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This Mini Meatloaf recipe is a great way to make homemade meatloaf during the week! Use a muffin pan to make small individual-sized meatloaf muffins that cook in half the time as a regular one. They are an easy dinner that is perfect when you’re craving something comforting and hearty.
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The Best Mini Meatloaf Recipe
Meatloaf used to be a once in a while dinner at our house because, holy cow, have you ever baked a full-sized meatloaf? It takes forever. Mini meatloaf is the answer!
Making mini meatloaf is a genius idea. Instead of forming a large loaf, you divide the mixture and press it into a muffin pan. The meatloaf muffins bake in half the time, but they still taste like the classic version.
This method makes this classic comfort food dinner totally doable during the week. The mini loaves are tender, juicy, and full of flavor. You can do this with pretty much any meatloaf recipe, but I love to make mine Italian-style with Italian seasonings and mozzarella cheese.
This is such an easy recipe, and you don’t need a ton of ingredients to make it!
Ingredients in Meatloaf
- Meat: I used lean ground beef but you could also use turkey
- Stuffing mix: Most recipes call for some kind of breadcrumbs, and stuffing mix works really well because it’s dried bread crumbs mixed with seasoning. It makes gives the mini meatloaves the best flavor. I also use mix to make my easy sausage stuffing recipe!
- Italian seasoning & Pasta sauce: for flavoring – and it’s easy to change up the flavors to suit your mood!
How to Make Mini Meatloaf
- Place the beef, stuffing mix, water, and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix them until well blended. The easiest way to do this is with your hands – it’s the fastest way to mix it thoroughly.
- Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and then divide the meat mixture evenly. Press the mixture into the molds and make and well in the center. Spoon the pasta sauce in each well.
- Bake the meatloaves for 30 minutes at 375°F. Once they are cooked through, top them with the shredded cheese and bake them for five more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Let them stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Variations
- Use BBQ Sauce and cheddar cheese to make BBQ meatloaf.
- Use salsa and Monterey jack cheese
- Pesto Sauce would be fantastic too!
These cheesy mini meatloaves are one of our favorite comfort food dinners. The Italian flavors really work, and I love that I can make them on a weeknight. Now you don’t have to wait to treat yourself to homemade meatloaf – you can make these even when you don’t have much time. I hope you give them a try!
Expert Tips
- Substitute ground turkey for a lighter dinner.
- Use a cookie scoop for easy measuring into the muffin tin!
- No need to use a muffin liner, but you can if you want to.
- You could also make these in 3 mini muffin pans.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze mini meatloaves for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Whether you make a big one or mini meatloaves, they are done when the internal temperature is 160°F. You can check the temperature with a meat thermometer or cut into the center of one loaf if you don’t have one. It’s done when the meat is no longer pink in the center.
If you use a standard muffin pan to make twelve meatloaf muffins, they should only take about 30 minutes at 375°F. It’s always good to check on them before the end of the cooking time since some ovens run hotter than others.
Did you add and measure all of the ingredients accurately? Meatloaf needs a binder like eggs and breadcrumbs – without them, there’s nothing to hold it together. The other issue could be overbaking. If you over bake the mini meatloaves, they will be dry and can fall apart. So, be sure to check your oven temperature and baking time.
Mini Meatloaves Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 6 ounce package stuffing mix
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ cup pasta sauce
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and seasoning until well blended in a large bowl.
- Press evenly into 12-cavity muffin pan. Make an indentation in the center of each with the back of a spoon. Spoon a bit of pasta sauce in each indentation.
- Bake 30 minutes or until the meatloaves are cooked through. Top evenly with cheese; continue baking 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Substitute ground turkey for a lighter dinner.
- Use a cookie scoop for easy measuring into the muffin tin!
- No need to use a muffin liner, but you can if you want to.
- You could also make these in 3 mini muffin pans.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze mini meatloaves for up to 3 months.
Recipe Nutrition
Other Favorite Easy Dinners
This Mini Meatloaf recipe is a great way to make homemade meatloaf during the week! They are an easy dinner that is perfect when you’re craving something comforting and hearty.
Hi do you need to mix in the stuffing flavoring packet too or just the stuffing part?
The stuffing I use doesn’t have a separate packet, it’s already seasoned, so I’d add it.
These sound simple and delicious! I’m curious though, what kind of stuffing do you use? Are we talking stove top?
You can use any brand, any flavor.
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