Cheesy Chipotle Meatloaf has lots of bold flavor. Caramelized onions are mixed into the meatloaf and there’s a smoky sweet glaze covered with cheese. This is not your ordinary meatloaf.
This meatloaf is anything but boring and it’s wonderfully cheesy. In addition to a layer of cheese on top, there’s also 2 kinds of cheese mixed into the meatloaf: Cheddar cheese and Pepper Jack cheese.
Meatloaf is one of my favorite comfort foods. As much as I love a Classic Meatloaf, I also love trying meatloaf with different flavors like Bourbon and Coke Meatloaf, Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf, and Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Meatloaf.
What Makes This Meatloaf So Flavorful and Moist?
A combination of ground beef and ground pork adds flavor to the meatloaf plus the pork helps keep the meatloaf from drying out.
Caramelized Onions are added to the meatloaf. They help moisten the meatloaf and add some sweet flavor.
Chipotle Peppers are in both the meatloaf and the glaze and add a wonderful smoky flavor plus some heat.
Cheese– lots and lots of cheese. There are pockets of melted cheddar and pepper jack cheese in the meatloaf itself and a blanket of cheese on top.
How To Add More Spice
The chipotle peppers and pepper jack cheese give some spice to this recipe. To make it even spicier, add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the meatloaf mixture.
Recipe Tips For Making Cheesy Chipotle Meatloaf
Use your hands for mixing the ingredients together. Go ahead and take off your rings because your hands will get messy. Only mix until everything is combined. Overmixing will produce a meatloaf that is tough in texture.
Can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to bake it.
Great Sides For Serving With Meatloaf
- Southern-Style Green Beans
- Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
- Super Creamy Mac and Cheese
- Country-Fried Skillet Corn
- Cracker Barrel Lima Beans
Cheesy Chipotle Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- salt and pepper
- 2/3 cup Panko crumbs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 pound ground beef (85 to 90% lean)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup cubed Pepper Jack cheese
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons finely minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.Note: Turn heat down if onions look like they might start to burn.
- Add Panko crumbs to a large bowl and drizzle milk over them. Let sit a few minutes.
- Add ground beef, ground pork, eggs, salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir until evenly mixed.Stir in cubed cheddar and pepper jack.
- In a small bowl stir together ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and chipotle peppers. Add 2 tablespoons to the ground beef mixture and mix in. Reserve the remaining mixture for the topping.
- Gently press meatloaf mixture into a 9×5-inch pan.Bake for 65 minutes and then carefully pour any grease out of the pan, being sure not to tip the pan too much.
- Spread the remaining ktechup mixture on top of the meatloaf and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
- Return to oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Let cool 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Want to Save This Recipe?
Can you use something to substitute the ketchup?
We thought this was delicious, a very creative meatloaf with the cubes of cheese inside. The only problem I had was trying to figure out what to do with the onions since the directions only say to saute them and let them cool in the pan. I finally decided they’re supposed to go into the meatloaf mix, but it might be a good idea to fix the directions! Anyway, this is one I’ll definitely be making again.
Where do you get the peppers in adobo sauce ?
On the ‘mexican/oriental’ aisle near the canned jalapeno peppers.
Can I substitute the ground pork with ground beef? We don’t eat pork…
But this looks fabulous!
Very delicious