I have made this now at least half a dozen times and it does not disappoint! So versatile! I have made it with and without bacon, polish and kielbasa sausage, and even leftover ham. I omit one of the cans of beans and double the meat, but I am sure it is good either way. We use a can of Baked Beans and a can of Pinto beans. I have even reduced the maple syrup and still loved the results. It is one of my husbands favorite meals. I use apple cider vinegar and have tried adding 1-2 tablespoons BBQ sauce. Truth be told I have never baked it, I either make it in the skillet and simmer on the stove for 20-30 minutes or most of the time I toss it all in the crock pot and cook it on low for 4 hours. I love to prepare this and bring it camping. Just put it in pot and reheat out in the woods!

Reviewed On: Dec. 1, 2011

Pulled this together with what I had on hand. Used one 15 oz. can tomato sauce and chopped 3 plum tomatoes, 1 can pinto and 1 can black (our favorites), substituted beef broth for the water and bouillon. Used a whole onion. Followed previous suggestions and cut the cumin down to 1t, used 1t of garlic powder, and chopped a whole head of cabbage. Looking at some similar recipes I added 3T apple cider vinegar and 2T sugar at the end to improve the flavor. Last thing, I would definitely put the cabbage in at the very beginning. It cooks perfectly and melts in your mouth! Yummy.

Reviewed On: Dec. 31, 2010

Well this is great! and my husband did love it! I made some adjustments based on what I had on hand and a few by choice. I only had 12 oz. bacon and I baked it since I find it turns out more evenly cooked. I added some Worcestershire sauce to the meat mix maybe a couple teaspoons. I used 1.5 lbs ground turkey and 0.5 lbs beef. I subbed crushed saltines for bread crumbs and shredded cheddar/jack/mozzarella mix for cheddar. For the glaze I used our usual meatloaf glaze since my husband really likes it (1/2 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 T lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons mustard). For prep I recommend reading the instructions on the Cheeseburger meatloaf recipe to get a more detailed outline of the "jelly roll" technique. Mine was really sticky and I was so glad I had the wax paper to help with the rolling. I baked it in a 9x13 glass dish, put it in for 30 min and then glazed and placed the bacon on top and returned for 30 min. I used a thermometer to time it (beeps when it gets to an internal temp of 160 and that happened almost exactly at an hour). I did not top with cheese and I am glad I put the bacon in earlier since it was not quite done at the end and I so I broiled it for a couple minutes to crisp up. To be honest I don't think it needs the bacon on top, especially after all the bacon inside. I would definitely make this again! Next time I will try to keep some of the cheese away for the edges so to cut down on leakage (even with the pinching of sides).

Reviewed On: Mar. 25, 2010