Mini Meatloaf is a kid favorite meal that we ALL crave.
As much as I love our traditional meatloaf recipe, I make this mini meatloaf in a muffin pan much more often because the meatloaf cooks so quickly, and I love the individual portion sizes.
This is a go-to for me on busy weeknights because the meatloaf and sauce can be made in advance, so they’re ready to go in the oven at dinnertime. Plus, meatloaf muffins are freezer-friendly, so it’s worth making a double batch to have a quick freezer meal ready for another day.
How to Make Mini Meatloaf
Combine: With clean hands, a large spoon, or meat chopper, mix ground beef (or ground turkey), breadcrumbs, BBQ sauce, mustard, onion, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and egg until combined.
Bake: Press meat mixture into a standard 12 cup muffin tin, pressing down to fill the cup. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. While baking, mix all sauce ingredients.
Add Sauce: Spoon sauce over each meatloaf muffin then bake again for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through (160 degrees F on meat thermometer). Serve with extra sauce, cauliflower salad, roasted vegetables, or mashed potatoes.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Instructions
- Store leftover meatloaf muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Make Ahead: Combine meatloaf mixture and press into muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to overnight.
- To Freeze: Combine meatloaf mixture and press into greased muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and “flash freeze” in the freezer for about an hour. Carefully remove each partially frozen mini meatloaf and transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place frozen meatloaf muffins in the muffin tin and thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake as instructed.
Recipe Variations
Turkey Mini Meatloaf: With lean ground beef, each mini meatloaf muffin is only 140 calories. If you use ground turkey, it’s only 120 calories (both include the sauce).
Gluten-free Adaptation: Use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, and gluten-free BBQ sauce.
Mini Meatloaf Recipe
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Serves 12
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, or ground turkey (680 grams)
- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs, or regular breadcrumbs (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped, (70 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon barbecue sauce
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Meatloaf sauce:
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, (73 grams)
- 1/2 cup ketchup, (120 grams)
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix Meatloaf Sauce ingredients: brown sugar, ketchup, dijon mustard, and nutmeg.
Meatloaf Mixture: In a large mixing bowl (using your hands, meat chopper, or a large spoon), combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce, mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and egg.
Press into muffin tin, divide the mixture evenly among the 12 cups, pressing meat down to fill the cup.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and use a paper towel to soak up any grease on the meatloaf. Generously spoon meatloaf sauce over each mini meat loaf. Return to oven for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
Serve with mashed potatoes and any extra sauce.
Notes
Yield: 12 mini meatloaves. Serving Size: 1 mini meatloaf.
Try our traditional Meatloaf Recipe.
Gluten-free Adaptation: Use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, and gluten-free BBQ sauce.
Store leftover meatloaf muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To Make Ahead: Combine meatloaf mixture and press into muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to overnight.
To Freeze: Combine meatloaf mixture and press into greased muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and “flash freeze” in the freezer for about an hour. Carefully remove each partially frozen mini meatloaf and transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place frozen meatloaf muffins in the muffin tin and thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake as instructed.
Nutrition
Calories: 137kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Sodium: 299mg, Potassium: 268mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 151IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 2mg
This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.
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