Barbecue Meatloaf Muffins — portion-controlled yummy morsels

Baking individual portions of meatloaf in muffin tins speeds cooking, controls serving size and produces a moist, delicious main dish. Bake them all at once in a muffin pan . . . or portion into custard cups baking some now, and freezing the rest for later use.

Barbecue Meatloaf Muffins    Approximately 8 to 12 servings

Vegetable oil or vegetable oil spray

1⅔ to 1¾ lbs. lean ground beef (about 80% lean)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large egg plus a splash of milk,

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning blend  (such as Tex-Joy or Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick®)

¼ to ½ cup barbecue sauce (we prefer Gates BBQ Sauce)

1.  Preheat oven to 375°. Brush a 12-muffin tin (½-cup each) with vegetable oil or spray; this step could omitted if using stick-free coated muffin tins.

2.  Add ground beef and chopped onion to a mixing bowl.

3.  Add egg, milk, bread crumbs and all-purpose seasoning to the bowl; mix until ingredients are just combined (overmixing could cause meatloaf to be compact).

4.  Use a scoop (approximately ½ cup capacity) to help you fill meat into each tin.

5.  Top each meat loaf with a liberal squirt (we keep our barbecue sauce in a squeeze bottle).

6.  Place muffin tin on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Recipe without photos . . . 

Barbecue Meatloaf Muffins    Approximately 8 to 12 servings

Vegetable oil or vegetable oil spray

1⅔ to 1¾ lbs. lean ground beef (about 80% lean)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large egg plus a splash of milk,

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning blend  (such as Tex-Joy or Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick®)

¼ to ½ cup barbecue sauce (we prefer Gates BBQ Sauce)

1.  Preheat oven to 375°. Brush a 12-muffin tin (½-cup each) with vegetable oil or spray; this step could omitted if using stick-free coated muffin tins.

2.  Add ground beef and chopped onion to a mixing bowl.

3.  Add egg, milk, bread crumbs and all-purpose seasoning to the bowl; mix until ingredients are just combined (overmixing could cause meatloaf to be compact).

4.  Use a scoop (approximately ½ cup capacity) to help you fill meat into each tin.

5.  Top each meat loaf with a liberal squirt (we keep our barbecue sauce in a squeeze bottle).

6.  Place muffin tin on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.