Please picky eaters with these fun, simple, and comforting mini meatloaves. Made in muffin cups, the single serves go perfectly with a side of roasted potatoes, mashed root veggies, steamed broccoli, or whatever in-season side your family enjoys. And yes, these mini meatloaves are a great make-ahead meal that can even be frozen.
This mini meatloaves recipe with photo was shared with us by Hunts, and they were kind enough to offer some more tips to help save time on your weeknight dinner prep:
- When you’re exploring new time-saving recipes, consider both prep time and total cook time. Many dishes can be assembled in minutes, leaving you time to help tackle chores and homework before sitting down to dinner.
- Enlist backup when the prep time is a little longer. For example, an extra set of hands from a little helper can shave minutes off the assembly of these Mini Meatloaves, while getting a youngster excited about digging into dinner. In fact, this recipe is easy enough that older kids can learn to prepare them on their own!
- Make what you can ahead of time. Assemble a dish such as these Mini Meatloaves or these Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Tomatoes in the morning and slip them in the refrigerator, so all you have to do is slide them in the oven at dinner time.
Special Diet Notes: Speedy Mini Meatloaves
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and soy-free.
To keep these mini meatloaves gluten-free, look for breadcrumb brands like Gillian’s, Ian’s, or Schar, or make your own!
For egg-free mini meatloaves, swap in a flax egg, 3 tablespoons of egg-free mayonnaise (such as Just Mayo or Vegenaise) or you can even add a little grated zucchini to swap for the moisture and add more flavor.
- 1 can (8 ounces) Hunt’s Tomato Sauce (this is actually my husband's favorite brand!)
- 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 pound ground chuck beef (80 percent lean)*
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes (like Hunt's), drained
- ⅓ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- ¾ cup dairy-free Italian-style bread crumbs (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 egg, beaten
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF and lightly spray 6 muffin cups with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, brown sugar and mustard.
- Place the beef, diced tomatoes, onion, bread crumbs, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and stir with a fork just until all ingredients are well distributed. Add ¼ cup of reserved sauce mixture and briefly stir incorporate. Divide the meat mixture between the prepared muffin cups.
- Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until no longer pink in the centers (165ºF).
- Top each mini meatloaf with 2 tablespoons of sauce and bake 5 minutes more or until the sauce is set.
- Serve with the remaining sauce.
7 Comments
How do you heat it up when it’s frozen?
It’s best to reheat them with some moisture. Either steam or baked them covered in foil at 350ºF until warmed through.
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I love personal-sized stuff like this. Muffin tins can make so much more than breakfast or snacks! :o) And the combo for the meatloaves sounds delish. Thanks!
These look so wonderfully moist and flavorful, yummy!
These are perfect! I love the fact that they can be frozen and grabbed when needed/wanted. The seasonings (spicy brown mustard and brown sugar? Yes!) combined with the other ingredients is so appealing to me! Nice dish!