Easy-to-make meat loaf muffins topped with a sweet ketchup sauce.
- Carbohydrate 13.9515605315819 g
- Cholesterol 69.8191734166667 mg
- Fat 8.18255453016153 g
- Fiber 0.129821077847548 g
- Protein 16.3206634274648 g
- Saturated Fat 3.23937483791562 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (107g)
- Sodium 385.484797945307 mg
- Sugar 13.8217394537343 g
- Trans Fat 1.05928962471765 g
- Calories 196 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Remove 1/2 cup for topping; set aside. Add the eggs, Worcestershire sauce, cereal and seasonings to remaining ketchup mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes. Crumble beef over cereal mixture and mix well.
- Press meat mixture into 18 muffin cups (about 1/3 cup each). Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes. Drizzle with reserved ketchup mixture; bake 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°.
- Serve desired number of meat loaves. Cool remaining loaves; freeze. Transfer to freezer bags; seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To use frozen meat loaves: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Place loaves in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through, or cover and microwave on high for 1 minute or until heated through.
Crispix cereal acts as the primary binder in this formulation. Unlike traditional breadcrumbs that can pack densely and create a heavy texture, crushed flakes trap air pockets within the ground beef mixture. This structural difference yields a tender individual loaf.
Allowing the cereal, egg, and seasoning mixture to stand for five minutes before adding the meat is critical. This rest hydrates the cereal fragments evenly, ensuring they do not draw moisture exclusively from the protein during baking. Overworking the beef once added develops tough protein strands. Gentle folding prevents this density.
Portioning the mix into 18 muffin cups standardizes the thermal mass. Each cup holds roughly one-third of a cup of mixture, which bakes through reliably at 375 degrees Fahrenheit in under twenty minutes. Inserting an instant-read thermometer into the center of a muffin verifies food safety at 160 degrees Fahrenheit without guessing.
Common failures stem from using high-fat beef or skipping the resting phase. Excess fat renders out during baking, causing the portions to shrink drastically and dry out. Lean 90 percent beef maintains structural integrity inside the individual molds.
Freezing transforms these portions into efficient batch meals. Cool the baked portions completely before transferring them to sealed freezer bags to prevent ice crystal formation on the surface. Stored properly, they remain stable for up to three months. Thaw frozen portions fully in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheating works efficiently in a 350-degree oven for thirty minutes or in a microwave on high for one minute.
