A Mini Meatloaf Recipe, For You and Yours
We’re excited about this mini meatloaf recipe because it answers many of our dinnertime needs in one easy preparation. You can make this for a dinner party, a family night in, or if you’re cooking for one person you can freeze mini meatloaf leftovers (meatloaf sandwich anyone?). Mini meatloaf cooks faster, and holds moisture better than regular meatloaf. What we’re saying is that mini meatloaf is perfect in every way. If you’re looking to make a ground turkey meatloaf, we suggest you check out our Turkey Meatloaf, or this nuanced Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf. Want to mix up the flavor profile? Our Mini Italian-Style Meatloaf Sheet Pan meal is everything you want in one place, or sandwich-it-up with a Patty Melt.
Meatloaf 101: Moisture, Structure, and Texture
You have all of your ingredients, and you’re ready to make these succulent mini meatloaves. But first, let’s answer some important meatloaf questions. What is the secret to moist meatloaf, and what ingredients keep meatloaf from falling apart? It’s eggs! Egg yolks add moisture and egg whites are a good binder for meatloaf and help hold everything together. They’re the magic ingredient, along with whole milk, that add moisture to meatloaf and help keep their shape. For texture we add breadcrumbs. And the overall structure of the meatloaf depends on all of these ingredients, plus the mixture of meat. We call for a blend of lean ground beef and ground pork, with a higher proportion of beef for flavor and fat, and pork adding a nice texture.
How To Make Mini Meatloaf
Prepare your baking surface. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet (cooking spray works, or you can use parchment paper for super easy clean up).
Make the meatloaf. This part is the same as making a regular meatloaf! In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, pork and breadcrumbs.
An egg mixture is used as a binder for mini meatloaves. Eggs help hold the meat together, and also keep it from drying out. To make the egg mixture, whisk the eggs together with the milk, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Add the egg mixture, and ketchup (or tomato paste works too, it just won’t be as flavorful as ketchup) to the meat and breadcrumb mixture until fully combined. Use a stand mixer for this step if you have one, or you can do like grandma did and use your hands!
In a small bowl mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon water until fully combined. (If freezing, go ahead and form the mini meatloaves wrap them in plastic wrap, and store in the freezer at this step.)
Divide the meat into 6 pieces and create an oval about 4” by 3”. Place them on the baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush the brown sugar sauce over the tops of the meatloaves.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the internal temperature of the meatloaf registers 160°F with a meat thermometer.
What To Serve With Mini Meatloaf
The answer is potatoes, of course! Mashed potatoes rank first in our potato preferences, so we’d go for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Crispy Shallot Mashed Potatoes. Don’t forget to eat your veggies! It’s always a good idea to add a little vegetable to a plate of meatloaf and potatoes. Creamed Spinach is a classically good side dish for meat, or a crispy Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Orange Vinaigrette would be a fresh addition.
Tools You’ll Need
A whisk
A stand mixer, is helpful but not necessary
Did You Eat This Mini Meatloaf Faster Than You Thought?
We’ve got more great meaty meals, and a few potato recipes too, to make the most of your next meat and potatoes dinner. Check them out here:
There’s Oven Baked Pork Ribs, which we recommend eating with Scalloped Potatoes
You could cook up a Classic Cheese Burger with Secret Sauce and serve Potato Wedges with Ranch on the side
Classic Beef Stew comes with its own potatoes
Baked Sweet Potato and Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri sounds divine
I Would Do Anything For Love, Including Eat This Meatloaf
Meatloaf is one of our love languages, and we’d love to see some snaps of these mini meatloaves, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed them to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
