Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf
Zip up your meatloaf with this spicy taco meatloaf recipe that is specially designed for your slow cooker!
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❤️ Why we love this recipe
First, the taco part! Meatloaf is traditionally made with breadcrumbs and ketchup and spices like salt, pepper, maybe a little oregano.
THIS meatloaf swaps out those ingredients for crumbled Fritos, taco sauce, tomatoes with chiles and taco seasoning, along with a little cheddar.
And if you like, it gets topped with some sour cream and scallions (chopped tomato and guacamole would also be wonderful!)…so there’s that.
Second, it gets cooked in the slow cooker, and anything that you can toss in the slow cooker, abandon to go and live your life, come back to 8 hours later and have it be perfectly done is my idea of heaven.
Third, while I’m a fan of leftover meatloaf in general, this particular meatloaf makes leftovers that make all other leftovers hang their head in shame.
A generous spoonful of leftover Mexican meatloaf crumbled into a warm corn tortilla and topped with melted cheese? It’s almost better than the original thing. Swoon.
🧀 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ground Beef: We like the 80/20 variety but you can use a lower fat version if you prefer.
- Taco Sauce: Here’s where the spice level comes in! We use mild, but if you like things sassier then use regular or even hot! 🔥 Look for taco sauce in the international section of your supermarket.
- Taco Spices: You can absolutely buy the kind in the envelope…or you can mix up your own homemade taco seasoning with this easy recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Place some ground beef, crumbled corn, chips, taco sauce, an egg, some shredded cheddar cheese and some taco seasoning in a bowl and mix it together until it’s just combined. You don’t want overwork the meat.
STEP 2: Shape the mixture into a loaf and place it in your slow cooker.
STEP 3: Place the cover on the slow cooker and cook for eight hours on the low setting. (No peeking, we don’t want to let any of the heat out!) Then uncover your slow cooker and let your meatloaf rest for 10 minutes.
STEP 4: Now you can either cut your meatloaf into slices, or do like I do and just scoop it out with a spoon onto plates. Top with some sour cream and scallions. You can also drizzle some taco sauce on top if you are feeling really fancy!
🤔 Recipe FAQs
You can! Put it in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and bake it at 375 for an hour. Let it rest for about 10 minutes and then either slice it or scoop it out.
Taco sauce is a smooth, tomato-based sauce that is usually made with vinegar, sugar, and spices including choli powder, cumin and garlic powder. It comes in various degrees of spiciness from mild to hot, so keep an eye on the label when you are picking yours out.
Yes! Meatloaf is wonderful on the second day (and a meatloaf sandwich? HEAVEN.) You can actually keep it in the fridge right in the slow cooker insert and then put it on Warm or Low an hour or two before you are ready to serve it.
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
🥣 Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- Slow Cooker: We love this sturdy and reliable cooker for so many soups and stews!
- Metal Bowls: This set of mixing bowls has a size for whatever you are mixing up!
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
We like to round out our meatloaf with some baked mashed potatoes or some whipped cauliflower, and maybe some green beans on the side.
And for dessert, let’s have some easy chocolate mousse!
😍 Other meatloaf recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe card.
Slow Cooked Taco Meatloaf
Zip up your meatloaf with this spicy taco meatloaf recipe that is specially designed for your slow cooker!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup corn or tortilla chips, crushed into crumbs
- 1/2 cup taco sauce, plus more for drizzling
- 1 beaten egg
- 2/3 cup shredded cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (the kind from the packet, or you can make your own taco spices!)
- Sour cream and scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Place ground beef, crumbled corn chips, taco sauce, egg, cheese and seasoning in a bowl and mix together until just combined – you don’t want to overwork the meat.
- Shape into a loaf and place in the slow cooker.
- Place the cover on the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on the low setting. Let the meatloaf rest for ten minutes.
- Slice or scoop out spoonfuls of the meatloaf directly from the cooker, making sure to get some of the crunchy bits from the surface as well as the tender inside.
- Drizzle some warm taco sauce on top and garnish with sour cream and scallions.
Notes
-
- Ground Beef: We like the 80/20 variety but you can use a lower fat version if you prefer.
-
- Taco Sauce: Here’s where the spice level comes in! We use mild, but if you like things sassier then use regular or even hot! 🔥 Look for taco sauce in the international section of your supermarket.
-
- Taco Spices: You can absolutely buy the kind in the envelope…or you can mix up your own homemade taco seasoning with this easy recipe.
What a great recipe…can’t wait to fix this Taco Meatloaf! Thanks for sharing :) I noticed that in the NOTES, you mention canned Tomatoes with Chiles. Did you add the canned tomatoes to the meatloaf mix?
Elizabeth! Thank you so much for catching that – those canned tomatoes snuck in from an earlier version of this recipe that I thought worked better without them. I’ve fixed the notes and I really appreciate your careful eye – hope you love this meatloaf! :)
What side dishes do you serve with this, Kate?
I like to serve this spicy version with either rice or corn on the side (to keep with the general Mexican flavor of things)…sometimes I stir in a little salsa with the corn to give it a little zip!
What a good idea to use chips instead of breadcrumbs!
Last time I made meatballs (the same recipe can be used with meatloaf) so I crushed dried mushrooms and had instead of breadcrumbs. And then a piece of cheese, do not know if it is in the U.S.) as well as v’fick melt and drain out the fried meatball.
Next time I’ll try your Mexican!
Lena from make a head food
http://lena-makeaheadfood.blogspot.se/2013/01/kottbullar-med-vasterbottenost-i.html
this recipe is without mushrooms but with cheese.
Theresa M..
Just had to comment on your post…yes Kate rocks
doesn’t she? She is our little ray of Foodie Sunshine!
Oh gosh Kate are your ears burning?!;-)
Awww, you GUYS!!! Smiling from ear to ear.
Kate, you are awesome! I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I did bake it in my oven at 375 degrees for about an hour. I used 3 lbs of meat, because my family likes left-overs, I increased all the ingredients by 1/3 to accommodate the extra meat. I also made my own taco seasoning. It came out moist and tender and held together in nice slices. You rock, Sister!
Hurray! And a weekend with leftover meatloaf in the fridge? Heaven.
Hey, that pic looks good enough to eat! ;)
Don’t you love meatloaf sandwiches??? And you could crumble up leftovers in that Mac’n’Cheese! I’ve even crumbled up leftover meatloaf in tomato sauce when I was desperate an had no ground beef. LOL!
I DO love meatloaf sandwiches!! As well as your other ideas – yum!!
Kate, what is taco sauce? Haha! I’ve never had it, I guess! What brand do you use? This looks delicious!
Taco sauce is kind of like a tomato puree with lots of spices that give it a little zip! I tend to use Old El Paso because that’s what my supermarket carries – here’s a handy link! http://generalmills.elsstore.com/view/product/?id=22831&cid=200
I need more meatloaf in my life! This sounds delicious!
Life is DEFINITELY better with meatloaf. :)
Sounds delish. I am wondering about the fat? I make meatloaf in a pan where the fat drains down off the loaf so it isn’t sitting it in. Do you think I can turn yours into a regular one so I can cut down the fat? I love meatloaf and find it so comforting. I cook for just hubby and I, and make them and freeze them in small ones so I can have them on a night where I don’t feel like cooking…
I definitely think you can cook this mixture like a regular meatloaf – obviously adjusting the timing for the regular oven instead of the slow cooker (about an hour?). And yes, it’s one of the world’s great comfort foods!!
I love your post and I will definitely try this recipe. I’ve hesitated at doing meatloaf in the slow cooker because I thought it would look highly unappealing. Your picture is very appetizing!
Thanks Stephanie – it’s amazing what a little taco sauce and some sour cream can do to make things look delicious! I also liked the “scooped” look more than I thought I would!
So I am waiting to hear also, can this be done without a slow cooker ? just in the oven ?
And I will try it when we get back to the US .. but with chicken. I know, it won’t be the same to some but we don’t eat red meat. Ground chicken will do .. it looks very tasty.
Let us know how it turns out! :)
If you make it with chicken, try it with a green salsa & some lime juice.
Love this idea!
I definitely have things that I end up not posting just because they’re too ugly…no matter how much the.boy disagrees with me! I actually think your pictures came out great!
Aww! You are the best. :)
Could you just bake this meatloaf in the oven instead of using a slow cooker?
I’m sure you could – I would cook it the usual meatloaf time (about an hour)…it won’t be as tender as you get in the slow cooker, but it should be regular meatloaf consistency. If you try it will you let us know? :)
Sounds like a great meal…. yummy after all that time in the crock pot
and great meal in the tortillia or out for watching
baseball !!!!!
Yes- it’s almost baseball season!! Seems like it was football season only just yesterday. Oh wait….