Serve these delicious meatloaf muffins with steamed green beans and roasted potato wedges for an at-home version of a blue-plate special.
Meatloaf in a Muffin Tin is the perfect way to cook meatloaf. My husband LOVES meatloaf and it is a super easy meal to prepare however when prepared in a loaf pan it takes so long. It heats up the house and often times I have to worry about if it is “done” in the middle or not. When I mentioned it to my Mom she reminded me that she used to make meatloaf this way when we were little to save cooking time (always listen to your Mom). I knew immediately by using meatloaf in a muffin tin my meatloaf worries were over. Be sure to Re-Pin this post.
You can use ANY meatloaf recipe for this process. Here are several that we love!
I am giving four stars for the innovative “meatloaf muffin” idea. The meatloaf itself could have been a bit lighter and more flavorful, in my opinion. The second time I made it I added 2 eggs, 2 slices of bread and enough milk to completely soak the bread. I also put in a teaspoon of basil, a teaspoon of Oregano and a few roesmary leaves. With these changes, the muffins came out excellent.
Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
- 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
- 2 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 large egg plus a splash of milk, beaten
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
- 1 cup smoky barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup tomato salsa
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Put ground beef into a big bowl. Put onion and celery into a food processor. Cut the bell pepper in half, rip out the seeds and throw them into your garbage bowl. Cut the pepper into a few pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse the processor blades to finely chop the vegetables into very small pieces then add them to the meat bowl. Add egg, beaten with milk, bread crumbs and grill seasoning to the bowl. Next, mix together the smoky barbecue sauce, the salsa and the Worcestershire sauce. Pour half the sauce mixture into the bowl with the meatloaf mix. Mix the meatloaf together with your hands. Wash up. Brush a 12-muffin tin (1/2-cup each) with vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Use an ice cream scoop to help you fill meat into a each tin. Top each meat loaf with a spoonful of extra sauce. Bake about 20 minutes. Cut open 1 muffin to test that the middle is cooked through
Meatloaf Muffins
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Food Processor
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients
Meatloaf Ingredients
- 1.75 pounds Ground Sirloin Use 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 pounds.
- 1 medium Onion Cut into chunks.
- 2 ribs Celery From the heart of the stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces.
- 1 large Green Bell Pepper Cut in half and seeds removed.
- 1 large Egg Beaten with a splash of milk.
- 1 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
- 2 tablespoons Grill Seasoning Recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick.
- 1 cup Smoky Barbecue Sauce
- 1/2 cup Tomato Salsa
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- as needed Vegetable Oil or Extra-Virgin Olive Oil For brushing the muffin tin.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Put ground beef into a big bowl.
- Put onion and celery into a food processor. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove seeds, and add to the food processor. Pulse to finely chop the vegetables.
- Add chopped vegetables to the meat bowl. Add egg (beaten with milk), bread crumbs, and grill seasoning.
- Mix together the smoky barbecue sauce, salsa, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour half into the meat mixture and mix with hands.
- Brush a 12-muffin tin with vegetable oil. Use an ice cream scoop to fill each tin with the meat mixture. Top each with a spoonful of extra sauce.
- Bake for about 20 minutes. Cut open 1 muffin to test that the middle is cooked through.