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Ritchie Estate Mexican Meatloaf

A ground beef loaf flavored with taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and cheddar cheese, baked until cooked.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Ritchie Estate Mexican Meatloaf

Oven375°F
Time1½ hours

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the meat mixture

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, tomato sauce, bread crumbs, taco seasoning, pepper, onion, and egg; mix thoroughly and set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, combine cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Assemble and bake

  1. Place half the meat mixture in a loaf pan.

  2. Make a deep well the length of the loaf, then place the cheese mixture in the well.

  3. Place the remaining meat mixture on top.

  4. Bake for 1½ hours.

  5. Pour off drippings and top with sliced cheese.

  6. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1093Calories
73 gProtein
32 gFat
123 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Green Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Taconot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,448 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Tomato + breadtop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,013 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lean ground beef
Provides the main protein and meaty structure of the loaf as it cooks and sets.
Dry bread crumbs
Absorb juices and moisture, helping the loaf hold together and stay tender.
Egg
Binds the meat and crumbs together so the loaf holds its shape when sliced.
Tomato sauce
Adds moisture and acidity, flavouring the meat and keeping it from drying out.
Cheddar cheese
Melts into the filling and forms a rich, gooey layer that adds fat and flavour.
Sour cream
Adds fat and tang, keeping the cheese filling creamy and smooth.

The step that matters

Pour off drippings before topping with cheese. Fat that renders out during baking pools on top of the loaf. Pouring it off keeps the cheese topping from becoming greasy and helps it melt neatly.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, tomato, sauce, bread, pepper, egg, cheddar cheese):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Potatofits better
  3. Asparagusfits about as well
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, tomato, sauce, bread, pepper, egg, cheddar cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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