chorizo beef meatloaf with chipotle coriander glaze.
classic beef meatloaf is updated with spicy chorizo and smokey chipotles in adobo for an easy and filling sunday dinner.
Serves: 4-6 Cook time: 65 minutes
I really have no idea why I have been craving meatloaf for weeks. It's one of those infamously unspectacular foods that gets a stunningly bad rap in the kitchen. Puzzling that it does, since it's basically a giant hamburger. I mean, right?
Meatloaf probably gets it's bad reputation from it's oft-dry texture and bland appearance. I won't tell you this was a photogenic dish, but made the right way, it should at least look kind of good. Especially if you're craving it.
Okay, you guys, we aren't talking about liver and onions here. It's beef! Onions, garlic, beef, and in this case- chorizo. The chorizo adds a delicious spicy flavor and a great amount of moisture so that you pretty much, without fail, get a moist loaf every time. Normally meatloaf uses milk to add moisture, but in my recipe I used beef stock to avoid the extra dairy. You can use either, or even almond milk, interchangeably.
And the glaze, which I do remember thinking was off-putting as a kid. Something about the sticky-sweet ketchup was weird to me, and I'm guessing it was weird for other kids, too. Oh, childhood.
This glaze is smokier, omitting the brown sugar and leaning instead into the flavor of the chorizo, which includes a lightly sweet coriander. I also considered adding cloves for an even sweeter glaze, but I decided against it. Mostly because I didn't have any cloves.
This is a really nice twist on regular meatloaf. I can't tell you this will be any more kid-friendly than the classic, but it's worth a shot. Or maybe a good recipe for date night.
chorizo meatloaf ingredients
ground beef: Use lean ground beef- I used 80/20 lean ground beef, and I wouldn't go lower than that or you'll have greasy, wet drippings. If you can, use a 90/10 lean ground beef. As for the amount - it doesn't have to be exactly one pound. Most grocery stores don't sell them in exact portions, so don't bother trying to split up a 1.23 pound package. Anything around 0.8-1.3 will work great.
chorizo: I say this every time, but try to find the authentic mexican chorizo that's sold in casings. I promise, the taste and texture is one hundred times better than the ground chorizo in the meat counter. If mexican chorizo is hard to find near you, Johnsonville Sausage has a pretty decent chorizo in casings, found near their brats and sausages.
onions: A lot of recipes call for an entire onion, which I think is a lot of onion for a meatloaf. I used about a quarter of an onion, or 1/4 cup chopped. Feel free to add more if desired! I used yellow onion, but you can also use white or shallot.
garlic: Pretty typical ingredient, I used two large cloves but you can also add more here, too! I really prefer a meatloaf with less "stuff" in it. Mince finely for the best results.
egg: Similar to meatballs, meatloaf relies on binding agents like egg, breadcrumbs, and broth. The egg acts as the glue that holds it all together, so I wouldn't skip this.
bread crumbs: The bread crumbs are the second part of the binding trifecta: the egg is the glue that binds to the breadcrumbs and holds it together - I've skipped bread crumbs and had a pretty wet meatloaf. The breadcrumbs absorb a lot of that moisture.
broth: And because we don't want a dry meatloaf, add just a little bit of broth to soak into the breadcrumbs. Usually recipes use milk, but I preferred broth here: both because it's dairy free, and because it adds a nice beef flavor to the chorizo mixture. It works the same way as milk, and they can be used interchangeably. You can technically skip this ingredient altogether, but you may end up with a dry meatloaf.
ketchup: a meatloaf staple! I almost took this ingredient out altogether, but I decided tomatoes and chipotles made sense, anyways. If you like tomatoes but can't stand ketchup (or hey, don't own any), you can use tomato paste and tomato sauce in equal parts.
chipotles in adobo: you can find these pretty easily in the hispanic section of the grocery store. these are chipotle peppers in a spicy, smokey adobo sauce. It's really delicious and easy to add to so many recipes! I like using both the chipotles and the adobo sauce and I do not consider the amount in this recipe spicy: If you'd prefer a spicier version, add an extra tablespoon or two of adobo.
coriander: This is not a necessary ingredient, but I recommend adding it if you have coriander. It adds a nice subtle sweetness that matches the spices in the chorizo- so delicious in such a small way!
chorizo meatloaf pairing options
Meatloaf feels like comfort food, so here are some other comforting classics to pair with it:
mashed potatoes
black eyed peas
collard greens
red zinfandel, sauvignon blanc
pale ales