Home » Recipes » Dinner » Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves
by Taesha Butler on Oct 26, 2020 (updated Mar 21, 2024)
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4.95 from 20 votes
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.
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 forkeeping spinach fresh all week!
Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!
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
4.95 from 20 votes
Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves
Yield: 16 mini meatloaves
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Cuisine: American
Course: dinner, Main Course
Author: Taesha Butler
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 cooking up faster than traditional meatloaf recipes. Gluten free.
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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
Equipment
Muffin tin
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.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion out the meat mixture evenly betweenthe prepared muffin tin. Use the back of the measuring cup to press the meat mixture down into the muffin tin.
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
Nutritional information calculated using 20% lean ground beef.
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!
Serving: 1mini meatloafe, Calories: 163kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 215mg, Potassium: 244mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1054IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information provided here is only an estimate shared for convenience and as a courtesy. Information will vary based on ingredients + brands used to create the recipe.
Dairy-Free Dinner Gluten-Free Meal Prep Whole30 carrot mushroom spinach
originally published on Oct 26, 2020 (last updated Mar 21, 2024)
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Comments
37 comments on “Veggie-Loaded Mini Meatloaves”
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naomi —Reply
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.
Donna —Reply
This recipe is fabulous! The whole family loved them. I am making again, this time using zucchini instead of spinach (out of it). Using what I have. Hoping it turns out just as good. Thank you!Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad you loved them, Donna! I might suggest grating the zucchini and squeezing out some of it’s moisture before adding it to the meatloaf. I find zucchini has a lot more water than spinach
Casey —Reply
Will it still make minus the mushrooms?
Taesha Butler —Reply
Yes! Go ahead and leave them out!
Rebecca —Reply
Do you think subbing asparagus for the carrots will work? I’m doing a couple weeks of low carb. Thanks! These look great!
Alyssa —Reply
Can I make this recipe in a bread loaf tin?
Jennifer B. —Reply
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!
Lupe Marroquin —Reply
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.Jen —Reply
What can I use to substitute eggs? Imrryinf a meal plan and can only have egg whites.
Taesha —Reply
Egg whites should work fine!
Ali —Reply
A family favorite for years.Taesha —Reply
Same here! So glad you enjoy them as much as we do!
Natasha Combs —Reply
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!Taesha —Reply
Wow! That is so awesome! I’m so glad your crew enjoyed them as much as we do!
Dinitra —Reply
Thoughts on using flax eggs or egg replacer? We have an egg white allergy.
Taesha —Reply
I haven’t tried but I bet flax or chia “eggs” would work!
Melanie Liao —Reply
Such a great idea to make them Mini! My daughter loves them and they will be great for her lunchbox!Taesha —Reply
Yes! I love that they are the perfect size for packing!
Naomi Ann Marks —Reply
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.Taesha —Reply
Thats sounds like a delicious adaptation!
Megan —Reply
What would be a good veggie replacement for mushrooms? I am excited to make this tonight for dinner!
Taesha —Reply
You could totally skip the mushrooms all together!
Natasja —Reply
I used Zucchini instead of mushrooms. It’s my go to veggie whenever it says to add mushrooms! Yum!
Catherine —Reply
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..Taesha Butler —Reply
I always do them all at the same time!
Kim —Reply
I’ve made this recipe both exactly as is and with modifications based on whatever veggies I had in the fridge that needed using. This is a go to for me as I can hide veggies my family otherwise wouldn’t eat. We’ve also used this recipe for burgers in summer and they are so good!Taesha Butler —Reply
I’m so glad you love these as much as we do, Kim! Love the idea of using it as a burger! I need to do that this summer!
Maureen —Reply
These are delicious!! Very easy to make and my family loved them, including my 13 year old. Thank you for a great recipe – we’ll be adding these to our rotation!Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad you enjoyed them as much as we do!
MK —Reply
These look great – do you know what the measurement would be with frozen spinach? Would it need to be wrung out?
Taesha Butler —Reply
I would probably do a 1/2 cup defrosted + drained spinach!
Amy F —Reply
Talk about a great way to use veggies! I threw in carrots, broccoli, onion, spinach, peppers. I should have chopped the onions smaller but that’s on me. My family was a big fan. I love that it’s so much faster to cook than traditional meatloaf.Taesha Butler —Reply
Sammmmee! I almost always make meatloaf in a muffin for its time saving ways. And I am so glad you all enjoyed this veggie-loaded version on the classic.
Alyssa Schock —Reply
Super good and easy!!Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad yu loved these as much as we do!
