Recipe Day: Mini-Meatloaves

Just thinking about comfort food, and I thought I'd share this recipe for meatloaf. I like this recipe in particular, because it cuts the cooking time by more than half, sneaks in a decent amount of veggies, and results in perfect little portions.

Mini-Meatloaves

• 1 rib minced celery
• 1/4 cup minced fresh onion
• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh mushrooms (I like portabellas) 
• 1/4 cup minced carrots
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound 90% lean ground beef (can also substitute ground turkey)
• 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage (I usually find them in 1# plastic rolls near breakfast meat section, cut in half, and freeze the rest)
• 1 slice of bread, preferably potato or white, pulsed into bread crumbs with food processor
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound 90% lean ground beef (can also substitute ground turkey)
• 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage (I usually find them in 1# plastic rolls near breakfast meat section, cut in half, and freeze the rest)
• 1/2 cup ketchup to top meatloaves, or more to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat medium saucepan with olive oil. Saute vegetables, celery through carrots, over medium heat for about 5 minutes to brown lightly and release the moisture.  This step adds a nice flavor to the meat and helps prevent them from getting too watery when you are cooking the meatloaves. Place breadcrumbs and egg in a large bowl and combine.  Add remaining ingredients except for the ketchup (which will be used on top of the meatloaf,) and stir to combine.  Spray 12 muffin tins with cooking spray.  Fill each muffin cup with ground meat mixture, evening out cups so that they are equally full as necessary. Drizzle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of ketchup on each mini meatloaf, spreading to cover evenly.  Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

I love to serve these with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. Hope you enjoy!

Barb Welsh has lived in Herndon for about 12 years and has two sons aged 9 and 11. She is a member of the Herndon Patch Mom's Council and regularly blogs at www.obsessmuch.com.