Gluten Free Chipotle Meatloaf

I had it in my head that we’d have lentil meatballs, pasta, and Private Selection Arrabbiata Sauce that I got for free as a part of my Private Selection BzzCampaign.  I asked Lo to pull the meatballs out of our chest freezer this morning, but he couldn’t find them.  He (along with some other guys I know) tend to have trouble finding things that are right in front of them, so I went down to see if I could find them.  There were no where to be found.  I grabbed a Chipotle Meatloaf that I froze at the same time and changed my plan for that night, assuming the loaf thawed enough.  It only thawed partially, but I defrosted the a little more in the microwave and knew the rest would thaw when I reheated it in the oven.

I was a little worried that the meatloaf would get dry since I was pretty much baking it again (I probably could have froze it when it was raw instead of cooked), but it actually wasn’t dry at all, so I gave the instructions the way that I prepared it.  We really like it – especially with the cheese and chipotle BBQ sauce on top.  I served it with green beans and potato crisps.  The crisps were similar to baked potato chips, but I didn’t get them as crunchy as chips would be.  I used my Spiral Vegetable Slicer that Chuck and Kelley got me to make the crisps (this would be a good gift for a foodie!).  You can also make small and medium spirals with it, which is actually what we prefer.

I didn’t find the meatballs in the other freezer either, so I guess we must have had them at some point and forgot.  Now I need to come up with a recipe to test that sauce still…

Chipotle Meatloaf
inspired by this All You recipe

• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 canned chipotle chilies, seeded (check for gluten)
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chilies)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (check for gluten)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• 3/4 pound lean ground turkey
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup gluten free oats
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce (chipotle if you have it)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine barbecue sauce, chipotles, adobo sauce, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add garlic, onion, beef and oats. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands. Lightly pack mixture into loaf pan.
3. Bake for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top, drizzle/spread BBQ sauce over the cheese and bake for 15 minutes longer or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center reaches 160ºF. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

*To make ahead and freeze:
Bake meatloaf until the thermometer reaches 160 degrees (or about 50 minutes), but do not spread the cheese or BBQ sauce on the loaf.  Allow meatloaf to cool completely.  Spread a large sheet of foil on the counter and carefully invert the meatloaf onto the foil.  Wrap very well (you can also place in a freezer bag) and freeze for up to 4 month.  When ready to consume, thaw for 24 hours and unwrap loaf so the bottom of the loaf is facing up.  Set the baking pan on top of the loaf and invert so the loaf is back in the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top, drizzle/spread BBQ sauce over the cheese and bake for 15 minutes longer until heated through.