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Meatloaf Cupcakes With Mashed Potato

By:Nagi
59 Comments
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Everything tastes better in miniature form! And meatloaf is no exception. These cute little meatloaf cupcakes are irresistible to kids – big and small. And they bake in 20 minutes compared to about 1 hour for traditional meat loafs. I piped the mashed potato on for the photo but ordinarily I just pile it on then fluff it up with a fork – much faster!

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato topping on a grey tray, ready to be served.

“One of the reasons I like these is that they cook in around 20 minutes, compared to a full size meatloaf which usually takes around 1 hour.”

I really love meatloaf. But I find that to make a really good one, you need to make it big so you need to use at least 750g – 1kg /1.5 – 2 lb of mince. That is ALOT of meat! It is way too much for a family for one meal (unless you have an extraordinarily large one!). And to be honest, I am not the hugest fan of reheated slices of meatloaf. I don’t know why, but to me, meatloaf is one of those things that is sensational eaten fresh, then OK-ish the next day. Am I just fussy?

So one of the reasons I started making meatloaf in muffin tins is because they are great individual size portions. Because each “cupcake” is browned on the outside, I find that they reheat much better than slices of a large meatloaf.

“I piped the mashed potato on to make it look pretty for the photo. But ordinarily I just pile it on with a spoon then use a fork to fluff it up.”

The other reason I like making cupcake size meat loafs is because they cook much faster. A large meatloaf typically takes close to 1 hour to bake, whereas these little ones take around 20 – 25 minutes.

The added bonus is that kids find these irresistible! OK, so I admit it, part of the reason these look so cute is because I went to the effort of piping the mashed potato on. And no, I would not do that ordinarily! Usually I just pile the mashed potato on, then fluff it up with a fork.

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato topping on a grey tray, ready to be served with tomato ketchup on the side.

“You can easily increase the amount of hidden vegetables in this.”

You can bake these after putting the mashed potato on if you want. The mashed potato will brown nicely, like in these Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins. However, I am partial to the mashed potato being soft and fluffy for this particular recipe, without a crunchy skin.

The other tip is to increase the hidden vegetables. I only added grated carrots (and onion which is part of the base recipe), but you can add whatever shredded or grated vegetables you want. Shredded cabbage and spinach suits this well, as does grated zucchini. The mince mixture is quite wet and sticky so it will be able to absorb a decent amount of extra vegetables and still hold together – 2 to 3 cups. If it does start to crumble, just add a squidge of extra tomato sauce and/or an egg to bind it.

These freeze really well. Once they have cooled, the mashed potato forms a thin skin so you can wrap them in cling wrap and it won’t stick to the potato. They also last well in the fridge for up to 2 days (probably 3, but I like to be cautious).

Love to hear if you give this a go! If you have any questions, just leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to respond! – Nagi x

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Meatloaf Cupcakes With Mashed Potato

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Beef, Dinner
5 from 17 votes
Servings8
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Everything tastes better in miniature form! These Meatloaf Cupcakes are made extra irresistible by piling on mashed potato. These freeze very well. They are also great for hiding vegetables. I only added grated carrot, but you can mix in whatever vegetables you want. Finely chopped spinach or cabbage would blend in well, as would grated zucchini.

Ingredients

Meatloaf Cupcakes

  • 1 lb / 500g beef mince (ground beef)
  • 1 onion , grated (brown, white or yellow)
  • 2 small carrots , grated
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup tomato ketchup (or tomato sauce)
  • 1 cup panko (or breadcrumbs)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Pepper

Mashed Potato

  • 2 large or 3 medium potatoes
  • 1 tbsp butter (optional)
  • 1/2 - 1 cup milk

Garnish

  • Tomato ketchup or sauce
  • Parsley , finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Meatloaf Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
  • Spray 8 holes of a muffin tin.
  • Grate the onion and carrot straight into a large bowl.
  • Add remaining meatloaf ingredients and use your hands to mix and combine well.
  • Scoop up 1/2 cup of mince and use your hands to form a rough ball shape. Press into the muffin tin. The surface should be a slight dome shape.
  • Repeat with remaining mince. It should make about 8.
  • Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until browned on top. Remove from oven.

Mashed Potato

  • Peel and dice the potato. Steam or boil until soft but not waterlogged.
  • Drain, then add butter and 1/2 cup of milk. Mash using a potato masher until smooth or to your liking. Add extra milk if you need it. The mash needs to be creamy but stiff enough to hold its shape when piped or piled onto the Meatloaf Cupcakes.

Assemble

  • Smear a dollop of tomato ketchup on the Meatloaf Cupcakes.
  • Top with mashed potato, either by piping it or just dolloping it on with a spoon.
  • Serve with a sprinkle of parsley, if using.

Recipe Notes:

1. After topping with mashed potato, you could bake it for 10 minutes to brown it, or place it until the grill /broiler for a few minutes. But I like the mashed potato without the crunchy surface – more like the icing you actually get on cupcakes!
2. To freeze, let the cupcakes cool then a fine skin will form on the mashed potato so the cling wrap won't stick to it. Wrap in cling wrap and place in freezer. To reheat, thaw then reheat in the microwave or oven.
3. Nutrition per serving.
Meatloaf Cupcakes Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 190gCalories: 263kcal (13%)Carbohydrates: 23.9g (8%)Protein: 23.3g (47%)Fat: 7.9g (12%)Saturated Fat: 3.4g (21%)Cholesterol: 99mg (33%)Sodium: 588mg (26%)Potassium: 592mg (17%)Fiber: 2.7g (11%)Sugar: 5.2g (6%)Vitamin A: 2300IU (46%)Vitamin C: 19.8mg (24%)Calcium: 100mg (10%)Iron: 12.1mg (67%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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59 Comments

  1. Priscilla says

    5 stars
    Made these for dinner tonight but combined the mince with some sausage meat and skipped the carrots as I didn’t have any 😂so so tasty. Ate them together with your baked broccoli balls though I combined broccoli and cauliflower. Super tasty meal 🤗 thanks Nagi

    Reply

  2. Christina Palomino says

    5 stars
    Thank you for this, Nagi! This made even my picky people happy. I got crafty and added a little mustard for some brightness and tang. Delish, and much easier and faster than I expected. Can’t wait to do some make-aheads with this.

    Reply

  4. Candice says

    Hi there! I’m going to be making these this weekend but wasn’t sure how lean of beef you used? I have an 80/20 in my freezer and a 93/7. I’m thinking the 80/20 but just wanted to be sure!

    Reply

    • Heather says

      5 stars
      I made these in a mini-muffin tin and a big tin. The mini ones were like little meatballs with tasty mash. Turned out great! Will definitely use again, probably in loaf form to get those tasty meatloaf sandwiches.

      Reply

    • James Mercer says

      5 stars
      I just made today. Would probably make good finger food. I baked one by itself first to see how it came out and grease was coming out over the sides of pan so did not grease the pan on second try. When using regular hamburger, it has plenty of grease already without adding more to it in pan.
      They came out tasty. Carrots make an interesting texture and I used Idahoan brand Applewood Smoked Bacon instant potatoes for topping.

      Reply

  6. Pam says

    I am going to make these for a group of friends but before I do what is the reason you used garlic powder versus fresh garlic sautéed with the onion? Also if I make and bake ahead is there any drying out once frozen and reheated?
    Thank you
    Pam

    Reply

  7. Julia says

    Great, Great, Great!! A hit with my family!! My 10yr old son is picky about foods touching each other and he loved this! I make my own brown sugar sauce and use crushed town house crackers instead of bread crumbs!! Nagi you are a genius!! Ty for your recipes!!

    Reply

  8. Julia Ackinson says

    5 stars
    I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit!! Except for bread crumbs I always use crushed up TownHouse crackers and I have my own brown sugar glaze I make. Were not a big ketchup eating family. Thank you for your recipes!!

    Reply

  9. Steph says

    5 stars
    This is great. I added some minced onion instead of fresh but it’s so good. I don’t have a meatloaf pan so cupcakes is easier. I’ve made this 4 times in a few months.

    Reply

  10. R Smith says

    5 stars
    This was easy to make and the cooking time was less than doing a loaf. Added mushrooms, green peppers, carrots and onions to the meat(used ground turkey) . The potatoes were great. Delicious . May never do a loaf again. 😋

    Reply

  11. Enrica Deluca says

    5 stars
    These mini meatloaf muffins were fantastic! My son , who a picky toddler, loved them. Having him help was also fun. The idea of resembling a cupcake was an added touch..

    Reply
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