This Southwestern Meatloaf is a healthy, gluten-free option, PACKED with roasted veggies and bursting with Southwestern flavor. It's easy to make this ahead and freeze for later!
Toss the sweet potato, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, garlic, and onion with olive oil (2 tablespoons) and salt and pepper to taste on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are browned and sweet potatoes are fully cooked. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
If baking the meatloaf immediately, turn heat down to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together the roasted veggies, pork (1/2 lb.), beef (1/2 lb.), cilantro (1/4 cup), corn (1/2 cup), chili powder (1 teaspoon), smoked paprika (1 teaspoon), cornmeal (1/4 cup), 1 egg, and more salt and pepper. For best results, mix with your hands until fully combined. The mixture should hold together on its own- if it does not, it may need more cornmeal to absorb some of the liquid.
Form the mixture into a "loaf" shape. At this point, you can refrigerate or freeze the meatloaf for later, or continue cooking.
When ready to cook, place on a wire baking/cooling rack nestled in a rimmed baking sheet (or just on a baking sheet, if you don't have the rack). Make sure the meatloaf has defrosted completely / had time to sit at room temperature for a little while (while you preheat the oven is perfect).
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn the heat up to 450 for 15 minutes, for a total cooking time of 45 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees).
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with more chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Beef/pork substitutes: You can use ground turkey, or all ground beef, instead of a beef and pork combination, if you want to.
Cornmeal substitutes: You can use regular breadcrumbs or crushed up tortilla chips instead.
If freezing, make sure you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil and store it in an airtight container or bag. Freeze for up to 6 months. Before baking, make sure it is defrosted completely by moving it to your refrigerator about 2 days in advance.
The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.