Feb
02
Meatloaf Muffins
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes is one of the ultimate comfort food meals. I’ve seen quite a few recipes for meatloaf muffins and I’ve been anxious to try them because not only do I really like meatloaf but I love anything that comes in “mini” or individual sizes. That’s also helpful for portion control! This recipe from Cooking Light (I only made a minor modification) was absolutely delicious. The ingredients blended together perfectly and the two-muffin serving size was very filling, especially served with green beans and mashed potatoes. Mmm. I felt literally comforted by this meal, and it was perfect on a cold winter night, so I definitely recommend it!
Meatloaf Muffins
These easy Meatloaf Muffins are full of flavor and made in a muffin tin for perfect portion control!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion, I used a food processor
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot, I used a food processor
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup ketchup, divided
- 1 1/2 lbs 95% lean ground beef, raw
- 24 finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350.
- Bring the olive oil to a medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chopped onion, carrot, oregano and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine ½ c of the ketchup, the ground beef, the crushed saltines, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, eggs and onion mixture and mix well.
- Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray and spoon meatloaf mixture evenly into the 12 cups. Spoon 2 teaspoons of ketchup over the top of each muffin. Bake for 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
305 calories, 27 g carbs, 13 g sugar, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 28 g protein, 1 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com) MyWW SmartPoints per (2 muffin) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Green: 7 SmartPoints/ Blue: 7 SmartPoints/ Purple: 7 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
7 per (2 muffin) serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Source: Cooking Light
305 calories, 27 g carbs, 13 g sugar, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 28 g protein, 1 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com) MyWW SmartPoints per (2 muffin) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Green: 7 SmartPoints/ Blue: 7 SmartPoints/ Purple: 7 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
7 per (2 muffin) serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Source: Cooking Light
I made these for dinner tonight… they were SO good! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Glad you liked them! They work really well as leftovers too. 🙂
Had these last night and again today for lunch. These are so good.
I am loving your blog!!!!!!
Thanks Michelle!
Made these a few nights ago for dinner and everyone LOVED them! I took it to work for lunch today and they tasted even better!
I made these once for myself then when I went to visit family I made it there also…everyone loved it! I substituted the saltines with oatmeal to make it simply filling friendly. Absolutely delicious!
how much oatmeal did you use?
Made these today, they were AMAZING! I am a fan of meatloaf and this recipe did not disappoint! I can’t wait to make these again!
I made these tonight and my boyfriend and I loved them. I’m not a big mustard fan so next time I’ll probably cut the mustard in half. Otherwise, wonderful recipe and oh so easy
My daughter & I luv this!!!
Thanks everyone, I’m so glad you all liked these! 🙂
I started the South Beach Diet a few weeks ago so I can’t use Saltines. I’m going to try making these this week using oatmeal instead as a binder since I just started Phase 2. I shall report back with my findings. Wish me luck! 🙂
Good luck! Other people have told me they used oatmeal in these and loved them so hopefully you will too!
I have a wonderful meatloaf recipe of my own and have been contemplating putting them in muffin cups for portion control (and they are just so darn cute!). My husband thinks that the grease will have no place to go and spill all over the oven, creating a huge mess. Do you have this issue with your meatloaf muffins?
That didn’t happen to me at all, though it’s hard for me to say what would happen using a different recipe. I would just go ahead and try it, and if you’re concerned about a mess in your oven then put a cookie sheet covered in foil on a rack underneath your muffin tin to catch any possible mess. I did not have that problem though, mine weren’t greasy!
Hi Emily! I was wondering if you know whats the mixture is all mixed up how much do you put in each muffin tin?
I’m a little confused about what you’re asking, but you just split the mixture evenly between the 12 cups.
Sorry about that! I wasnt sure if it was going to be 1 cup or less! I went to myfitnesspal and calculated it out to be 109 calories. I didnt add the calories for the ketchup and there are no calories in mustard or Worcestershire sauce. Has far as the onion and carrot and ketchup I was taught that they are free using what I know from Jenny Craig. Does the 109 calories sound about right?
I haven’t calculated this recipe yet. I don’t know anything about Jenny Craig but when I calculate it I’ll be including all of the ingredients. I’m going back through all my recipes and adding nutrition information but I haven’t gotten to this one yet. I will try to do it soon!
Made these tonight with ground turkey; they were fantastic! The kids even asked for seconds!
So happy to hear these were a hit! 🙂
My recipe is very similar for my meatloaf, tho I add a brown sugar. I know sounds weird, but my family devours it!
Sounds good to me! 🙂
Another DELICIOUS recipe, I loved how these were so flavorful, moist, & filling, thank you for sharing another great recipe! =)
I’m so happy these were a hit! Thanks for letting me know you loved them 🙂
Any idea the amount of calories? I am going to make them soon but would really like to know the amount of calories as I’m trying to watch them closely. Thanks!! 🙂
I started calculating and including nutrition information for my recipes at the beginning of this year and I am working my way back through the older recipes to add it, but there are a lot to figure out! I use the free recipe builder at myfitnesspal.com to calculate the nutrition information, so if you’d like to know the calories before I get to this recipe, feel free to plug it in there!
an intrigued by all the muffin dishes … a variety would be great as buffet items for for parties big and small. do you have any experience with freezing and reheating? thank you.
Not firsthand, but I have had many readers say they freeze well. I hope you try them and love them!
I just calculated the nutrition info for this recipe, including the cooking spray.
1 muffin = 176 calories, 18g carbs, 5 g fat, 15g protein
Thanks for sharing this one, it is a family favorite! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Glad you like it 🙂
These are delicious! Thanks for the recipe! Will definitely make again… and again. 🙂
Yay! Happy to know you loved these 🙂
I made these for dinner last night, and can I just say that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED them! Thanks so much, Emily, for making my Weight Watchers journey so much easier.
Awesome, I’m so glad you loved these so much!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Made these for dinner tonight. They are so good! I’ve been trying a lot of new “skinny” recipes lately, and this one is by far my favorite! Thank you!
Hooray, glad to hear that! Thanks for your comment!
Try putting BBQ sauce instead of ketchup on top – it is most excellent!!
Another great one Emily. I’m not sure what I cooked before I found your site! My son asked the other day why I cook all our food in a muffin tin now? ha I love the portion control. Thanks again!
Haha. I’m glad you love it!
Hi Emily – I couldn’t find fat free saltines at the store. Is there another type of cracker or binder I should use instead?
Any cracker would be fine, I’m sure
Boo mine turned out super soggy. Not sure what I did wrong.
I’m not sure either! I’ve never had that happen.
I need to confess that I usually hate meatloaf. I made this for my kids, planning to try one muffin, and expecting to fall back on a frozen dinner when I didn’t like it. I wound up eating 2 muffins! Soooo good! I used ground turkey instead of the beef. I will be making this again for sure! My kids all loved it too :). I’ve not tried one of your recipes yet that hasn’t been a huge hit in my house! Thanks for all the great recipes :)!
I made these on Sunday night and they were delicious! I loved the little muffin sized – perfect for portion control. Thanks Emily!
I love your blog! And I can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I’m going to make the Meatloaf muffins tonight but I entered the recipe ingredients into the Weight Watchers recipe builder and it said that they were 18 points for 2 muffins! Yikes! I entered in everything just like you had it in the recipe. Now when I put the servings as 12 instead of 6, the points plus value changed to 8.
I just checked the recipe builder again and it still says 2 muffins are 7 points with the ingredients listed above. The nutrition information from myfitnesspal also confirms it. I’m not sure what you’re doing wrong!
Ok I’m sorry. I think that I put the ammount of the crackers in wrong.
your log is amazing!! Im currently doing weight watchers and using your recipes makes it so much easier! Everything Ive tried has tasted great! I have these mini meat loafs in the oven now!! Keep the recipes coming!!
I mean blog!
Yum! Like you, meatloaf + mashed potatoes is the ultimate comfort food. I’ve been struggling since re-joining WW January 1st to get back on track and be more in control of my eating and tracking. I’ve struggled to plan ahead (old habits die hard!) so I figured muffins would be the perfect start to my week to keep me on plan with food ready to heat and eat! These were easy to make and really tasty! Will definitely be making again!
LOVE THESE!!!! Will be making again and again!
OMG, Emily, these are fabulous. I’ve been on WW for 5 weeks and this is by FAR the best “not on a diet” meal I have had. Plus….major bonus….my family is already asking that I make them again! This is your first recipe that I have made…..you’re a Godsend. Thank you! 🙂
My whole family loved these! My fiance was asked at work when he took them for the recipe. Thank goodness he took 3 because one was split up with folks who wanted a taste. I love this site because it’s food I can identify with, not feel like I am on a diet and calculate into my WW. God bless you Miss Emily!
I am wanting to make these and just want to make sure I have it right, 2 muffins equal 7points plus for weight watchers?
Yes! I edited the recipe to make it more clear. 🙂
Any one know how many smart points these are?
Emily when calculated in the ww sp caluator these come up to 9sp. Your total for these says 7 smart points still <3
These were amazing, my whole family, including my picky teenage son, loved them. Definitely a keeper whether eating healthy or not.
I made these last night. I love them and will add them to my collection of recipes I use over and over again!
Mine are in the oven as I share only I used the ground turkey instead.Hoping it turns out close to real meatloaf.
Wish me well
H.S.
Dallas
I am having trouble finding fat free saltines, any suggestions of alternatives? I saw some comments about using oatmeal but no mention of how much or if it changes the points.
We loved this recipe! I couldn’t find fat-free crackers anywhere and used 3/4 cup of Italian-style breadcrumbs instead. The point value was the same. I also used 90% lean ground beef and had to pay 3 extra points for this (at least I’m guessing that’s why I got 10 pts on the WW recipe builder). We found that 1 tsp of ketchup over the top was enough and I wouldn’t change that flavor at all – it really adds something. We had a tiny bit of grease at the bottom but no pooling over the top. I’m a Cooking Light fan but had never made this recipe before. Thanks for putting it out there.
Also, I forgot to mention that for dividing the meat mixture into equal portions, just use your 1/2 measuring cup and this will fill the muffin cups to the top.
Hi Emily! Can you substitute grated zucchini for the carrot? If so, how much would I use? Thanks!
These muffins were truly delicious… My daughter requested them for her friends that were flying in from Florida the night before her wedding so I doubled the recipe they truly loved it… I substituted three quarters a cup of italian bread crumbs for the saltines as per another poster that said it was the same points, these are truly delicious and portion controlled. Thanks again for another delicious recipe.
I can’t believe it’s almost 2 years later and my comment was still the last comment, this time I made them with half ground chicken breast and half 95% lean ground beef because I did not have enough beef they were absolutely delicious and less points with the ground chicken.