Meatloaf has received a bad reputation over the years and some of it is deserved. Meatloaf is so easy to make, but also so easy to ruin. The biggest problem that I have seen is when people attempt to make meatloaf is that it ends up being too dry, be it from not adding enough moisture to the meatloaf mixture or from cooking it for so long that it is completely dried out and rubbery.
This easy meatloaf recipe solves all of those problems: it is just the right balance of ingredients and because you cook it in a muffin tin you don't have to worry about the ends drying out while you wait for the middle to be fully cooked (as you do when you cook it in a traditional loaf pan).
Another benefit to making mini-meatloaves is that, like my Mini Chicken Pot Pie recipe, it is built-in portion control. One of these is just about the right serving size for most people (although my husband will usually eat 2 of these).
I started using oats in my meatloaf recipe several years ago. When my children were younger, they didn't like the "chunks" of the oats so I would put them in the blender to make "oatmeal breadcrumbs" before adding them to the mixture. Now that they are older, they don't mind them so much. Adding oatmeal gives this easy meatloaf mixture a little bit more fiber than breadcrumbs would, but you can always substitute bread crumbs if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 Egg
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup Quick Oats or breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup crushed Club Crackers
- 2/3 cup Ketchup
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Mustard
- 2 cup Mashed Potatoes (use your favorite recipe)
Directions:
- Preheat Oven to 350.
- Combine ketchup, mustard and brown sugar together and stir to mix well. Set aside (this will be your topping for your meatloaves)
- In a separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredients (except the mashed potatoes) and mix well
- Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 wells of a standard muffin tin.
- Top each mini-meatloaf with the ketchup mixture.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before you remove from muffin pan
- Place mashed potatoes in a zip-top bag or piping bag. Cut a corner off of the bag and pipe on a mashed potato "frosting".
Serve and enjoy!