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You are here: Home / Food / Before the Whole Foods Switch / Easy Ground Beef #4 – Mini Meatloaves

by Stacy  Leave a Comment

Easy Ground Beef #4 – Mini Meatloaves

I love a good meatloaf. Notice I said, GOOD meatloaf. Honey, I’ve been to some potluck suppers where meatloaf was served and it could have been a hockey puck…..a door stop……a fruitcake.  My Mama makes the BEST meatloaf. It’s also so nice and dense, yet perfectly moist.I like trying different recipes, so I don’t think I’ve ever tried the same meatloaf recipe twice…..but I have made them this way several times – in muffin cups. They make a nice little serving size so there is no cutting required. Nice!For some reason, some kids are scared of meatloaf. I have no clue why. I guess any food described as “loaf” could be scary. But, I think if you make them this way and each child has their own little loaf, then it might not be so bad……especially since there is salsa and cheese involved. Or ketchup. Even if they don’t like it, you can disguise it with ketchup. Ketchup –  disguising meatloaf since 1924.

To make these little loaves you’ll need ground beef, salsa, cheese, a box of stuffing mix, chili powder, and water. Now, I am normally an oatmeal in my meatloaf kind of girl. I just like oats. I try to put them in everything I can. I think oats in meatloaf make it taste the best……but I will admit that the stuffing gives it a nice flavor and helps them stick together very well. So maybe now I’m an oatmeal AND stuffing kind of girl. I’m open to change…..sometimes.

You’re going to use 12 muffin cups. I had a large 12 cup pan, but I decided to go with two 6 cup pans instead. I thought they would be easier to wash. My big pan won’t fit down in the water, so I use it when I’m using paper muffin cup thingies and have less mess. Spray the heck out of your pans with cooking spray. I mean really lay it on. You don’t want the little loaves to stick…..plus it makes the pans easier to wash.

Ok, so you have your meat in a large mixing bowl – now add the stuffing, the water, and chili powder. This is my meatloaf bowl. Yes, I have a bowl dedicated to mixing meatloaf. I’m a strange cookie. I also have a cup dedicated to peanuts. What’s it to ya?

Mix it up buttercup! You can use a spoon…..if you’re a pansy. I like to use my hands. When I do, I know it’s totally mixed together. Plus, it goes a lot faster than trying to use a spoon. It’s a good idea to clip your fingernails before mixing it with your hands though – or you’ll be picking out meat from your fingernails for at least three days. I always keep my nails clipped short……I don’t like picking food out. Here’s a tip from my Mama – you can mix meatloaf in your stand mixer! Mama has rheumatoid arthritis, so her hands need a break from all this meatloaf mixing. If you decide to do this, do not mix it for long. ONLY MIX UNTIL COMBINED. If you go hog wild and let it mix forever, then you’ll have doorstop meatloaf like I was describing before.

Divide the mixture into 12 cups. I just eye-balled it, but you could use a cookie scoop if you wanted. It’s not an exact science, but they do need to be sorta the same…….you don’t want some done and some raw in the middle. Ew.

Take a spoon and push it down into the middle of the cup, like so. You’re trying to make a little indention in the center, sorta like a meatloaf volcano. Kids would love this part! If you get them involved in the cooking process, they’re more likely to eat it – or so I read in Parents magazine.

Fill the indentions you made with salsa. You could use something different if you wanted. If you had spaghetti or pizza sauce, you could use that instead. Whatever floats your boat! Salsa floats my boat…….but not as much as my friend Penny. I think she lives at the Mexican Restaurant.

Ok, let’s stop and have a little lesson. Do you buy your cheese already grated? I did…..until I wised up. You can get an 8 ounce block of cheese or an 8 ounce bag of shredded cheese for the same price. It’s the same weight, so it yields the same……right? Nope. When you grate a block of cheese, it will yield more volume than a bag of pre-shredded. Why? It comes out fluffier. You’ll use less and get more bang for your buck! Plus, pre-shredded cheese is coated with cornstarch and other preservatives to keep the strands separated. When you grate your own cheese, it won’t have that on there and plus, it melts prettier. I just like pretty melted cheese…..and money in my pocket.

Pop your loaves into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. That’s another plus with this recipe. It takes WAY less time…..about half. A regular meatloaf needs to bake for one hour or more. If you’re short on time, this is definitely the way to go! When the 30 minutes are up, pull out your pans and top the loaves with cheese. Put them back into the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Sorry for the blurry quality of some of these photos. Annie was interested in the meatloaf, so she was on my hip…..hard to hold the camera steady.

Here they are. Oh man, they were delicious and so moist! They didn’t even need ketchup, but we used it anyway. We’re a ketchup kind of household. Even Annie liked these…..well, she liked them last night, but who knows about today. That girl is as fickle as her mama.

Mini Meatloaves

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1, 6oz box stuffing mix
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • ¾ cup salsa
  • ¾ cup shredded cheese
  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and chili powder until well blended. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.
  3. Make indentation in center of each with back of spoon; fill evenly with 3/4 cup salsa.
  4. Bake 30 min. or until meatloaves are done (160°F).
  5. Top with 3/4 cup cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.
  6. Let stand 10 min.

*Recipe from Kraft Food and Family Magazine*

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About Stacy

Stacy is a Homemaking and Business Mom Mentor, the author of two cookbooks, creator of multiple e-courses, seasoned life coach, and comedian extraordinaire. Her first priority is her husband and her children - family first. She presses on each day because her calling is to teach, train, and mentor other ladies to have their dreams. She believes if it’s not easy, you won’t do it – because she’s lived it. She’ll bring YOU the awesome so that you can get your home back into control and watch your business soar. For tips and easy strategies, you can follow her on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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