Post by Kathy on Aug 28, 2016 14:20:32 GMT
Tex-Mex Meatloaf Cheddar Pie
I knew when I saw this posted on Taste Of Home by Appy_Girl (Janie) that I would be making it! She added zucchini to hers and I'm going to add it to mine next time and YES there will be a next time! Zucchini around here in the winter are so puny and pitiful looking that I skipped them this time but the zucchini lover in me tells me it won't happen again! Your pie plate is going to be filled to the brim and a great tip from Janie was to bake it on a cookie sheet and she was absolutely right! All of the goodness wanted to bubble over a little bit!
The roasted red peppers on the bottom as a "crust" was perfect and the salsa is the star of this dish! The flavor shined throughout and made the meatloaf scrumptious! I used medium salsa and the chunkiness of the tomatoes and green peppers in the salsa worked wonderful in this dish! I liked making this in a round pie plate because it was nice cutting pie like slices for meatloaf! The slices held together great! I held a spatula with a meatloaf slice on it, on a paper towel for a few seconds to soak up any leftover grease left in the bottom of the dish which was very little!
A 5 Star recipe in my book!
1 (16 ounce) jar roasted red peppers drained, sliced into strips and remove seeds if there are any
1/3 cup onion, finely diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced (optional)
12 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend (3 cups)
1½ pounds lean ground beef
1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (optional, I didn't use)
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 10-inch pie plate lightly with cooking spray and line with sliced red peppers and then onions on top of peppers. This is where I would add zucchini slices if using.
Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top.
In a large bowl, mix 1 cup cheese, ground beef, 1½ cups of the salsa, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper until just combined. Press into the pepper and cheese lined pie plate. Spread the remaining salsa over the top. I found all of it wouldn't fit so use what will fit and save the rest for some nacho chips.
Bake 40-45 minutes.
Remove from oven and very carefully tip the pie plate to the side to drain any grease from the ground beef. Doing this worked like a charm for me.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes longer.
Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
