Last Night's Experiment. Verdict -- Delicious!

Mini Meat Loaves

Meatloaf is one of the ultimate comfort foods. While it is easy to make, it does take a while to cook. My favorite meatloaf recipe I developed bakes for between one hour and one hour and 15 minutes. That’s a little difficult to pull off for an Every Day Celebration during the week.

So I was wondering: what if I use the same basic meatloaf recipe, but make mini meat loaves? Six smaller loaves should bake in significantly less time than one, large loaf. But the important question: would it taste as good?

The answer: yes. It tastes good. Really good. So good that the first time I made these mini meat loaves, not only did our 5 year-old son Peter eat every thing, my father-in-law wanted more and my mother-in-law (who often eats like a bird) was a member of the clean plate club.

One tip to make these mini meat loaves even more perfect for a weeknight dinner: you can do much of the work, including assembling the meat loaves, in advance, say that morning. Refrigerate the uncooked loaves until you get home from work, and then bake off.

A great accompaniment to these mini meat loaves is carrot salad (see the June 29, 2009 post for the recipe).

Makes 6 servings

2 teaspoons vegetable oil – canola oil is a good choice
1 cup finely chopped onion (about one medium onion)
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
2/3 cup ketchup
3 eggs beaten slightly
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion in the oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the softened onions. Knead the mixture with your hands until well combined.

Form 6 small loafs with the meat mixture, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 26-32 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.