Dad's Down Home Cornbread and Jalapeno Meatloaf

Hey all! This is my recipe, so of course I'm going to rate it well! :) But seriously, I can understand the concern about extra fat content. Here's one thing I often do: simply place a standard-size cooling rack inside your baking dish and place the meatloaf atop that, so that the fattier liquids run off and do not soak the loaf as it cooks. If your cooling rack won't fit, simply roll aluminum foil "logs" (three should do) to support the meatloaf in the pan. One last thing: this is obviously a cornbread/pepperjack/jalapeno version. You could change the theme entirely by focusing on changing the bread/cheese/veggie versions (... for example, I've used sourdough bread crumbs, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes). Adjust additional spices, if any, accordingly. Enjoy! :)

Hi all- I'm back after making this again and reading some of the "breaking" comments. I have an easy solution. For the cornbread (1/2 cup), buy a box of cornbread muffin mix and use 1/2 cup dry mix instead of 1/2 crumbled baked muffins. WORKS GREAT. I did that the first time and have done it since, using a box of corn muffin mix for this recipe only and storing the remainder in the fridge until next time. Try that folks, trust me it works!

This was a pretty good twist on boring old meat loaf! The one thing I felt like it was missing was a sauce of some sort...perhaps top/serve w/salsa? I made it close to as written w/a few minor changes. I used only a little over 1 pound of very lean ground beef and scaled everything else down. Per prior reviews, I used dry cornbread mix, rather than cornbread (and I probably ended up using close to 1 C til it seemed a good consistency). I used canned Mexicorn blend (and if I make this again I will use frozen corn...did not care for the strong "canned corn" taste) & jarred diced jalaps (about 3 heaping tsps full as the store was out of fresh jalaps). I didn't really measure much, just eyeballed as usual. I made in muffin tins rather than in a traditional loaf for individual servings and had NO problem w/grease whatsoever. I baked for about 35 min at 350. The consistency was excellent, firm yet moist, and it had a unique flavor. THANK YOU for a nice twist to boring old meat loaf!

Really tasty and moist, definitely high on the calories but so hard not to eat it by the truckload!

I made this as part of a comfort food dinner party for friends and it was all gone even though I doubled the recipe. I used half as much jalepeno as called for but used a whole box of Jiffy Cornbread mix instead of cornbread and it was delish! Thank you, I will forever call this one "Dad's Meatloaf" no one has to know it wasn't my dad's!

I usually don't like meatloaf unless it is bathing in ketchup, but this was soooo good! I used extra sharp white cheddar instead of pepperjack (only because I had the cheddar on hand). This meatloaf was moist, flavorful---delicious. Because I need my sauce, I used a doctored-up version of the Chipotle- Blue cheese sauce on this site ( I added mayo and sour cream). Holy smokes-was it yummy!

UPDATE: I made this recipe last night and instead of adding french onion soup mix as i usally do i added 2 taco seasoning packets and doritos and ommitted the sour cream. It was my best meatloaf yet!

I am always looking for good ways to make meatloaf. I thought this was very good, a nice change from the regular versions. I used corn muffin mix, instead of crumbs, and all ground beef, instead of beef/pork. Also, I cooked on a rack so the grease drained. It retained it's loaf shape, and was great the next day!

This was the BEST meatloaf. Used hot sausage for added kick. Makes great sandwiches too. To help with solidity, make sure to pour off the grease and let it cool a little and "set" before you start dishing it out.

This meatloaf was awesome! Very moist with just the right amount of spice. There was a lot of fat that had to be drained but I expected that with the pork. It's perfect with a little salsa served on the side. Will definately make again! Thanks for the recipe!

This was very tasty. I was nervous about the jalepenos, but I didn't need to be. I really didn't taste any heat from this. Next time I'll add another one. I used ground turkey and ground pork instead of beef and pork. The only thing I think this really needs is a saucy topping. I whipped up a sauce with diced toamtoes, a little ketchup and some tabsco to serve on the side. next time I make this I'll add a sauce to the top before I bake it. I also added fresh spinach to the mix because I always throw it in.. get more veggies

I made this recipe for my friend and his friend and they loved it. It was so delicious just that it was a little dry next time i make it i will add some butter to make it moist. it was a bit dry. the home made mash potatoes complimented the meatloaf.

LOVE this recipe! Being a bit whimpy I leave out the jalapenos and I use Colby Jack instead of jalapeno jack cheese. I make this every 2-3 weeks and keep it around for leftovers and lunch. The cornbread crumbs really make the flavor unique.

Best meatloaf I've ever had, hands down.

This is a wonderful recipe. I use my stoneware muffin pans and make little meat "muffins". It cuts the cook time in half and are perfect sized portions for children.

To keep the grease from saturating the meat loaf, take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it into a 6x9 rectangle, punch a bunch of holes in it with a fork and place that on a cooling rack. Put meatloaf on top of the foil..keeps the grease away

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe of all time! It is something different and inventive, fun for the taste buds! I didn't have any ground pork so I used 2 lbs ground beef, and the only cheese I had was cheddar, but it turned out fantastic! My husband and I practically fought over the leftovers.

Aww shucks! This one wasn't a winner for us. My boys described it as tasting "weird".

This turned out really well. Followed the recipe closely- substituted corn bread mix for the actual thing, as someone suggested. We'll be eating leftovers for another couple of days. :O)

This was the best meatloaf! I didn't use the ground pork, only ground beef. We loved it.

It seemed bland to me. I ended up putting bbq sauce on it for flavor. It had a kick to it but without the flavor I was expecting

very good I made mine into 1/4 lb patties & baked them they are fantastic single servings.freeze and eat when ever u want to enjoy meatloaf and dont have time to cook.

very good I made mine into 1/4 lb patties & baked them they are fantastic single servings.freeze and eat when ever u want to enjoy meatloaf and dont have time to cook.

This is the best cornbread I have ever had. DH requested a spicy cornbread and this completely suited our Texas tastes. I baked fresh cornbread and used it. I think the right-out-of-the-oven cornbread helped keep this super moist. Next time I will probably add an additional jalepeno or two just because we could have had it a little more spicy. This doubled very nicely, too.

Obviously this is not a traditional meat loaf. I thought it would be spicy but it wasn't. It makes a lot so there were leftovers. No one is asking for the leftovers so I won't be making this again. Update: I was going to throw out the leftovers last night but then decided to slice it and fry the meatloaf and put it on the table with the rest of the meal. IT WAS A HIT! I had to remind them that it was the same meatloaf that they weren't thrilled with the other night - they loved it fried. So I will be making this again - they said it was the best. Will change my rating to 5 stars.

This was an amazing meatloaf!! It was very different than the boring ketchup and dry bread crumb loaf. My husband loved it. A few changes, I added two more jalapenos and two more cloves of garlic and a dash of cayenne (we like it spicy). This was one of the first recipes I've tried here and the first one I've reviewed and I was really blown away by this site. I will make this even more this fall when its "comfy food time" cause dh adored it and so did I! It is VERY yummy.

Great! Very moist meatloaf; I substituted dry cornbread mix for the crumbled cornbread. This dish went great with my homemade extra thick potato soup and cornbread =)Next time I might try mixing some mild salsa or stewed diced tomatoes in since this doesn't have a sauce...

Our only change from the original recipe was replacing the cornbread with cornbread mix. My wife thought this was the best meatlof she ever had. I know we will be making this one again and experimenting with it to get it just so.

Maybe i'm just not a meatloaf person. I wasn't that crazy about this one. The flavor was ok but it didn't have the kick I was hoping for.

OMG! What a great new way to do meatloaf!!! I've been doing the same old, same old and then I found this one. I just used ground beef because that's what I had on hand and it was still great and I add salas on top! YUMMY!!!

I took previous advice and used cornbread mix, made them in cupcake tins and husband took to lunch and warmed them up at work! They were great!

Loved it. Spicy and tasty but not too hot. My husband loved it and I will defintely make it again. I did alter one small thing. Instead of using fresh jalapeno peppers I used the canned "pickled" kind from the mexican section of the grocer that come with carrots and onions. Just chopped up about a quarter of the can of the onions, carrots and jalapenos and threw them in. Wasnt too spicy and snuck in some extra vegetables.

This recipe sounds great--but what in the world is the picture?? Looks like two lumps of--I don't know what it looks like. Does nothing for the recipe.

I liked this meatloaf, but did not find the flavors different enough than regular meatloaf as I have made it in the past to warrant the trouble of making it again. My husband and I agreed we could not taste the jalapeno flavor. Thank you for sharing.

Fridge WYSIWYG Version and Less Fat! No Corn, added green onions instead. No Sour Cream, used Non-Fat Greek Yogurt. No Jack Cheese, used Cheddar (not sure you really even need cheese...) and definitely top the loaf with 1C of BBQ Sauce for nice glazed, moister meatloaf

Very moist. I think it could have been firmer, kinda fell apart after it was done baking. I will probably add a little bit more cornbread next time, but the flavor was incredible! Great on sandwiches the next day.

This recipe's fine.

This turned out pretty good. I took the other reviewers' suggestions and used corn bread mix instead of actual cornbread. I think next time I will add a can of tomatoes just because. Besides, any excuse to use jalapenos is a good one. :)

This recipe was ok, but ended up tasting like a regular meatloaf, with very little added kick to it. I had expected the jalapenos to give the recipe a spicier taste, but it adds very little to the overall recipe. In defense of the recipe, I bought the ingredients and left the recipe in the hands of my mom while I went out to work, so maybe she didn't do it exactly as planned. While many reviewers complain about their meatloaf being greasy, ours turned out very dry. I think this recipe could have potential though, so I'd like to give it another shot, adding more jalapenos, a box of cornbread mix, as other reviewers suggested, some hot sausage instead of just ground pork, and maybe some hot salsa to give the recipe a little extra heat and resolve some of the issues with dryness. Overall, this recipe is a good start, but I think it can be built upon and improved. I'll update next time I make this with my modifications.

It really isn't a "pretty" meal.. but it tastes great. It is one of my husbands favorite meals.

We like it with EXTRA jalapenos!

Best meatloaf I've ever had.

The addition of the cornbread was definetly different. And this by far is a meal in itself. I used some pickled jalepeno peppers that I had on hand. This was not a terrible recipe it just was not flavorful one I want to keep.

Sorry but i didn't care for this. Very greasy. I didn't care for the taste.

I dont know what all the fuss is about - this was okay but took too many ingredients for a simple item like meatloaf. The flavor was okay, did not care for the texture of the jalepenos and corn. Needs a sauce of some kind. I followed the recipe as printed except for using all beef.

I don't know what all the fuss is about. I found this meatloaf bland and greasy. I plan on shredding it, adding some sauce, and using it for taco stuffing! Boring!

Excellent!!

I used all Axis meat and it was great!!

Absolutely loved it, best meatloaf I've ever had. Will definately make again.

Prefer my own recipe using bread crumbs and no pork. Gee! Imagine the recipe calls for pork and there is grease. Of course, there is grease with the pork. I only use ground beef, and no more than 7% fat, 4% when I can get it. No grease at all. This recipe definitely needs some kind of sauce on top in my opinion.

Very good meatloaf! It wasn't very spicy at all. I didn't change the recipe except for using corn bread mix instead of the crumbs as a few other cooks suggested. I did have to drain the loaf twice, but that wasn't a big deal. My loaf stayed together perfectly.

My husband loved it and I thought it was okay. I wasn't crazy about the texture, it fell apart and looked like mush. Our 4 yr old son would not touch it based on the look. I made it exactly as written.

loved it!!