Mini Meatloaves

Meatloaf is a favorite at our house but I've never been able to really successfully make a whole meatloaf, so I decided to attempt mini meatloaves after seeing a recipe for them on AllRecipes.com. They turned out perfectly and have been a big hit ever since.

Six years ago on April Fool's Day, I told the kids that we were having cupcakes for supper. I turned these into "meatloaf cupcakes" for the kids and they thought it was awesome! Ever since that day, they request that I make them every year on April 1st. I have included the directions for making them along with a picture of them at the end of this post. This is also a fun recipe to have the kids help you prepare. :D


Ingredients

• 2 eggs 
• 2 pounds ground beef (or a combo of pork/venison, beef/turkey, etc.)
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar 
• 1 cup quick cooking oats 
• 1/3 cup minced onion 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar, divided 
• 2/3 cup ketchup 
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and onion. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these on a foil lined cookie sheet. 
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, 1/4 cup brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf. 
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350˚ for 45 minutes. 

This recipe makes 8 servings and also works well for meatloaf sandwiches (meatloaf, cheese, toasted bread, and sautéed onion).


Source: allrecipes.com (this posted version includes my changes)

Meatloaf Cupcake Variation

1. Prep mini meatloaves as usual, except shape them into cupcake-like discs. This should give you about 12 "cupcakes". Do not include the sauce.
2. Bake at the same temperature, but for 25-30 minutes instead.
3. While your meatloaves are baking, prep some mashed potatoes. You can make them from scratch, but I have found that the instant mix works a little better. Place potatoes in a large ziptop plastic bag (or piping bag if you have one) and snip off one corner. 
4. Remove meatloaf from oven and pipe mashed potatoes on top of each, like you would frosting. Top with finely shredded cheese, chives, a sprinkle of paprika, bacon bits, etc. just like you would sprinkles on a cupcake. Optional, you can pop them back in the oven on broil for a minute or two.