Don’t you just love these cute Mini Meatloaves? I love cooking things in muffin tins. It makes everything so tiny and cute to eat. Remember these Pop Up Pancakes? Yum! Well, these Mini Meatloaves in a Muffin Tin are perfect for dinner served with little mini carrots and baby asparagus!
This idea came from the magazine Kraft Food & Family. I subscribe to their quarterly magazine and it’s FREE! **UPDATE: this magazine is no longer free.** It has great easy recipes with lots and lots of pictures (every recipe book needs pictures!) They do advertise using almost all Kraft products, but I just use whatever I’ve got at home already.
Mini Meatloaf Recipe:
- Favorite Meatloaf recipe
- bbq sauce
- salt & pepper
- cheese – cheddar, or something stronger would be yum
Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray. Place in a handful of prepared meatloaf into each muffin tin. Press your thumb into each meatloaf ball, making a space for toppings. Squirt a dollop of bbq sauce into the space and salt and pepper. Bake in a pre-heated 375* oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through (160F). Add your favorite cheese and bake for another 5 or so minutes.
Now serve these on a mini plate on a tiny table in your smallest room with your cutests kids and enjoy!
Written by Marie LeBaron
Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
I love it!! Thanks for planning my dinner for tomorrow! I can’t wait! :)
We have made the mini meatloaves from the Kraft magazine for a while. It tastes good and it looks great!
I’m a big fan of Kraft Food & Family too and these mini-meatloaves are one of my go-to meals when I don’t know what to make. So darn easy and perfect portion sizes.
I love that the mini meatloaves are so fast to cook! We actually enjoy the original recipe that calls for using a box of stuffing in the meat. Good eats.
Thank you for dinner tonight!
-Jill
I make these for my daughter – they’re the perfect size for her, and a nice break from chicken nuggets!
Patricia – YES, they’re great portion sizes for me and my kids.
Mary – Too true!
And I’m just thinking how these would probably freeze up nicely to eat for lunch later on for me and the kids.
Great idea, and a cute post.
I have made these before and it is great for kids. However, mine was in response to a dilema I had. I wanted to do something funny for April Fools Day three years ago and I had an article that talked about making a meat loaf cake. So I sent her off to school that morning with promises of “cake” for dinner that night! Since it was just the 3 of us and my daughter was only 6, I knew the recipe was too much food. So instead of a cake, I made meatloaf cupcakes. Same thing as above, but you “frost” them with mashed potatoes and then use half a cherry tomato for the “cherry” on top! My daughter loved them and still asks for them! And if you really want to, you can add a little food coloring to the potatoes to color the “frosting”
oh yes – I make these all the time. Love them – so great for making in bulk and freezing. I think I blogged about it or maybe I just took the pictures. LOL :)
oh forgot to add that I put dough in the bottom – either homemade or Pillsbury and then make a little “sandwich.” Those are great for lunches as well. :)
Monkiesmom – LOVE that idea, dressing them up like real cupcakes with mash potatoes and cherry tomato! I’m doing that next time, thanks!
Jen – Also a great idea for a sandwich. Yum!
What a fantastic idea. I love it. I’m bookmarking it right now.
Wow, my mom used to do these when I was a kid and we were short on time. Instead of making a huge meatloaf that took forever to bake (8 kids in my house) she made these. We loved them, felt special getting a ‘personal’ meatloaf.
i made these on monday night…and the best part is that the kids ate without even complaining….mommy heaven
Funny–I just made these last night–I have an actual recipe if you are interested. I needed to use up some ground turkey so I mixed it with ground beef and made a double batch. Froze one for down the road. They are great with some string cheese hiding in the middle.
These are great! I have made these several times. I love that it cooks much faster than traditional meatloaf.
I do my meat loaf like this too, the really great plus to this is that I usually double or triple the recipe and freeze the rest. It makes a perfect freezer meal and you can take out only as many as you need.
Hubby and I do this quite often. It cuts the cooking time tremendously and often that is why we make them this way. We have done other things in the muffin tins as well for the same reason. Besides it is also easier to do portion control, too!
Those are fun! Another way my kids like them is to put them in bread pans and put polly-o string cheeses right in the middle and marinara sauce on top. Yummo!
genius. my kids are gonna love these!
What a great idea! I’m totally going to do this.
Those look really good! Thanks for sharing.
Perfect for kids! I want to try this recipe.
Thanks for the cute idea! I wish I had some thawed beef right now- I’d go to town.
Great idea using muffin tins. I always just made them smaller but cooked them on a cookie sheet, this look so much more fun!
My husband’s not a huge fan of meatloaf, but I’m definitely going to try this anyway. I’m going to say that he will like it…that’s my prediction! :)
The first time my husband (then boyfriend) made meatloaf he filled a 9×9 square dish as full as he could. It took over 2 hours to cook his ‘meat cake’ as we have so lovingly coined it. From that day on I showed him my trick of cooking meatloaf in a muffin tin! For the past 5 years my husband and now my daughter are always asking for meatloaf muffins. I love that they cook up so quickly and they are great for portion control. Hubby’s favorite part is that one leftover muffin is the perfect size for a meatloaf sandwich the next day!
Can someone tell me if it would be better to freeze after I bake them?
Taraleigh – This is a good question. I think both ways should taste just fine. But probably portioning them out first and freezing the raw is a little more fresh. The cooked kind may get a little more rubbery if frozen for too long. I suggest freezing before. But if you make some and have left overs, then freezing after should be fine too.
These look really tasty! Cute post.
Thank you for the recipe. I just found your pancake one also. I just started my new blog and making things in muffin tins are one of my main obsessions. Love your site and glad to find it.
These look awesome! Can’t wait to try and I am going to use Country Bob’s sauce!
Thanks for the tip on meat loaf in a muffin tin. Who knew? Also great suggestions from the comments as well. I can’t wait to try this with a turkey meatloaf recipe.
We just ate meatloaf on Monday and eating the leftovers tonight. This will be a great way to change it up from the other night! Oh and I use ground turkey for mine!
Great idea! We’re making your recipe tonight. We look forward to dinner!
i have made mini meatloaves for years… but the best trick i found to prevent ruining the pan, is to use a silicone muffin pan. when it is done cooking, you can just flip it over and litterally POP them out onto a plate!
Sounds like a fun recipe but Kristi would still not have eaten it.
so I guess Adriana would say no to the meat, unless blended.
Will disposable aluminum foil muffin tins work as well for mini meat loaf muffins as non-disposable?
Donna – I’ve never tried it, but I’m sure the foil tins would work. Just make sure to grease them up, so the meat doesn’t stick.
would someone please email me what quartly mag that recipe is in. (the muffin meatloaf) I have subscribed to that mag for years..I would surely appreciate it. Thanks Lisa in WV
lisa.lowery2733@comcast.net
Put a lil sliced deli ham and swiss or mozzarella cheese in the center…omit the bbq sauce…
I think it would be yummy with a lil spinach and mozzarella cheese in the middle :)
To all those people who make their mini meatloaf in a muffin tin, isnt it a fabulous idea, however, I have a suggestion. When making portions to go into the muffin tin, just use an icecream scooper and scoop it from the bowl and fill the skoop full and rounded, then deposit in the muffin tin and I make a small hole in center to add two tablespoon Nancy’s Chili Sauce, its so delicious when you eat it.
Add some mashed potatoes to the top with cheese. Mini cupcakes. delish
Iwant to make these foe a ski trip next week. If I cook them and then freeze, how should I reheat them? Or is it better to freeze uncooked? If so, do I de-frost, then cook? Thanks!
How long so you bake the meatloaf with mashed potato on it?
Is there anything as healthy, tasty and nourishing as meat with cheese? Don’t ask me, I’m American.
Just about any quiche recipe will make a create muffin meal….
Bill
I’m making these for a friend of mine who just had a baby. They are perfect because they can freeze them and use them for multiple meals with out defrosting and entire meatloaf.
My wife makes these for party, & They are great, we tried making a double batch, half with 90/20 ground beef & half ground buffalo. The buffalo is colesteral & fat free. Man they are GREAT!!!!
I’m looking for the mini muffin meatloafs made with whole wheat bread crumbs. I’ve trying to find it. sounds so good. For dieting.
OMG!!! I love this idea! You. Have. Inspired. Me…. THANK YOU!!!
i’m still a kid but i’m cooking dinnier to night so me and my mom got the idea of sliders but instead of grilling them i put feta, bacon, and chives in it and then put it in the muffin pan when there ready i’ll pull them out and serve them on french rolls with avicado and carmelized onions! and for my side dishes fried mushrooms and ceasar salad. =p yum hope i’ve inspired some one like you have Marie thanks for the cooking time! ;)
Alright, I gotta try these :)
I never liked meatloaf before trying this recipe.