I don’t recall where I found this recipe, but I know it’s been many years since I did. In fact, I think Fred sent it to me because he spotted it in some forum and thought it sounded good. I used to make it all the time, and then the recipe disappeared from my recipe box and I hadn’t made it for years. Then recently, I stumbled across it again, and made it.
I had forgotten how good it is! In fact, when Nance and I made meatloaf earlier this year or last year, or whenever the hell we made it, I declared that that was my go-to meatloaf recipe forevermore. But the good thing about the CORE Salsa Meatloaf is that it’s got shredded veggies in it, which means it’s good for you!
If you’re on Weight Watchers, it is also Weight Watchers CORE program compliant. I’d love to tell you exactly what that means, but I haven’t got a clue. I assume it’s a good thing?
Anyway. Your ingredients:
Ground beef, egg whites, shredded zucchini, carrots, and onion, Worchestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper, oatmeal, and thyme. Also, salsa – but warning: I didn’t use the salsa because I had a better idea for the topping.
Really, aren’t all meatloaf recipes pretty much the same? Throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them up.
When the ingredients are well-mixed, shape them it all into a loaf and put it in a loaf pan; bake. As an aside (and to use our brand-spanking-new Amazon affiliate link, woohoo!), I have this meat loaf pan. I like it because it allows the grease from your meatloaf to drain through into the bottom pan, and thus you’re consuming less of the grease and fat. I CALL THAT AWESOME.
I veered away from the recipe. The original recipe says after the meatloaf has baked for 40 minutes, spread 1/2 cup of salsa on top of the meatloaf and cook another 20 minutes.
I didn’t do that, because salsa on meatloaf is just gross to me. I know, I’m a picky bitch.
What I did was steal the idea for the topping from the meatloaf Nance and I made, the 1/4 c. ketchup, 1/4 c. BBQ sauce and 2 T. brown sugar, spread that on top of the meatloaf and then cooked it another 20 minutes.
It was DIVINE.
Look – NO ONE takes a decent picture of meatloaf. IT CANNOT BE DONE.
You know how sometimes meatloaf is just a big, solid mass of meat? This meatloaf is much less dense, and it’s tasty and it’s chock-full of veggies, and really just SO good. Give it a try – shredding the veggies is a pain in the ass, but it’s very much worth it, I promise!
- 4 egg whites (or ½ c. pasteurized egg whites) (or two whole eggs)
- 1 c. old-fashioned oats
- 1 onion, grated
- 1 c. grated zucchini
- ¾ c. grated carrot
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp each dried thyme and pepper
- 1¼ lbs extra-lean ground beef
- ½ c. salsa
- Throw everything but salsa in a big bowl; mix together well. Don't be a priss; use your hands to mix that stuff up.
- Place in a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes. Spread salsa over top (see note below if baked salsa on top of meat grosses you out); bake an additional 20 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
- Note: as an alternate topping if you prefer not to use salsa, mix ¼ c. ketchup, ¼ c. BBQ sauce, and 2 T brown sugar. After meatloaf has baked for 40 minutes, spread on top of the meatloaf, and bake an additional 20 minutes. (If you go with this topping, the nutritional information below is incorrect.)
- Nutritional information (if made with the salsa topping) Per serving: 206 calories, 22 g. protein, 7 g. total fat (3 g. saturated fat), 12 g. carb, 2 g. fiber, 47 mg cholesterol, 382 mg. sodium.
