Meatloaf is one of those comfort foods we remember from days past. The problem is that it takes an hour or more to bake in the oven. ‘Want to make meatloaf after work? Try putting your favorite recipe in muffin pans. You can have delicious “meatloaf muffins” in 20 minutes.
Lori’s Meatloaf Muffins
Serves 4 (Total preparation time: 30 minutes; 10 minutes to put together, 20 minutes to bake):
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- 1 lb very lean ground beef
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 cloves or 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup dry oatmeal
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper as desired
Use your hands to thoroughly mix–YES, it’s 
a bit messy, but that’s the best way to evenly distribute all the ingredients!
Spray 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Evenly divide between 12 muffin cups. Put in 400 
degree oven and set timer for 15 minutes.
Topping–make while meat mixture is baking:
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Whisk together in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
Once meatloaf muffins are done, remove from oven, and divide sauce evenly over the muffins. Return to oven for 5 more minutes. Enjoy with some veggies and some potatoes sweet potatoes or rice!!
3 muffins provide 300 calories, 30 gm protein, 27 gm carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 8 gm total fat 3 gm saturated fat, and 213 mg sodium
