BBQ Meatloaf Muffins with Sweet Potato Topping

Meatloaf regularly finds its way on my weekly meal plan for several reasons, not only because it’s delicious and one of my favorite comfort foods, but it’s also easy to make ahead, freezes well (both raw and fully cooked) and it’s a more economical way to get grass-fed beef into our diet because ground meat is way less expensive than steak, but you already knew that.

Cheddar BBQ meatloaf muffins are mini meatloaves made in a muffin tin and topped with BBQ sauce and cheese. An easy meatloaf recipe for dinner!

Cheddar BBQ meatloaf muffins are mini meatloaves made in a muffin tin and topped with BBQ sauce and lots of cheese. This easy meatloaf recipe is a quick and easy dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes, and it’s super kid friendly and picky eater approved!

My entire family loves meatloaf, and it’s probably one of the few foods that we all agree on. In fact, that’s one of the reasons that this blog happens to be called Meatloaf and Melodrama. The only reason that I don’t make meatloaf more often is that it takes a long time to cook, especially since I always make enough for all of us, plus leftovers.

Don’t be intimidated by the pretty sweet potato topping swirls in the picture. Keep in mind, we’re food bloggers and piping pureed root vegetables onto small discs of meat is what we do.

Feel free to dollop, scoop or spread your topping on if that’s easiest for you. It’s still going to be ridiculously mouth-watering delicious, especially with a little drizzle of your favorite barbecue or hot sauce. We like Tessemae’s and The New Primal when we’re Whole 30-ing because it doesn’t have any added refined sugar, but you can use any good-quality store-bought sauce without high-fructose corn syrup. Heck, you can even use this easy Homemade BBQ Sauce that you can whip up in just minutes (it’s even Whole30 and super budget-friendly).

The only downside is that it takes a while to a bake an entire 2-lb. loaf of meat. That and my kids don’t think it’s the prettiest meal. So for those two reasons alone I’ve started making these mini-meatloaves using a muffin pan. Aren’t they cute?

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 pounds meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork and veal)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar (about 5 ounces)
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 small green onions, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pour the milk over the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the meatloaf mix, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, the salt, pepper, green onions, garlic and egg and mix with your hands until just combined. 
2. Divide and shape the mixture into 6 balls and arrange the balls in a 6-cup nonstick muffin pan. Place the muffin pan on a rimmed baking sheet and brush the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce on top of the meat. 
3. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Continue to bake until the meatloaf muffins are cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 5 minutes more; the interior muffins may take a little longer to cook. Cool 5 minutes in the pan.  
4. Arrange on a serving platter and serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad.

Cook’s Note

• This recipe may be doubled and frozen for future meals. After baking, remove the meatloaf muffins from the pan to cool. Wrap each individual portion with aluminum foil and freeze. To reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on your counter for about 4 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the thawed muffins on a baking sheet in their foil packets and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully open the foil and continue to bake for 5 minutes until warmed through.