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Meatloaf Cupcakes Recipe

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Meatloaf cupcakes are a fun take on the traditional family dinner recipe. The meatloaf and mashed potatoes make for a delicious yet cute dinner or appetizer!
Meatloaf Cupcakes Recipe

Meatloaf cupcakes is one of my favorite dinner recipes to make to change things up without doing something too crazy. It is the perfect picky eater dinner recipe since it is essentially little meatloafs. 

Meatloaf Cupcakes on a cake stand

You can enjoy these meatloaf cakes even sooner than a standard meatloaf recipe. Since it is smaller the little meatloaf cupcakes can bake and be ready in half the time. 

So if you are looking for a fast, delicious, and cute (haha) dinner, this is definitely it. You can also make them for a fun appetizer for a party too!

These go wonderfully with slow cooker creamy macaroni and cheese, 30 minute homemade rolls, and then finish dinner up with some tasty orange fluff jello salad for dessert! 

Meatloaf Cupcake on the counter with cake stand in the background

Ingredients You’ll Need For Our Meatloaf Cupcake:   

  • Olive oil
  • Onion
  • Carrots 
  • Celery
  • Dried oregano
  • Minced garlic
  • Ketchup
  • Ground beef
  • Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • Mustard
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Black pepper
  • Eggs
  • Russet potatoes (cooked and mashed)
  • Bacon bits
  • Green onions 
Close up of Meatloaf Cupcake with more in the background

How To Make Our Meatloaf Cupcakes Recipe:

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. 

Then in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and heat up the olive oil. 

Once the oil is hot, add in the diced onion, diced carrots, diced celery, dried oregano, and minced onion and then saute it for 2 minutes. 

Then in a medium mixing bowl combine the onion mixture, ½ cup of ketchup, ground beef, bread crumbs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and the eggs. 

Mix all of that together until it is well combined. If you don’t mind getting dirty, I have found that using your hands is the best way to mix it the best. 

When that is all done, spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cups that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and fill each of the cups to the top. 

Once all the cups are filled top it with 1-2 teaspoons of ketchup and put the pan in the oven at bake it at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the thermometer registers 160 degrees. 

While the cupcakes are cooling down, place the mashed potaties in either a pastry bag or a ziplock bag with the corn cut off and then using either a star tip or circular tip, pipe the mashed potatoes in a circular motion to create the cupcake topping. 

Tops of Meatloaf Cupcakes sprinkled with bacon and green onions

Then just sprinkle the top of the potatoes with bacon bits and sliced green onions. 

To Make This Family Dinner Recipe You Will Need:

  1. Large skillet
  2. Spatula
  3. Cupcake pan (THESE work good)
  4. Pastry bag or large ziplock bag
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Mashed Potatoes To Try

You can make whatever type of mashed potatoes you’d like for these delicious meatloaf cupcakes. I promise tthat you will want some delicious mashed potatoes to finish off these cupcakes. 

A great recipe to use is from Gimme Some Oven. Their mashed potato recipe will work  great with this recipe. 

Other great toppings?

We love this recipe topped with bacon bits and sliced green onion, but you can also add some shredded cheese to it to and it would be absolutely divine!

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Meatloaf Cupcakes Recipe

Meatloaf cupcakes are a fun take on the traditional family dinner recipe. The meatloaf and mashed potatoes make for a delicious yet cute dinner or appetizer!
Serving12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • ½ cup carrots, finely diced
  • ½ cup celery, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup ketchup, divided
  • 1½ pounds ground beef
  • 1 cup Italian seasoned Bread crumbs
  • 2 Tablespoons mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 russet potatoes, cooked and mashed
  • ¼ cup bacon bits
  • 3 green onions, sliced

Equipment

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté for 2 minutes.
  3. Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, beef, bread crumbs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and eggs, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. I found that it was easiest to just use my hands to make sure that all the ingredients were completely incorporated.
  4. Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray- each cup will be filled to the top. Top each meatloaf with about 1-2 teaspoons ketchup.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees.
  6. Let the cupcakes cool. In the meantime, put the mashed potatoes into a pastry bag (or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off) with a wide star tip or circular tip and pipe the mashed potatoes on top of the meatloaf. 
  7. Sprinkle with bacon bits and green onions.

Notes

  • You can make whatever type of mashed potatoes you’d like for these delicious meatloaf cupcakes. I promise that you will want some delicious mashed potatoes to finish off these cupcakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 304 kcal · Carbohydrates: 26 g · Protein: 15 g · Fat: 15 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 68 mg · Sodium: 517 mg · Potassium: 559 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 6 g · Vitamin A: 1109 IU · Vitamin C: 6 mg · Calcium: 64 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Meatloaf Cupcakes lined up on a cake stand

Recipe slightly adapted from First Look, Then Cook

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Published: January 7, 2022Updated: November 10, 2022

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Questions & Reviews

  1. JILL PLENTY says:
    this is one of the favorites in our house too. Except I make them in the jumbo muffin tins because I have bigger eaters. :) I even have used mashed cauliflower for the tops instead of spuds to make a little healthier.
  2. Amber Brady says:
    Looks great Camille! I will be watching today! :)
    ~Amber @ http://dessertnowdinnerlater.blogspot.com/
  3. Goldthorpe Family! says:
    This sounds great! I will most certainly be trying it in an adapted format (we have an egg allergic member of our family), but I think the idea is perfect. The word cupcake is magical. :)
  4. Sha Misty says:
    I'm pretty picky would i be able to make my own meatloaf ingredients in this same muffin tin format?
  5. Eric Pepple says:
    What a clever idea! They look sooooo good :)

    Happy Blogging!
    Happy Valley Chow
  6. eatgreatbegreat says:
    Love this idea!!
  7. Life in a Small Town says:
    That's a lot more involved that mine! I use ground beef (duh!), stove top stuffing, & water. Mix them along with some garlic, then put into muffin pan. Make an indention, add bbq sauce and cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
  8. Marti @ Sew-Licious Home Decor says:
    These look amazing!! Thank you for link up at SHOW-licious Craft Showcase. I hope you come back next week for another fun party!!

    Marti
    http://sew-licious.blogspot.com
  9. Margo says:
    These look so yummy! A meal in a "cupcake"!
  10. Loretta E. says:
    Who wouldn't want this? They're so adorable, I'd probably eat at least 5!
  11. Pam - @diy Design Fanatic says:
    The little meatloafs with the mashed potatoes on top look great and sound yummy! Your daughter's prayer was priceless!
  12. yoj cornejo says:
    so creative and yummy... gonna try this one... for sure my kids will love this.....!!!
  13. Trudy says:
    This recipr looks delicious and I plan on trying it soon.
  14. Veronica says:
    If I make the meatloaf in a regular loaf pan, would i need to change the temperature and time?
  15. Cyd says:
    Meatloaf in a loaf pan takes a lot longer to cook. You would have to adjust the time. We also have a great meatloaf recipe that you could add the potatoes to the top.
  16. Vicki says:
    Is there a trick to getting them out of the muffin tins? What utensil did you use?
  17. Cyd says:
    We just used a fork to pop them out.
  18. Dee Smith says:
    I had a good laugh when I read about your daughter's prayer. Years ago my 4 year old son prayed, "Thank you that Spam wasn't on sale this month." I got busy and put more thought and planning into our meals. I won't bother you with the details of the meal he was remembering, but I know we are all thankful it's in our past, and not our future.
  19. Brenda says:
    You are a genius! I wish I would have thought of this years ago!
  20. Christina says:
    That version may be easier, but it's certainly not better for you. The more unprocessed the better (meaning the Stove Top).
  21. Melissa says:
    I followed this to a T and it was DELICIOUS! I've only made meat loaf a few times, but this was the best so far, plus it was quick to make. Not only that, but I loved the "cupcake" look with the mashed potatoes on top. I will definitely be making this again in the future. Thanks for sharing!
  22. Chelsea says:
    I've cooked something off here every day this week, this included. My family has never gone a whole week without complaining about dinner until now. All of these are awesome!!
  23. jessica says:
    Hi, I just made these and followed the recipe for the most part. THEY WERE AMAZING! I haven't eaten meatloaf in a million years, but let me tell you they were sooooo good! I can't wait for my family to get home and eat them for dinner. (hehe, I couldn't wait to try them...)
  24. Terrie says:
    looks so good!
  25. Sandy says:
    Going to try out this recipe and the slow cooker Mac and cheese one today. We will taste test today and might make for a Thanksgiving potluck for our son's preschool class. Is a regular sized muffin/cupcake tin used or mini tin for bite-size?
  26. Cyd says:
    We used regular sized tins.
  27. Kayla says:
    My family is planning on having these for Christmas day (with 26 people). Have you made them ahead of time and then warmed them up in a big roaster the day of the event, or would they burn/be too dry?
  28. Cyd says:
    Should be fine if it is on a low setting.
  29. Steph says:
    I made these today for dinner and they turned out so well! I followed the recipe ( I usually do the first time around, then alter to our liking), and I actually wouldn't change anything about this one. Everyone noted the work and creativity put into this dish and everyone (except my 18th old) enjoyed it! My daughter loved the cupcake idea and actually ate almost one whole cupcake. This will be another keeper from SixSisters! Thanks again for another yummy meal!
  30. Lea says:
    I want to make this recipe, but I can't find in the directions when to mix the ground beef? I've read and re-read it numerous times but can't find the part how to/when to mix the ground beef
  31. Camille says:
    Hi Lea! It's just in the 3rd step ("Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and remaining ingredients". :) Hope that helps!!
  32. Evenstar h. says:
    They looks great. Do I line the muffin pan with paper or tin wrapper?
  33. Susie says:
    Thinking about making these as an appetizer for a party. Would it be ok in a mini muffin tin?!
  34. Cyd says:
    Should work just fine! Watch them closely in case they cook faster being smaller.
  35. Lauren says:
    These were absolutely delicious! Maybe just a bit too much tomato sauce in them for me, so I won't put the extra teaspoons on top next time. I also added fresh parsley to the mashed potato for an extra kick! Thanks so much for sharing this. Om nom nom!
  36. Gayle S. says:
    Thank you so much for the recipe. Can't wait to try.
  37. Sapphire Adkins says:
    I stuffed mine with mozzarella cheese in the center and folded the meat back over it.
  38. Cheryl says:
    I want to try these. I have a wuestion. If you fill the muffin tin full with the meatloaf, is there any concern about the grease spilling over into the oven? Just a thought I had before trying.
  39. Cyd says:
    You could set the muffin tin on a cookie sheet if you have ground beef that is really high in fat. We haven't had a problem with grease spilling over.
  40. TnMommy says:
    Do I press down into cupcakr pan?
  41. Momma Cyd says:
    Yes, you will want to press gently into each cupcake section.
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