Especially when traveling in our small RV, the kitchen space is minimal. And while I love a good sheet-pan recipe, honestly a sheet pan will not fit in my small but trustworthy oven. But a muffin tin does, which is how I came to make a Mini Meatloaf Muffin Tin Dinner for us to enjoy. The other great thing about Muffin Tin Dinners is that there are no leftovers, which is also a good thing, because there isn't much room to store leftovers in my small fridge...
Small batch cooking is one of the hardest kitchen management lessons I have had to learn. When you have years of cooking for hungry teenagers in your background, cooking for two is a real challenge. Possibly the only thing harder than small batch cooking is bread baking in different atmospheres, that one I have to work on each time we travel or move to a new elevation!
Obviously you can adapt and make any recipe in a muffin tin, in the same way that so many great recipes have been adapted to a sheet-pan method. But for this first run, I decided to make a long standing favorite, meatloaf and will be showing you how to make a full dinner in just a muffin tin. Let's get started shall we?
Some additional thoughts on this process:
You will need cooked potatoes for this Muffin Tin Dinner. You may use leftover baked potatoes, or simply microwave a couple potatoes to use. Which is what I did.
Carrots work great in this dinner, but feel free to substitute broccoli, cauliflower or large chunks of zucchini.
To dress up the carrots, feel free to drizzle some real maple syrup over them before they go into the oven!
For easy clean-up, I used pan spray in each of the muffin cups!
Need to make dinner for more than one or two? Simply use a second muffin tin...
Ingredients needed for this process:
- ground beef
- slice of whole wheat/grain bread
- egg
- dried onion
- salt & pepper
- milk
- BBQ sauce or catsup
- cooked potatoes
- sour cream
- milk
- butter
- grated cheese
- carrots
- olive or avocado oil
- pan spray
You will also need the following:
- 6 large cup muffin tin
- medium size mixing bowl
- small mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
Now we are ready to begin!
Mini Meatloaf Muffin Tin Dinner
by the seat of my pants!
350-degree oven
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/4 c milk
1 t dried onion
salt and pepper to taste
BBQ sauce or Catsup
4-5 carrots
olive oil or avocado oil
2 medium size cooked potatoes
1/4 c sour cream
2 to 3 T milk
garlic salt
pepper
1/4 - 1/2 c grated cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
Break the whole wheat bread into small pieces and place in the bottom of the small mixing bowl.
Add the milk, let stand for a minute. When the bread has soaked up the milk, work it between your fingers to break it ups a bit. Next crumble the ground beef into the bowl with the bread.
Add the egg, dried onion and salt and pepper.
Mix well, divide into two and place into two of the muffin tin cups, drizzle with the BBQ sauce or catsup.
Peel the carrots, and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the sliced carrots into the medium sized mixing bowl. Drizzle with a bit of the oil, season with salt and pepper. Divide the carrots between two of the muffin cups.
Dice the cooked potatoes (no need to peel) add the to the same medium sized mixing bowl used for the carrots. Season the diced potatoes with garlic salt, and pepper.
Add the sour cream, half the grated cheese and enough milk to mix together. The mixture will be chunky.
Divide the potato mixture in the last two muffin cups. Top with the remaining grated cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes or until done in your oven. Let cook briefly then serve.
Storage options for Mini Meatloaf Muffin Tin Dinner. Should you have leftovers store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. Do not freeze.
UPDATE:
For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Mini Meatloaf Muffin Tin Dinner has
been included below.
You may also enjoy:
#wholefoodingredients
#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily
Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household featured at What's For Dinner Link-up and Blog Hop.
Thanks
for stopping by!
We
offer new and delicious recipes as well as DIY ideas for your home, regularly.
Feel free to drop us an email request for any question or recipe you may be
looking for. In addition, like all our guests, we invite you to come for a visit
again and again for new recipes, and my down-home take on frugal ways to keep
your home in tip top shape.
Hey
you, don’t miss a post! Please consider following Scratch Made Food! & DIY
Homemade Household. To follow by email, and/or by RSS feed, complete the
application located on the right-hand side of the blog. Please Note,
some posts may contain affiliate links, thank you for supporting Scratch
Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household.
PS,
friends, and family who love good food and household ideas might love us too!
Tell them about us, and thanks for the referral!
You
may also enjoy, Creative writing from the heart... stories of life,
living, and family.
Scratch
Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household proudly shares with these generous link
parties featured here.
Printable "copy and paste" version:
Mini Meatloaf Muffin Tin Dinner
by the seat of my pants!
350-degree oven
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/4 c milk
1 t dried onion
salt and pepper to taste
BBQ sauce or Catsup
4-5 carrots
olive oil or avocado oil
2 medium size cooked potatoes
1/4 c sour cream
2 to 3 T milk
garlic salt
pepper
1/4 c grated cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
Break the whole wheat bread into small pieces and place in the bottom of the small mixing bowl.
Add the milk, let stand for a minute. When the bread has soaked up the milk, work it between your fingers to break it ups a bit. Next crumble the ground beef into the bowl with the bread.
Add the egg, dried onion and salt and pepper. Mix well, divide into two and place into two of the muffin tin cups, drizzle with the BBQ sauce or catsup.
Peel the carrots, and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the sliced carrots into the medium sized mixing bowl. Drizzle with a bit of the oil, season with salt and pepper. Divide the carrots between two of the muffin cups.
Dice the cooked potatoes (no need to peel) add the to the same medium sized mixing bowl used for the carrots. Season the diced potatoes with garlic salt, and pepper.
Add the sour cream, half the grated cheese and enough milk to mix together. The mixture will be chunky. The mixture will be chunky. Divide the potato mixture in the last two muffin cups. Top with the grated cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes or until done in your oven. Let cook briefly then serve.
Storage options for Mini Meatloaf Muffin Tin Dinner. Should you have leftovers store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. Do not freeze.
~~~~
It's Judee from http:www.realfoodblogger.com . I love this idea- portion control and lots of choices.
ReplyDeleteHi Judee, it was fun to put together. I hope to come up with a few more!
DeleteMelynda, I love this idea. I live alone and it's so hard to cook for just one when you've been cooking for a family for so long. I've really got to keep this in mind.
ReplyDeleteVisiting today from FF#19,20&21
Paula, I agree cooking "small" is so much more difficult. I hope to do more of these, it works well for the two of us. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteThis looks delicious! It is something my fiance would love as well. I will definitely have to check out more of your recipes. Hope you are having a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteSherry, thank you very much! And ditto on the weekend greetings!
DeleteWhat a great idea!! An awesome way to control portion sizes too! Thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 92. Shared.
ReplyDeleteDee, thanks so much! I hope to come up with some additional meals!
DeleteI love this! There are only two of us, and my husband is not fond of meatloaf anymore. And getting pickier as he ages. But he does eat meatballs. So this may just work! Thank you for this clever idea!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of foods could work with this technique, I know I am hoping to come up with more! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteI love this idea!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Helen, and thanks for hosting, I sure appreciate it!
Deletewhat a fabulous idea to have them cooked in a muffin tin! such fun.
ReplyDeleteSherry, thanks so much! Have a great week ahead, take care.
Delete