Meatloaf Muffins

First lesson of meatloaf muffins---they are not photogenic (I tried taking photos of them from 20 different angles, and this was the best one) nor are they guest-worthy....but they are a perfect weeknight meal at home, and this version happens to be healthy and really good.

Another lesson, double-check the pantry before heading to the grocery store. I under-estimated our recent ketchup consumption. Exhibit A:



This was barely enough. I usually love to really smother the tops with ketchup, so I had to be a little more frugal. (BBQ sauce probably would have been a good substitute, but we were fresh out of that too.)

This recipe is from Cooking Light. Rather than use bread crumbs, they use crushed fat-free saltines. As always, I was skeptical, but it works well. I highly recommend serving these meatloaf muffins with mashed potatoes. I served mine with roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Cooking them in the muffin cups creates perfect little servings and definitely reduces cooking time.

Here is what you will need:



Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°. Chop the vegetables.




Step 2: 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. Cool.



Step 3: Crumble the saltine crackers while the vegetables cook. Since I am still living life without a food processor, I used a zip lock bag and smash the crackers until they are finely crushed.



Step 4: Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray (lean beef, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, and freshly ground pepper) in a large bowl.



Step 5: Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup (I don't really measure, I just smooth the ketchup on until they are each sufficiently covered). Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.



List of Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray