Bacon Jalapeño Meatloaf
This is a lower-carb meatloaf than many you'll find online. The addition of bacon and jalapeños adds wonderful flavor! This is a great meal prep recipe that reheats well for future lunches or dinners.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Two cookie sheets (be sure they have edges) or two 13 x 9 (or similar size) baking dishes
Ingredients
- 1 Package of uncured bacon (8oz or 12oz is fine - you will just have slightly less bacon to crumble on top of your meatloaves if you use the smaller package size)
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion, chopped (equals about 1 cup)
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 Large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 c Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 c Ketchup
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp Dijon or yellow mustard
- 1/2 c Pickled jalapeños, chopped (leave them out if you prefer not spicy)
- 2 lbs Ground beef (80/20 is ideal)
Optional Veggies for Roasting Alongside Meatloaves
- Boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes, cubed
- Broccoli florets
- Chopped cabbage
- Brussels sprouts, halved
- Sliced onion
Instructions
Cook Bacon
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lay each strip of bacon out on a large sheet pan. It's okay if they touch or slightly overlap - they will shrink and space out as they cook.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bacon is uniformly crispy, but not burnt.
- Set aside to cool, then chop into small pieces. If using the same sheet pan for baking the meatloaves, allow the bacon grease to cool slightly and then discard. There's no need to wipe down the pan, just remove the excess grease.
Prepare Meatloaves
- Heat the butter in a pan on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize. This takes about 20 minutes. (I will admit that I have skipped this step and just used raw onions when I didn't have time - it still turned out delicious!)
- Take the onions off the heat and add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard, pepper and garlic. Allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, lightly mix the beef, eggs, bread crumbs, pickled jalapenos, chopped bacon, and onion mixture. Mix just until incorporated.
- If you're including veggies, toss them in a little melted butter and/or olive oil, plus salt, pepper and any other desired seasoning.
- Form into eight individual loaves on your sheet pans or baking dishes, four loaves on each, equally spaced apart. Add your veggies in between the loaves on each pan so that they soak up the delicious juices from the meat.
- Top each meatloaf with one tablespoon of ketchup. I don't usually measure the actual amount - I just eyeball it straight from the bottle, smoothing it with a spoon until the top is coated.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.