Flavorful, juicy and full of veggies, these mini meatloaves are a great twist on a classic family dinner recipe. Easy to make, perfectly portioned out, and they cook up faster than traditional meatloaf recipes. Gluten free.
Jump to RecipeOriginally published April 4, 2016. Updated October 26, 2020
Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves
I have found (yet another) way to use my muffin tin for something other than muffins. Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves!
Truth be told, this miniature meatloaf recipe came about half by accident and half by necessity.
Once a year, I travel out of town for a few days sans my family for an educational convention (NAEYC for those of you deep in the early childhood education world like myself).
My husband is a wonderful cook, but I also know how crazy life as a lone parent for a few days can be. So I like to leave him prepared with a few easy to heat up meals! Starting with meatloaf.
As I was throwing together the ingredients, I eyeballed my muffin tin on the drying rack. I remembered seeing a recipe many moons ago on Pinterest for meatloaves in a muffin tin. Genius! They would cook up quickly, be easy to store AND perfect for reheating after a busy day.
But, because I am me….I couldn’t help but notice that meatloaf could be the perfect place to add some bonus veggies in at dinner time! A little chopping, grating and mixing later…and these Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves were made and now a delicious part of our dinner rotation.
Why these Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves are awesome.
- Full of veggies. Spinach, carrots, mushrooms!
- Cook up quicker than traditional meatloaf. Most meatloaf recipes take about an hour in the oven. These mini meatloaves bake up to perfection in about half the time!
- Flavorful. So much flavor! This will truly become a new staple recipe.
- Kid-approved. Yep, even with the veggies! Kids love the small size and incredible flavor of these mini meatloaves.
- Adaptable. Check out the Suggested Adaptations section below for ideas.
- Great to make for meal prep. Because these are perfectly portioned out, they are easy to store and easily reheat in a flash!
- Freezer-friendly. Let them cool and stock the freezer with these love mini meatloaves. Defrost them in a batch or one at a time.
Time saving hack!
If you have a food processor, use the “S” blade to help finely chop the veggies in this mini meatloaf recipe. It’ll help make this dinner recipe even easier and quick to come together!
Suggested Adaptations
- Switch out the veggies. Use what you have on hand! I love to toss in finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower and even some bell pepper. This recipe is great for using up whatever veggie odds and ends you need to put to use!
- Use whatever ground meat you prefer. I used ground beef, but this meatloaf recipe works beautifully with ground pork, chicken or turkey, too!
- Bake it as a regular meatloaf in a loaf pan at the the same temp for about an hour or until it is cooked through.
- Top with some cheese before baking…because yum!
Want to make sure you always have spinach on hand for these Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves? Check out my tips & tricks for keeping spinach fresh all week!
Other easy veggie-loaded dinner recipes you are going to want to get your hands on.
- Veggie-Loaded Turkey Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Creamy Vegetable Chicken Stew
- Sweet Potato Apple Sausage Skillet
- Instant Pot/slow cooker Lentil Soup
- Slow Cooker Turkey Taco Chili
- Veggie-Loaded Chicken Bites
Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves
Equipment
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 large eggs
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms any kind that you prefer
- 1/2 cup finely chopped or grated carrot
- 2 cups loosely packed spinach, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- oil for greasing
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and grease a muffin tin with a little oil to prevent sticking.
- In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Using freshly washed hands or a large spoon, mix the ingredients until everything is blended together evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until meat is cooked. The meatloaves will release some water as they cook. This is normal.
- Enjoy warm with rice, potatoes, salad or a side of roasted veggies.
- Let cool and store leftovers in your fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Notes
Time saving hack!
If you have a food processor, use the “S” blade to help finely chop the veggies in this mini meatloaf recipe. It’ll help make this dinner recipe even easier and quick to come together!Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Comments
I am going to try this. It looks like it cooks quicker than reg meatloaf too ( i always underestimate how long it takes to cook) and easy to freeze and then defrost in portions.
These look seriously amazing! Can’t wait to try 🙂
Hi Diana!
I do not put the nutritional values on my recipes. However, you can plug any recipe into this site below to get its nutritional value.
Hope that helps!
https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
Will it still make minus the mushrooms?
Yes! Go ahead and leave them out!
Do you think subbing asparagus for the carrots will work? I’m doing a couple weeks of low carb. Thanks! These look great!
Can I make this recipe in a bread loaf tin?
I have made this recipe 3 times now, and it has turned out excellent every time. I have learned to put a baking sheet/piece of tinfoil under my pan as to catch any grease drips that may occur. The "hardest" part about the recipe is chopping up the mushrooms. My "no meatloaf" husband now eats meatloaf!
I love this recipe somehow miraculously found in January 2018. I double the recipe, freeze and use at my leisure. ALSO found it’s great for potlucks. People LOVE them. Don’t use cupcake papers…boo… they stick.
Veggie chopping tip! I use my 4c food processor to chop. I would use a larger model, if I owned one. Thank you for sharing this recipe idea AND the best veggie loaded recipe out there.
What can I use to substitute eggs? Imrryinf a meal plan and can only have egg whites.
Egg whites should work fine!
A family favorite for years.
Same here! So glad you enjoy them as much as we do!
I made these recently with ground turkey and kale..Oh my so so good! My girls 10,9,6,2 devoured them and my husband enjoyed some for dinnerand breakfast the next day!
Wow! That is so awesome! I’m so glad your crew enjoyed them as much as we do!
Thoughts on using flax eggs or egg replacer? We have an egg white allergy.
I haven’t tried but I bet flax or chia “eggs” would work!
Such a great idea to make them Mini! My daughter loves them and they will be great for her lunchbox!
Yes! I love that they are the perfect size for packing!
Just >my< preference, tried 1 lb of beef and 1lb Italian sausage. I know it affects nutrition values, but for me, it's worth it.
Thats sounds like a delicious adaptation!
What would be a good veggie replacement for mushrooms? I am excited to make this tonight for dinner!
You could totally skip the mushrooms all together!
I used Zucchini instead of mushrooms. It’s my go to veggie whenever it says to add mushrooms! Yum!
I love this recipe! Been making this for a while now. Just wondering whether you cook these in batches or do you put 2 muffin pans in the oven at the same time? I’ve always done it in 2 batches but I want to try cooking them at the same time..
I always do them all at the same time!