Taco Cornbread Bake from Plain Chicken

This was one of the first recipes I tried from Pinterest. (I assume you know about Pinterest, right? If not, read my rhapsodizing about it on my main blog.) It was a good idea, but I didn't love it. To me, the cornbread was way too sweet (I'm a southerner; no sugar in my cornbread, please! Sugar goes in the sweet tea.) The base also tasted like it was missing something, though I can't really put my finger on what. I'll keep hunting for similar recipes, I think.

Taco Cornbread Bake
Source: Plain Chicken, found on Pinterest

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground round
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix, plus ingredients to make cornbread
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• salsa

Directions:

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water and taco seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, Rotel tomatoes and black beans. Spoon into a greased 8x8 baking dish.
• Prepare corn bread mix according to package directions for corn bread. Spread over beef mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf from Paula Deen - Family Favorite

You know that most any Paula Deen recipe is going to have either butter or bacon in it. No butter here, but she makes up for it with mayonnaise and cheese. Believe me, this isn't healthy, but we do try to improve it some by using 99% lean ground turkey breast instead of ground beef. There is plenty of fat in the rest of the mix-ins to keep it moist!

We've also found that a half batch of this is plenty for four servings. Can easily be prepared ahead (hold the toppings) and refrigerated overnight before baking as directed the following day.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Source: adapted from Paula Deen, FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey breast (98-99% lean), or ground beef
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, or equivalent real bacon bits
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted, or 1/4 cup crushed croutons
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1 (6-ounce) can French fried onions, divided

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Take half the french fried onions and crush them in a zip top bag.
• In a large bowl, combine ground meat, bacon, cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, mayo, Worchestershire, salt, pepper, and crushed french fried onions, mixing well.
• In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir half of the ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.
• Gently pat/press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan (don't make it too dense), or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan.* Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until onions are golden brown and meat is cooked through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

* Note: Can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated overnight. Remove from refrigerator when ready to bake and continue with instructions. May require a few extra minutes cooking time.