Get ready to make the most delicious meatloaf!  Very different from a traditional one…It has all the great flavors of Mexican food in 1 skinny loaf.  It’s so low in calories and fat thanks to using extra lean ground beef and free forming the loaf on  a cookie sheet instead of baking in a loaf pan. Now all the fat oozes out onto the pan instead of staying in the meatloaf.  The skinny for a generous 3 slice serving, 215 calories, 4 grams fat and 5 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1 pound extra lean ground beef or lean ground turkey, see shopping tip

1 cup red or yellow onions, chopped

½ cup red pepper, chopped

½ cup corn (cut off the cob) or frozen, thawed

½ cup salsa plus ½ cup for topping, I love Pace Chunky Salsa (medium) or your favorite

1 ounce (~⅓ cup) crushed reduced-fat tortilla chips, crushed, see shopping tip

2 egg whites

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with foil.

3. In a large bowl, combine beef, onions, red bell pepper, corn, ½ cup salsa, crushed tortilla chips, egg whites, and a little pepper. Mix well until thoroughly combined.

4. Place meatloaf mixture in center of cookie sheet and shape into a 12 x 4 inch loaf by hand.

5. Spread remaining ½ cup salsa evenly over the top of loaf.  Add more, if desired.

6. Bake 1 hour and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Cut into 12 slices.

Serves 4 (each serving 3 slices)

Healthy Benefits

Trader Joe’s extra lean ground beef is a terrific, healthy choice. It has 130 calories and 4 grams of fat for 4 ounces. Free forming the loaf cuts the calories and fat down even further.

Salsa is actually a very healthy food. Thanks to the tomatoes, onions and chilies, it’s heart healthy and can help to prevent certain types of cancer.  A ½-cup serving of salsa contains approximately 35 calories, 2 grams of fiber and 0 fat.

Shopping Tips
I used Trader Joe’s extra lean ground beef.  Most supermarkets sell extra lean ground beef or use lean ground turkey, if desired.

I used Trader Joe’s organic reduced-fat tortilla chips. There are several brands of baked tortilla chips in the supermarkets such as Guiltless Gourmet or Baked Tositos Scoops.

Serving Tips
Serve with my recipe for, Incredible Mexican-Style Corn on the Cob  or warmed corn tortillas and a simple salad, green vegetable or even avocado slices.

Weight Watchers (old points) 4
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 5