This Easy Meatloaf and Potatoes Dinner gives you meat and potatoes all in one delicious shot! And best of all, dinner's on the table in just around 30 minutes!
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I don't know about you, but we are totally a meat and potatoes family! Between my super picky husband and our gals who can be fickle at times, a good meatloaf dinner is a sure-fire win in our home.
Now my mom has a killer meatloaf recipe to wait 1+ hours for dinner to be ready, not to mention figuring out boiling/mashing/roasting/baking potatoes. So I decided to streamline the process a bit.
Now we've all seen meatloaf muffins or as I like to call them, muffin tin meatloaf. This is a super efficient way to get meatloaf on the table quicker, with the added bonus of everyone getting some of the crispy bits that are usually reserved for the end piece (I live for the end pieces!).
But I've decided to take it a step further. In addition to all the mini meatloaf action happening here, I'm also adding the potatoes to the this easy meatloaf cooking process to kill two birds with one stone. Quick, easy and totally delicious!
Tips for making the best meatloaf and potatoes
- Use meat with a lower fat content. Now normal I'm an 80/20 kind of gal, but for this recipe, you'll want a lower fat ratio for the beef. It still tastes good with 80/20 but it tends to be greasier. Lower fat helps eliminate the extra grease factor.
- These tend to stick to the pans. The best way to combat this is to use a non-stick muffin pan as well as spray them well with cooking spray.
- Be careful not to overwork the meat as it can get tough quickly.
- Once all the ingredients are mixed together, smell it. I know this sounds weird but it should smell flavorful and if it doesn't, add more of the ingredients. Also, if it feels too dry, add a tiny bit of water.
- Be sure to slice the potatoes super thin as if you were slicing them for scalloped potatoes. This will make sure that they cook through. A Mandoline is super helpful for this.
- I don't add the cheese until the last 10 minutes of cook time to avoid it being overcooked.
- Cool them for 5 minutes and use a butter knife to cut around the edge of each muffin where the meat meets the sides of the muffin tin and around the bottom and carefully remove each one. They do stick a little so be careful.
Frequently asked questions about making this easy meatloaf recipe:
- Can I make this as a turkey meatloaf? Sure! Just make sure you use a heavy hand with the seasonings (smell it!).
- Can I leave the skins on the potatoes? Yes- the only reason I peeled them is because my daughters can be weird about potato skins (toddler/pre-k life!).
- What kind of potatoes do you use? I used red skinned potatoes but any kind will wrk, as long as they're thin.
- How do you make tender meatloaf? The liquid content helps make it tender, but because not to add too much liquid or it can be soggy. Also, try not to overwork the meat. Be aware that when you're making smaller meatloaves you tend to have more of the crispy edges.
- Why does my meatloaf always fall apart? This goes back to the last question: not enough liquid. While you don't want it to be soggy, the liquid is what binds all the dry parts and meat together. It takes a little while to get to the point where you can "feel" the right texture, but once you'e made it a few times, it gets into your bones. Trust me in this!
- How long foes meatloaf last? 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
- Can you eat cold meatloaf? Yes, as long as it's been refrigerated. I personally love to slice up the leftovers and eat them on a sandwich with white bread and ketchup (and serve the leftover potatoes on the side). That said, I know people can be weird about leftovers so no judgement if cold meatloaf isn't your thing.
Make it a meal!
A few great recipes to round out and complete this meal would be:
- Peas with Onions
- Easy Garlic Green Beans
- Summer Bounty Strawberry Salad
- Grandma's Best Banana Cake
- Quick and Easy Chocolate Pudding Cake
Helpful tools:
Video Tutorial for making Easy Meatloaf and Potatoes Dinner
Mini Meatloaf Recipe with Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound ground beef, 90/10
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2-4 Tablespoons ketchup
- ⅓ cup Romano or Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- Warm water (optional- this is only necessary if your mixture feels to dry- start with a little if you need it)
Potatoes
- 3-5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12 cup non-stick muffin time with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix all meatloaf ingredients until combined. Be sure you don't over work the meat.
- Divide the meat between each muffin cup and press into the tin to evenly cover it (it should come up right around half way).
- Place the potato slices in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss until each slice is coated.
- Place about 4-5 slices onto the tops of the meatloaf in the muffin pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cheese onto each meatloaf and potato muffin.
- Return the pan to the oven for an additional 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Let them cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to cut around the outside where each meatloaf meets the sides of the muffin tin to keep it from sticking and around the bottom of the meatloaf muffins to carefully remove them from the tin (they do stick a bit so do this carefully.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions! And if you make this please tag me on Instagram with @thelifejolie so I can share it <3
Try some other dinners using ground beef:
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