Cheddar Barbeque Mini Meatloaf Cups

Mini meatloaves cooked in a muffin tin, topped with cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce.

I really love meatloaf. Which is odd considering I spent the first half of my life hating it (see the post for my traditional meatloaf recipe for the scoop on that).

But we’re so busy all the time that I never have time during the week to make it. I have to get supper on the table in under 30 minutes most nights so that rules out meatloaf since it takes over an hour to cook.

Or does it?

I knew the muffin tin method would drastically reduce the cooking time so I thought I’d give it a shot. And to try a little something different, I topped these with barbecue sauce and cheddar cheese.

These were a huge hit with the onions! They were actually picking them up whole and eating them like muffins! I whipped up some baked onion rings to go with these and it was the perfect combination.

Done and done! Holla!

Cheddar Barbeque Mini Meatloaf Cups
based on my traditional meatloaf recipe
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, grated
1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef*
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup barbeque sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, worcestershire and onion in a large bowl and mix well. Crumble ground beef into bowl on top of egg mixture. Add bread crumbs and gently combine all ingredients with hands, taking care not to over-work the meat (don't "squeeze" it through your fingers).

Divide meatloaf mixture into 9-10 cups of a muffin tin. Using the back of a spoon, press meatloaf mixture firmly into cups then create a shallow indentation or divot in each (no more than 1/4-inch deep). Bake meatloaves at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove meatloaves from oven. Pour off any excess grease if possible (I did this easily by tilting the pan) or use a clean paper towel to blot it up.

Add about 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce into the divot of each meatloaf. Sprinkle meatloaves evenly with cheddar cheese. Return pan to oven and continue cooking until cheese is bubbly.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

*Use lean ground beef because the excess fat won’t have a way to cook away from the meatloaf cups in the muffin tins.

This recipe was featured at the Weekend Potluck!

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