You either love it or hate it, there is no inbetween. This dish has divided people and households for decades.
That’s right, I’m talking about meatloaf.
I have never been a huge fan of the dish, but I have eaten it a time or two. It is another one of those dishes that my dad favors more than anyone else.
That is kind of how this recipe came to be. Because he is the only one who regularly eats the dish, why spend the time and effort making the entire loaf?
That is when my mom found the recipe for meatloaf muffins. It’s the same preparation, except for the loaf pan is substituted with a muffin tin.
I know this might sound out of left field, but hear me out.
For one, this new way makes carrying the dish with you, such as for lunch, much more convenient. You can load a couple of the “muffins” into a bowl and you are ready to go.
Whereas with the traditional loaf, you would have to cut off pieces individually and package them up in a bowl. You would also have to remember silverware.
With the muffins, the dish can be eaten by hand if you happen to find yourself without utensils.
The departure from the recipe we did over the weekend was, instead of coating the finished muffins with mustard and ketchup, we used barbecue sauce, as my dad prefers that method.
The finished product was surprising to me.
I expected it to look like the traditional meatloaf, just in bite-sized form. However, it was almost an entirely different look. It had a crispier looking exterior that was reminiscent of say a sausage patty cooked in the skillet.
My dad enjoyed the little bites, and he cleared the plate, so I guess he was telling the truth.
So, if you like meatloaf, I would suggest giving this a try, who knows, you might find your new favorite way to have the dish!
MEATLOAF MUFFINS
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
¼ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon spicy mustard
■ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
■ In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg and seasoned salt.
■ In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup and spicy mustard. Set aside.
■ Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray. Evenly divide the meatloaf into 12 balls and place in the muffin tin.
■ Top each with the ketchup mixture.
■ Bake for 25-30 minutes.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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