Description
Individual-sized meatloaf muffins infused with BBQ sauce and topped with creamy sweet potato puree for a flavorful, family-friendly dinner twist on classic meatloaf.
Ingredients
- For the Meatloaf:
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (or other cooking oil like avocado oil, coconut oil, ghee)
- 1 small onion, finely minced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1/2 cup no-sugar-added barbecue sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- For the Sweet Potato Topping:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee (or butter)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, the cooked onion and garlic mixture, barbecue sauce, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. Use your hands or a spoon to mix thoroughly until just combined.
- Divide the meatloaf mixture evenly among the 12 wells of a standard muffin pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the meatloaf is no longer pink in the center. Avoid overcooking to keep them juicy.
- While the meatloaves are baking, prepare the sweet potato topping. You can bake, steam, or microwave the peeled and cubed sweet potatoes until they are very tender. Steaming typically takes 10-12 minutes.
- Once tender, drain the sweet potatoes (if steamed) and transfer them to a food processor or a bowl. Add the coconut oil (or butter/ghee) and salt. Puree until smooth in a food processor, or mash thoroughly with a fork until creamy.
- Once the meatloaves are cooked, remove them from the oven. You can either spoon the sweet potato topping onto each meatloaf muffin, or for a more decorative finish, transfer the sweet potato puree to a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off) and pipe the topping onto each muffin.
- Serve the BBQ Meatloaf Muffins immediately. Optionally, drizzle with extra barbecue sauce and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- Avoid overcooking the meatloaf muffins to keep them juicy and tender.
- No-sugar-added barbecue sauce is recommended to keep the recipe lower in sugar.
- The sweet potatoes can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- For a dairy-free version, use coconut oil or ghee instead of butter.