear ya – we don’t do beef either at home. As for the spinach, it’s mainly for color and to add in an extra veggie. It doesn’t really impact the flavor or the texture, so I think you should be fine to skip it. Would love to hear if you try it and what you think!

      Reply

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