Meatloaf Muffins

I live alone and love to cook. This poses a problem when making things like meatloaf. Then one day I ran across a meatloaf muffin recipe. It cooks quicker, which helps as I am a late-worker, and it produces small little meatloafs instead of one huge meatloaf that I will never eat all alone.


I then combined the idea of muffins with the easiest meatloaf recipe ever.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of meat (I use turkey and beef often. Or all turkey. Pork and beef are fabulous too.)
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
One box of stuffing (I use Chicken flavored Stove Top, as I know it is garlic-free.)
About 1/4 cup Ketchup

Other Utensils:

Two large bowls
Rolling pin (or a plastic cup)
Muffin pans
Cooking spray.

Directions:

Preheat oven to: 350 degrees.

In one bowl combine:
Both pounds of meat.
Mix well if using more than one type of meant. Break it up either way, trust me, it will make it easier!

Remove the bag from inside the box of stuffing and use a rolling pin to crush up the contents. I made this, this evening, at my parents house. They do not have a rolling pin (I must have been adopted?) so I used a large plastic cup and rolled it back and forth. Worked just fine! And what a clean-up time saver - you roll the pin over the closed bag. NO CRUMBS!

In the other bowl combine:
Crushed contents of stuffing mix
3/4 cup water
Two eggs
A few big squirts of ketchup

Mix well.

Combine the contents of both bowls and mix well. There is no need to add additional seasonings or any breadcrumbs, thanks to the stuffing mix!

Grease the bottom of the muffin tins. I use an off-brand spray. I know everyone has their preference.
Fill muffin tins to the top of each tin. Press flat.
Small squirt of ketchup on top of each.
I prefer to then use a knife to spread a thin layer on top. Again, your preference.

This 2 lbs of meat made me 19 muffins. Sometimes it ranges from 17-20 small meatloafs.

Cook for 35 minutes at 350. After 35 minutes I always choose the largest one and cut it open. Make sure they are cooked well before removing them all from the oven. On average they are fully cooked after 35-45 minutes.

I try to remove mine quickly from the pan. It doesn't always happen and there is no real consequence. I just prefer they get out of the "grease" at the bottom of the tin as quickly as possible. I have heard that some people have drilled holes in their pans to let the grease drain out. This seems even messier. So I haven't tried it!

Enjoy!

This is the extremely easy meatloaf version. It also seems to be the one that pleases everyone at once.

I prefer veggies in my meatloaf sometimes. Here are some good add-ins. Just throw a few handfuls in as you mix everything together in one bowl:

Green peppers
Red peppers
Onions
Carrots
Mushrooms

I have tried all of the above and they're all wonderful! A few handfuls of each works just as great.

Other substitutions:

I have made homemade bbq sauce and substituted all the ketchup for this sauce.

If you have any other suggestions for add-ins? Let me hear them!

These freeze so well! This is why I make so many at once. I freeze them sitting flat in a container. When you want to have one or two? Pop them out a few hours beforehand. Or reheat them from frozen. They do great!

Another note: I have made this with a gluten-free stuffing and they turned out extremely tasty!