Want healthy meals your kids will love?

Muffin Tin Meatloaf

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Adorable Muffin Tin Meatloaf makes a fun and nutritious family dinner! “Baby” meatloaves offer the classic flavor and protein-rich nutrition of the full-sized version, but they cook WAY quicker. So you can put meatloaf on the menu on a busy weeknight. (Tuck leftovers into lunchboxes, too!)

Thanks to Heinz Ketchup for sponsoring this post, and for their cool new style of ketchup with a Blend of Veggies. This ketchup has carrots and butternut squash mixed right in. So kids can gain experience with these veggies in a rich, yummy ketchup they already like. Neat!

muffin tin meatloaf with heinz ketchup bottle

Kids WILL eat the homemade meals you cook for them. Sometimes it just takes a little creativity, and a special ingredient with loads of kid-appeal!

These sweet little meatloaves offer just that. Made in a muffin tin and topped with Heinz’ new Blend of Veggies ketchup, this beefy main course comes in a size and flavor that kids love.

Tips for Making Kid-Friendly Meatloaf

  • Make it cute! Adorable mini size shaped like a muffin: check.
  • Grate your onions. Kids who balk at the texture of slippery pieces of onion will appreciate it.
  • Let kids help. When they get to dump and mix the ingredients themselves, they’ll be more excited to try the final meal. (Make sure everyone washes up well after handling raw meat.)
  • Serve with extra ketchup for dipping. Heinz Blend of Veggies Ketchup is thick, rich, and ultra-appealing to kids. (Yes, even with the veggies!)

How to Make Muffin Tin Meatloaf

First, get a giant bowl, and get your mixing hands ready! Reserve half the ketchup, then mix everything else together. (Gotta love the simplicity of meatloaf!)

Next, grease a muffin pan (or use liners, or a silicone muffin pan.) Use a spoon to scoop the meatloaf mixture evenly into the muffin tin. To get pretty rounded tops, you can also roll the mixture into balls, as if you were making big meatballs. Then just drop the balls into the muffin tin.

Lastly, spoon the remaining ketchup over the top of the baby meatloaves, and slide that beautiful dinner into the oven.

Since the meatloaf is separated into smaller portions, the cook time is reduced by half or more, compared to a traditional large-sized meatloaf.

So if you’re all sad because you think you don’t have time for meatloaf, guess what? You have time for meatloaf.

healthy dinner of meatload, green beans and watermelon on a plate

What to Serve with Muffin Tin Meatloaf

Filling and protein-rich meatloaf is just begging for a light, colorful side of in-season fruits and veggies. Try it with steamed green beans, frozen peas, green salad, or baked sweet potato fries (which are totally dippable in Heinz Blend of Veggies Ketchup, btw.)

If you’d like to add a grain to your meatloaf meal, whole wheat dinner rolls or brown rice pair well.

Can I Freeze These Adorable Meatloaves?

Heck yes. Par-freeze them on a baking sheet, then dump them into a zip-top bag for longer-term storage. Defrost them in the fridge for a day before you plan to re-heat.

muffin tin meatloaf with ketchup on top

Why We Buy Heinz Ketchup

We’re choosy about the ingredients we serve our kids, and we like knowing that Heinz is choosy about their ketchup ingredients, too. This ketchup has…

  • Blended with real carrot and butternut squash
  • Made with 25% added veggies
  • NO high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners
  • Lycopene-rich tomatoes (ketchup has even more of this powerful antioxidant than raw tomatoes. It’s true!)
  • Gluten-free and Kosher
  • Kid-approved taste!
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3.8 from 73 votes

Muffin Tin Meatloaf

Savory meatloaf with added veggies in just the right portion size!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 433kcal

Equipment

muffin tin

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes.
  • Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
  • Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 912mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g
Keyword : Kids Cooking Hack: Muffin Tin Pot Pie, Meatloaf

www.superhealthykids.com

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

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Recipe Rating




8 Comments

5 stars
We Loved this recipe! Kid approved! Lots of flavor, super easy to put together in the morning & refrigerate until time to make dinner. I served it with rainbow spinach salad. I made it on the weekend & love that there’s enough to pack leftovers in school lunches next week.

5 stars
I am wondering what I can substitute saltines with that are gluten free. Oats are not an option either? I’m super excited to try this recipe.