By: Jodie Shield, RD

After my last blog post, Freezer-Friendly Family Meals, you should be up to speed on how to stock up and freeze meals so you can enjoy a home-cooked, hot meal in a hurry. Now let’s bring on the recipes!  I wanted to share a super-easy and personal fav of mine called Mexican Meatloaf. I love to keep one stored in my freezer, especially during the fall and winter months. It’s the perfect comfort food for a chilly evening when all you want to do is snuggle with your family and enjoy a cozy, satisfying meal. I use extra-lean ground beef  and egg whites to trim away calories and fat.  And I often serve it with a cheesy potato casserole (which is freezer-friendly) and black bean salad (no cooking required). Give it a try this weekend and let me know what you think. Got any comfort-food recipes you would like to share?

Mexican Meatloaf 

Serve 8

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds extra-lean,ground beef

4 ounces tomato sauce

1 cup cornbread stuffing mix

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1-4 ounce can green chilies, diced

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 jar of your favorite salsa

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together until well combined.  Transfer to a loaf pan and bake at 375-degrees for 1 hour.
• Remove from  oven and let stand for about 10 minutes.  Cut meatloaf into slices and top with your favorite salsa.

Nutrition Information:

236 calories

21 grams protein

25 grams carbohydrate

5 grams dietary fiber

5 grams fat

2 grams saturated fat

44 milligrams cholesterol

561 milligrams sodium