It’s getting cooler and the leaves are finally starting to change, so it’s time to pull out some comfort food recipes like Meatloaf Muffins. I really don’t make meatloaf that often, OK maybe never, but I have fond memories of my mom’s meatloaf. Her’s had bacon and catchup on the top and was fabulous. I thought I would jazz it up a bit by adding pork to the hamburger instead of bacon and a few more seasonings. I’ve been taking my lunch lately, so I thought making it in a muffin tin would give me just the right lunch time serving.
I adapted the recipe from Foster’s Market Favorites where I’ve found some fabulous recipes in the past. This recipe worked perfect in the muffin tins. I was making it on a weekend when Natalie was home so I had a little more time and made a homemade marinara sauce instead of the traditional catchup. The marinara takes about 40 minutes but you’ll have some left over to use for something else. (Natalie took it home with her to serve over pasta)
What should be the internal temperature for meatloaf
To be safe, you should cook a meat mixture like meatloaf to an internal temperature of 160º according to Foodsafety.gov. A temperature probe works great for testing meat, my favorite is from Thermoworks.
The meatloaf had a great flavor with onions and carrots, herbs and mustard along with some mozzarella cheese and panko to hold it all together. It took no time at all to make once I had prepared the marinara. If you don’t want to take this extra step, choose your favorite jarred marinara, like Rao’s or go with catchup. I think you’ll find that using marinara sauce adds a lot to the overall flavor.
If you like making savory food in a muffin tin, you might also like BBQ Cups.
Adapted from Foster’s Market Favorites
Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 oninon finely chopped or grated
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 cup fresh parshley loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 ½ lbs ground chuck
- ½ lb ground pork
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- MARINARA SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup red wine
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoons dried basil
- ¼ cup fresh basil optional
Instructions
- Marinara Sauce:
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat until hot. Add onion and reduce heat, cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add balsamic vinegar and cook until it is reduced by half. Add wine and cook, stirring until slightly reduced.
- Add crushed tomatoes and dried seasoning. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low and simmer until it thickens 20-30 minutes. Add fresh basil if desired. This makes more than you will need for the meatloaf.
- Meatloaf:
- Preheat oven to 375º and spray 30 muffin tins with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, onion, carrot, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Add the beef, pork, mozzarella, bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. Gently mix to combine but don’t over mix.
- Using an ice-cream scoop add to muffin tins filling them to the top. Spoon about a tablespoon of marinara on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until a meat thermometer 160º. Remove and let cool slightly before removing from the pan. Top with additional marinara if desired.
- In the alternative you can place the meat on a rimmed baking sheet and shape into a 10 x 4 inch loaf and brush the top with marinara. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes until the meat thermometer registers 160º.
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