So, when I realized this week that Baby Girl really could show up at any time now, I decided to finally do a mini freezer-cooking marathon.
One of the easiest things I made was meatloaf… one of my favorite comfort foods that no one else in my family seems to care much about!
But, since I am the pregnant one and doing all the work, I decided to go with my own cravings this time.
The rest of the family won’t starve, that’s for sure!
I did try to make things a little more fun though, but making barbeque meatloaf laced with a nice kick of chipotle chili pepper and lots of chunks of mozzarella cheese.
I think my family might actually get a little excited about this meatloaf!
(Which is a good thing, since we have at least 2 meals worth in the freezer now!)
Cheesy Chipotle Barbeque Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients:
3 pounds ground beef
1 cup barbeque sauce, divided (1/2 cup + 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, optional
1 1/2 cups diced mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Place all the ingredients, except for 1/2 cup of the barbeque sauce, into a large bowl. Quickly and gently mix all the ingredients together with your hands until everything is mixed. Don’t over work the meat or it will get tough!
Shape into loaves (this will make 2 large loaves, or 5-6 small loaves) and brush the tops with the remaining barbeque sauce.
Bake at 350º for 45-75 minutes, depending on the size of the loaves, until the meat is cooked through.
If you want to freeze some of the loaves (I freeze half to two-thirds of them, depending on how many people I am feeding with the first meal!), wrap them in foil unbaked and place them in a ziploc bag.