Meatloaf Muffins
My husband loves meatloaf. I, on the other hand, am not a huge fan. Something about slicing a pan of meat like bread just makes me lose my appetite. But I think I might have found the perfect marriage…my friend Beth‘s meatloaf (which is the best meatloaf we’ve ever had) with this idea to use muffin tins for meatloaf! I even put some meatloaf in some mini muffin tins for the boys. Big Brother declared the meatloaf muffins “fantastic” (his new favorite word) and Prince Charming loved them as well! Hooray…I cooked something everyone liked AND ate!
Here’s the recipe. Or you can use the Printable Version.
Meatloaf
2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon beef boullion
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon mustard
Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons mustard
It looks like a lot of ingredients, but you probably have most of them already in your pantry/refrigerator!
First of all, you’ll need to dice your onion. This step literally took me 15 minutes (yes 15 MINUTES) because I am apparently inept at chopping vegetables. If anyone has any pointers, let me know. Maybe I need to take a class or something!
Dump all of the meatloaf ingredients in a bowl.
Mix together. You can start off with a spoon, but you’re only fooling yourself…
You’re gonna have to get your hands dirty. I know…this part completely grosses me out too.
Spray your muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.
Make little balls with the meat mixture and put inside of the muffin tins. This picture gives you a good idea of how much this recipe makes. You could easily half it (and have leftovers). But go ahead and make the whole batch and freeze half of it before cooking…as long as your meat wasn’t already frozen before. If you’re using frozen meat, go ahead and cook them and then freeze. They won’t be quite as good frozen and reheated, but refreezing thawed meat is a big no-no. Better yet, just make half the batch for a friend or someone who could use a hearty meal!
Next, you’ll need to mix the ingredients for the sauce: Â 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons mustard!
Put a tablespoon of sauce over each meatloaf muffin (less for mini muffins).
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until there is no longer any pink.
Yummy!
How about you…are you a meatloaf lover or hater?
When it was just my husband and me, I would do half a meatloaf recipe in 8 of the muffin tins, and then fill the other 4 with half a potato each. Voila — meatloaf and baked potatoes all in the same pan!
I’m def going to try this. My husband loves it too! Try getting the Pampered Chef chopper for vegetables… I use it almost daily and really don’t know what I would do without it! Thanks for posting!
We LOVE mini meatloafs at our house. Sometimes we top them with barbecue sauce!
A few different suggestions to try for your onion problem: 1 – a MUCH bigger knife 2 – use a cheese grater instead of a knife 3 – use a food processor or blender
those look good!
I was under the impression though that you can thaw meat, cook in meatballs or meatloaf and then refreeze after being cooked, thaw again and eat? well, that’s what we do, no problems!
I use frozen chopped onions in all my dishes. They should be in your grocery frozen vegetables section. It has revolutionized my view of onions. Before, I would avoid onions in dishes because I hated chopping them.
I recently discoverd the frozen chopped onions and peppers in the freezer section. OH MY GOSH, was I ever excited. Not only do I always have them on hand and can just toss them into any recipe, I don’t have to do the chopping work myself and the cost is about the same, if not cheaper than buying an onion or pepper in produce.
You should try: Kraft Marvelous Mini Meatloaves on kraftrecipes.com.
I’m a meatloaf convert, thanks to my husband’s family recipe. It’s actually quite similar to this one. Moist and delicious!
These have been a hit in our house for a couple years- the ingredients always vary a bit depending on what I have on hand. I make them with turkey most of the time for lower fat/calories. Delish! I have frozen them after baking and have always been pleased with the results. You can just warm them in the microwave on those nights when you’re late making supper.
My family loves when I make homemade mac n cheese then bake it in muffin tins. I keep the extra in the freezer too, to warm up on those rushed nights. They go well in the boys’ lunchboxes too (they have a Microwave @ school)
Ooooo, I like the homemade mac and cheese in the muffin tin idea. Once I find a homemade mac and cheese recipe that I like just as much, if not more, than the Velveeta shells and cheese, I will definitely have to try this.
I don’t use a “recipe” per se, but here’s what I do: I start with a basic roux – Melt the butter, stir in flour. then stir in milk slowly making sure to break up any lumps. as it starts to thicken add your cheeses. I usually use mostly Cheddar and then toss in Parmesan and Dubliners. Stir in your cooked noodles (what ever shape/type you like). Put in muffin tins – sprinkle a little cheese on top and bake till bubbly.
For variety I have added chopped, cooked broccoli. also topped with bread crumbs or crumbled bacon or different seasonings. Go crazy with it :D My friend makes it and puts in in a baking dish and freezes it BEFORE cooking (taking it out of the pan and slipping it into a large ziplock once it’s solid) and says it’s really yummy. I usually bake mine before freezing.
Thanks so much, Stephanie! That’s such an easy sounding recipe. I never thought before of all these great foods that you can pre-make and then freeze. I’ll probably have to start thinking of these things more when I cook. And I love that their single serving, makes for a quick lunch too. It’s funny, I’ve always had just 1 muffin pan and never understand why people needed more than 1. I mean, do you really need to make more than a dozen muffins and how often do you make them? Now, I keep seeing all these ways of freezing foods in them and so I may have to hit up some thrift stores for a few more muffin pans, so I can freeze up a bunch of recipes at once.
Thanks for sharing. I love this idea… You are right there is just something about a big meat loaf…
I just found your site from the Parents.com contest. I really appreciate your honesty about the true length of time it takes to prepare the food. Any recipe that says 5 minutes of hands on time turns into 20 for me. Thanks everyone for the tips!
My veggie tip is, i always buy frozen veggies that are already cut up/ diced when i can. I have found that it is about the same cost as if I chop them myself, especially ONIONS! Lol. Also, i start with a potatoe masher. It doesnt get all of it, but it sure helps you keep from having your hands sunk in the cold hamburger for as long.
Chopping an onion:
Cut off one end. Cut through (towards the other end)in strips, then cut the other direction towards the root (or other end). It will look like a checkerboard on the end where you cut off. Then just slice the onion like normal, lfeaving you with diced onion.
The pampered chef tool is great, but expensive. :) I also recently discovered frozen peppers/onions in the freezer section and use them in sloppy joes and breakfast casseroles. :)
I screwed up a bit and threw ALL the ingredients in. It wasn’t until oven time that I realized. Regardless, they came out super moist and yummy!