Fiesta Meatloaf

One of my kids' favorite foods is meatballs. I use their love of meatballs to get them to eat other foods that include ground meat. In this recipe, along with many others, I add salsa saving me the trouble of chopping onions and peppers. It really is a time saver, and the added spice keeps my husband happy.  I've made it without black beans, but my husband requested that I try to add more beans to our diet to take advantage of  both the protein and fiber.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 package stuffing, 6 oz
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 T chili powder
• 1/2 cup oatmeal, uncooked
• 1 can black beans
• 1 cup salsa, divided
• 3/4 cup Mexican cheeses
• optional chopped fresh veggies (I throw in whatever is around)

Forgot the  beans in the first photo...love this can opener!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix all the ingredients, except 1/4 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup cheese.
3. Shape into loaf in a 13 x 9 baking dish. (Ever since I made Joyce's mini-meatloaves, I make this recipe in muffin tins; baking for 30 minutes)
4. Top with remaining salsa.
5. Bake 1 hour.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese; continue baking 5 minutes.
7. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Difficulty:Easy

Time: 10 minute prep; 65 minutes baking

Source: Adapted from Kraft Food and Family