Mini Beef Meatloaves

I grew up not really liking meatloaf much. I think it was because there was a bright red ketchup sauce on top and I hated ketchup. I know, I know - weird kid. Having a blog opens me up to sharing about myself and you will probably all learn a lot of interesting quirks about me if you keep following. I was not a normal kid - and I guess may not be considered a normal adult either!

As I grew into my adult self, I began to be able to tolerate ketchup a little more, so decided to try meatloaf again. The first recipe I tried was a mini meatloaf that was cooked in the skillet and had a grown up ketchup type sauce on top. I decided to take that general idea and apply some twists and was actually pleased with the result. 

One unique thing I did to my meatloaves, was add shredded vegetables. I think a lot of people have difficulty getting their kiddos (or spouse) to want to eat veggies, so I continue to think about ways to sneak them in to make the meal more nutritious. No, Zach doesn't have problems eating his vegetables, but I guess just practice for when we have our own kids. I find any ground meat dish is an easy place to conceal ingredients, so decided to add some to this dish. Adding shredded veggies, not only add nutrients, but helps keep the meat moist, which is important especially in this case when you are cooking in the oven for a longer period of time. Give it a try - I bet your kids won't even notice.

For my sauce, my secret ingredient is agave nectar. Agave nectar is a natural sweeter made from the same plant as tequila and is mostly produced in South Africa and Mexico. Agave nectar is sweeter than sugar and honey, although not near as thick as honey.

Also, with my meatloaves, I decided to do all beef. A lot of recipes call for a mix of  beef, veal and pork - use whatever ground meat you would like. I picked all beef, simply because that is what I had. 

Hope you enjoy!

Mini Beef Meatloaves

Adapted by Food Network’s Mini Skillet Meatloaves

Servings: 6 mini loaves

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

Carrot, ¼ cup - shredded

Zucchini, ¼ cup - shredded

Onion, 1 small -  finely chopped

Garlic, 2 small cloves - chopped

Worcestershire sauce, 3 T

Egg, 1

Bread crumbs, ¼ cup

Milk, ¼ cup

Parsley, ¼ cup

Salt and Pepper

Sauce:

Agave nectar, 2 T (can use honey if you would like)

Tomato paste, 6 oz can

Apple cider vinegar, 2 T

Lemon juice, freshly squeezed from one small lemon

Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop parsley, onion and garlic and set aside in a large bowl. If you don't like onion texture, you may want to cook the onion in a skillet for a few minutes to soften it up before adding to the beef. Or you can grate the onion, so you only get the flavor, not the texture. Next, using a box grater, shred the carrot and zucchini until you get approximately 1/4 cup of each. Veggies have a lot of moisture and we want some of it in our dish, but not all of it. Place the shredded veggies in either a thin dishtowel or paper towel (making sure the paper towel doesn't rip) and gently press to ring out extra moisture.

Better Bonus Tip: If you think your picky eater will notice the color, you could do all zucchini - not as easy to recognize!
 
Add remaining meat loaf ingredients to the bowl, mix well and place the bowl in the fridge while you make the sauce. This will make it easier to form the loafs.

  
In a separate bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.

Form meat mixture into 6 small meatloaves and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the top of each loaf with sauce (you won’t use all of the sauce).  Feel free to play around with the size and shape to allow for the quantity of meatloaves you need for your meal.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  

Optional: Warm remaining sauce and serve with meatloaves.

Use one of the cooking methods from last month and serve with a side of veggies and mashed potatoes.

 

I would love to hear if you made this with the veggies - did your kids (or anti veggie spouse) notice? 

~Ashley

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