Muffin Pan Meatloaf
Muffin Pan Meatloaf is perfect for a busy night—you just need 6 ingredients and 30 minutes to bake them!
This easy recipe for Muffin Pan Meatloaf is a gem—tender beef, plenty of veggies, and hearty oats, all made into a meatloaf muffin.
My friend Andrea brought these over when my youngest son was born. It’s her sister Tonya’s recipe. It was the perfect baby meal for a new mom, and I’ve made these plenty of times since. They’re a nice change of pace from our usual go-to meatloaf, Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf.
I like serving these meatloaf muffins with mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli, and dinner rolls (store-bought or homemade potato rolls) on the side.
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Ingredients
- I used 80% lean ground beef for this recipe. 85% lean works, too.
- Diced green pepper and diced yellow onion add lots of flavor.
- The binders for this meatloaf are old fashioned oats, an egg, and ketchup. You’ll need 1.5 cups of ketchup total—1 cup for inside the meatloaf and another ½ cup for the top.
How to make meatloaf in a muffin Pan
Start by chopping one small yellow onion and one small green pepper. If your green pepper and/or onion are large, use half or three-quarters of it. If there are too many pieces of either, the meatloaf won’t hold together as well.
Place the ground beef, green pepper, onion, one cup of ketchup, egg, oats, and salt in a large bowl.
Use your hands to very gently combine the ingredients until well distributed. Avoid over mixing the meatloaf, which can make it tough.
Scoop the meat mixture into standard size muffin pans. There’s no need to grease the muffin pans, since the fat from the beef will prevent the meatloaf from sticking.
I like using a cookie scoop to scoop the meat. Press the meat down firmly in each cup, which help the meatloaf hold together after baking.
This recipe makes approximately 18–20 mini meatloaves if the cups are filled to the top.
Bake the meatloaf in the muffin pan for 25 minutes, then top each mini meatloaf with ketchup. I spread it with an offset spatula to make it even. A butter knife would work, too.
Return the muffin tins to the oven to bake for an additional 5 minutes. The ketchup will set slightly on top.
Let the meatloaf sit for 5 minutes, then run a butter knife along the edges of each loaf to loosen them from the pan.
Top the Muffin Tin Meatloaves with chopped parsley if desired, and serve them immediately while still warm.
Make ahead/Freezing/reheating
You can make Muffin Tin Meatloaf up to one day in advance. To make it ahead, prepare the meat mixture and divide it into muffin tins. Cover the muffin tins tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake them. Bake within 24 hours.
You can freeze muffin tin meatloaf after cooking. Prepare and bake the recipe as directed, but do not add ketchup to the top.
Remove the meatloaves from the muffin tin, and let cool completely. Place in a single layer in a resealable plastic freezer bag, and store flat in the freezer.
When you’re ready to serve them, defrost the mini meatloaves in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Place them back into the muffin tin and bake for 10 minutes. Top with ketchup and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the meatloaves are warm throughout.
How to jazz up meatloaf
Looking for ways to change it up? Here are a few of my favorites!
- add 4 crumbled slices of cooked bacon
- add 1 cup of shredded or cubed cheddar
- add 1 tablespoon of ranch dressing to the ketchup on top
- use bbq sauce on the top instead of ketchup
📖 Recipe
Muffin Pan Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1½ cups ketchup, divided
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 green pepper, finely diced
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Reserve ½ cup of ketchup for the top. Place the remaining 1 cup ketchup and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands to combine.
- Divide the mixture into muffin tins. I got 18–20 mini meatloaves from this recipe.
- Bake the meatloaves for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and divide the reserved ½ cup ketchup among the meatloaves. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of each loaf to loosen them from the pan. Serve immediately.
Hi, Kate . . . meatloaf hack—dump all the ingredients and a handful of the ground meat into a food processor and whiz . . . mix the gooey mess with the rest of the meat. Processor ensures ingredients are well mixed and prevents overmixing by hand. Good recipe.
Love that idea—thanks for the tip!