Mini Meatloaf
My mom made us meatloaf in a muffin tin all the time when I was a kid. It’s so yummy cooked this way and it’s also way easier to make and faster to cook the regular meatloaf! I particularly love that this recipe can be prepped in the morning, or even the night before, making dinnertime way less stressful.
I LOVE mini meatloaf because:
- Faster cook time
- Individual portion sizes
- Easy to make ahead, store and freeze
- More fun to eat!
Mini Meatloaf in 5 easy steps:
- Combine meatloaf ingredients. In a large mixing bowl (using your hands or a large spoon), combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, barbecue sauce, mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and egg.
- Press into muffin tins. Divide the meat among the 12 cups in a standard muffin tin, pressing them down to fill the cup.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Make the sauce. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Once muffins have cooked for 15 minutes, remove them and blot out any grease in the muffin cups. Spoon the sauce over them.
- Return to oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve muffins with a side of Perfect Mashed Potatoes
I love the meatloaf sauce in this recipe because it’s delicious and couldn’t be EASIER, with only four simple ingredients: ketchup, brown sugar, dijon mustard, and nutmeg. You can prepare it up to one week in advance, stored in the refrigerator.
Healthy Meatloaf?
These meatloaf muffins are only 140 calories made with lean ground beef or about 120 calories made with ground turkey (that’s including the sauce!). I often use ground turkey instead of ground beef because once I add the sauce, my family really can’t tell the difference.
Freezing and Storing Mini Meatloaf:
- To store: place the cooked muffins in a container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To freeze: prepare the meatloaf and press it into the muffin tin. Cover the muffin tin with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to “flash freeze.” After about 1 hour, remove the raw, partially frozen meatloaf muffins and place them in a freezer safe resealable bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To re-heat: remove the muffins from the freezer and place them in the muffin tin, in the refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and top them with sauce. Bake again for 10-15 minutes.
Sides for mini meatloaf:
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Mini Meatloaf Muffins
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup onion , chopped
- 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
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl (using your hands or a large spoon), combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce, mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and egg.
- Divide the mixture among the 12 cups in a standard muffin tin, pressing them down to fill the cup. Bake for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a small bowl mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce.
- Remove the meatloaf from oven and use a paper towel to soak up any grease on the meatloaf.
- Generously spoon 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
Nutrition
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!
RATE this recipe and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe September 2013. Updated August 2019.
Ryan says
Made these for the second time today! So easy and so delicious!! My husband is a huge meatloaf fan and he loves these! I love the idea of making these in a muffin pan! Perfect portion size for me (I am a calorie counter)!! Thank you for the great recipe!
Jeremiah says
This recipe was fast, easy to make, and tasted even better than the regular, full-sized (loaf-sized) meatloaf. Thanks for the recipe!
Kris says
Can you freeze the fully cooked mini meatloaf!
And use individually as wanted?
Lauren Allen says
Yes, sure!
Patricia Carter says
Very good. Did add a little more salt but other then that they were good per the recipe. I liked how easy and how delicious they turned out. Will be using this recipe again.
Jeff de says
Awesome ide.Even my Italian wife from Calabria Italy loved it.Wish we could edit the serving quantities by editing it like many other sites.
Mary Ann says
Delicious! We loved how tasty and cute they are.
Michelle says
Made this tonight. My kids scarfed it down with no complaint. I did substitute onion powder (2 tsp) for the onion for a kid who won’t eat something if she thinks she can see an onion. It’s going into my monthly rotation. Super easy for portion! I didn’t use the sauce, and it was still really good, and we didn’t miss it.
Carrie Fox says
Really easy and delicious. I appreciate how they are portioned, and how they keep well. The sauce on top was soooo good! My husband isn’t a big fan of meatloaf, except for your recipe and now this one! I am always looking for more quick and easy recipes to throw together with a toddler running around. Thank you!!
Kelly Ann says
Hubby says this is the best meatloaf he has ever eaten, and he LOVES meatloaf! This is a keeper for sure!
Michelle says
Can regular bread crumbs be used instead of panko? Or any other substitutions for panko?
Lauren Allen says
Yes, that fine! Or you could use crushed crackers (like ritz, club or saltines).