What's for Dinner? - Santa Fe Meatloaf

Santa Fe Meatloaf - Serves 8

(From The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook)

Make sure to mash the black beans thoroughly, or the meatloaf will not hold together well. You can substitute 3/4 cup frozen corn for the fresh corn.

Meatloaf

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 teaspoons chili powder

Salt and pepper

2 slices high-quality whole-wheat sandwich bread, torn into 1‑inch pieces

1 (15‑ounce) can black beans, rinsed

2 pounds 95 percent lean ground beef

4 scallions, minced

1 ear corn, kernels removed

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1. For the meatloaf: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Fold a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil into a 10 by 6‑inch rectangle, place in the center of a wire rack, and place the rack on a baking sheet. Use a skewer to poke holes in the foil every 1/2 inch. Spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.

2. Whisk the eggs, broth, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add the bread and mash together with a rubber spatula until the mixture is uniform.

3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly mash the black beans with a potato masher until no beans are left whole. Add the mashed beans, ground beef, scallions, corn, bell pepper, cheddar, and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro to the broth-bread mixture and combine with your hands until uniform.

4. Press the mixture together into a compact mass, then turn it out onto the prepared foil on the wire rack. Press the meat to the edges of the foil into a tidy 11/2‑inch-thick loaf.

5. For the glaze: Whisk all the glaze ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Brush half of the glaze over the meatloaf. Bake the loaf for 20 minutes.

6. Brush with the remaining glaze and continue to bake until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 25 to 35 minutes. Let the meatloaf cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro over the top before serving.

Per 11/4-inch-thick slice: Cal 310; Fat 10g; Sat Fat 4.5g; Chol 130mg; Carb 20g; Protein 34g; Fiber 3g; Sodium 730mg

TEST KITCHEN TIP: Free-Form Meatloaf

“Baking meatloaf in a pan exposes only one side of the meat to browning heat and forces it to stew in its own juice, resulting in a soggy loaf. We discovered a technique for cooking meatloaf that solves this problem. We placed a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a wire rack, poked holes in the foil, and then set the meatloaf on top. This free-form method lets the juice drain away as the loaf cooks. It also allowed us to glaze three sides of the meatloaf – rather than just the top - resulting in a pleasantly sticky, browned crust all around. “