Mini meatloaves, made in a jumbo, Texas style muffin pan, with lean ground beef, the Trinity of veggies, barbecue sauce, topped with a brown sugar, Creole mustard barbecue glaze and finished with cheese.
BBQ Cheeseburger Meatloaf Minis
It's Fall y'all!! Well, so says the calendar at least finally, and while we've only "cooled" down a bit here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast - mid to high 80s and some cooler nighttime temperatures - I'll take it!! This weekend was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed it in its entirety.
I had a craving for two things this weekend. One was homemade chicken soup, the other was meatloaf, and I made them both. I decided instead of my classic meatloaf to write something new and wanted to incorporate some barbecue sauce into the meatloaf and the sauce topping.
Then I thought that adding cheese would be even better and I also wanted to give my new Temptations Harvest, jumbo Texas-style muffin pan a spin, so BBQ Cheeseburger Meatloaf Minis is what I ended up with.
Of course, if you don't have a Texas muffin pan, you can just shape these into patties too! Just bake them on a foil-lined, shallow, rimmed baking sheet.
This is a good place to insert a quick reminder... that this is a blog, not just a "recipe site," and yes, there is a difference! I want to first thank all of you who have supported my work over the years. Your notes to me are uplifting and encouraging, however, if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such in a post, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!One other important note. You'll want to use an extra lean ground beef with this recipe.
The veggies and milk-soaked bread will help to keep the meatloaf moist - and be sure to finely mince those vegetables so that they will cook through.
Some extra fat will be generated with the addition of sausage though, so switching to a higher fat beef could result in crumbling and spillover. While it's good insurance either way, be sure to place the muffin pan on a baking sheet to catch any potential spillover if you use a fattier cut of ground beef, and, well... I can't guarantee the same results as this recipe.
Here's how to make my BBQ Cheeseburger Meatloaf Minis.
Preheat oven to 400-degree F. Lightly spray a jumbo, Texas style muffin pan; set aside. Get the veggies minced up. I'm using my hand chopper for this.
Place one of the bread slice in the bottom of a large bowl and pour milk over the top. Remove sausage from its casing; add it along with the ground beef to the bowl. Add the remaining meatloaf ingredients.
Add the fresh crumbs from the other slice of bread.
Gently mix until combined. To avoid compacting the meat and getting a dense meatloaf, don't overwork it.
Gently shape into 6 large balls, without compacting the meat, and place into pan. You may also shape these into patties and bake them on a foil-lined, shallow, rimmed baking sheet.
Mix together the glaze ingredients and set aside.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes.
Carefully remove from oven and distribute one-half of the glaze evenly on top of each of the meatloaf balls and return to oven for 5 more minutes.
Carefully remove, top with cheese. I used torn slices of American cheese.
Divide remaining glaze between the meatloaf balls. Return to the oven for 5 minutes longer, or until cheese has melted.
I made the meatloaf with a glaze because it's the way I prefer it and hey... this was my craving afterall, right?
The Cajun (aka my husband) only likes mashed potatoes with meatloaf when I make the meatloaf and gravy version, but I served this with a side of yellow rice (from my cookbook), and the quick fix version of Southern green beans from canned.
Rolls or skillet cornbread and iced tea will round it out. Hey, some banana pudding for dessert would be sweet!
I loved it and The Cajun said it was delicious, and really that's what matters the most to a home cook. I hope you enjoy it too!
For more of my favorite recipes using ground beef, pop by my Pinterest page!
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