These BBQ meatloaf muffins are made with beef and quinoa for a hearty, filling and protein packed dinner. Simple to prepare, they make for a great main dish or lunch and can also be made ahead of time for freezer-friendly meals! Made without breadcrumbs and gluten-free.
These cute mini meatloaf muffins are sure to be a hit with the whole family! Packed full of nutritious ingredients, these BBQ flavoured bites come together easily with just a handful of ingredients.
What’s even better, is that they freeze really well, perfect for when you need dinner in a hurry! (Who doesn’t?!)
Serve these for an easy dinner alongside my Curly Sweet Potato Fries and Roasted Ranch Carrots for a great well balanced meal, or pop them in lunchboxes to add some protein to these Sweet Potato Kale Bowls.
These have been so popular with my family.
If you’re a fan of meatloaf muffins, be sure to also check out these Mini Turkey Meatloaf Muffins and Lean Chicken Meat Loaf Muffins.
Why These Mini Meatloaf Muffins Are So Good!
- Healthy: These meatloaves may be mini, but they pack a nutritional punch! Each meatloaf is around 125 calories and a whopping 14g of protein. You get a lot of vitamins and minerals including iron, potassium and B vitamins from the quinoa.
- Easy: These muffins are super easy to make with basic ingredients. Simply mix everything together and bake! It really doesn’t get much easier than that!
- Make-ahead: I love to have a batch of these muffins on hand since they keep well in the fridge for easy lunches and they are also freezer-friendly. These beauties make dinner time so much easier!
How To Make Beef & Quinoa BBQ Meatloaf Muffins
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with silicone muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until well combined, reserving half of the BBQ sauce to spread on top of the meatloaf muffins.
Divide the meatloaf mixture among 16 muffin cups. Spread the remaining BBQ sauce evenly over top of each of the meatloaf muffins.
Please note: If you aren’t using a pan with 24 cups, you may need to make a couple of batches. Or you can also use the remaining meatloaf mixture to form a mini meatloaf or a couple of burgers. It’s totally up to you!
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Allow meatloaf muffins to cool before removing from pan.
How do you store them?
Once these mini meatloaves have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an air-tight container. They will keep well in the fridge for up to four days.
Can you freeze the meatloaf muffins?
These muffins are perfect to freeze for easy-to-grab meals. Place the cooled meatloaf muffins on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a large ziploc bag or freezer-friendly container.
How to Reheat:
- To reheat meatloaf muffins in the oven: Place your meatloaf muffins on the counter while your oven preheats. Pop them back into the muffin tin or line on a baking sheet. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
- To reheat meatloaf muffins in the microwave: Place a couple of muffins on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 60 seconds. If still not warm, continue to heat at 30 second intervals as needed until heated through.
Perfectly Portioned Individual Meatloaves
Aren’t these meatloaf muffins adorable?! They are the perfect portion for little ones (and they love them!) and you can easily serve up a couple (or three!) for adults.
It’s a great way to make sure nothing goes to waste, and quite honestly, they are fun to make and eat!
What’s the best BBQ sauce to use?
You can use your favourite brand of BBQ sauce for this recipe. I recommend trying to find one that’s lower in sugar with the least amount of processed ingredients wherever possible. You can also sub in a homemade BBQ sauce as well!
I love the smoky flavour you get from the BBQ sauce, it makes this meatloaf truly irresistible!
Gluten-free Meatloaf Recipe
A lot of meatloaf recipes will call for breadcrumbs to help bind the ingredients together and soak up any moisture. By replacing them with quinoa, you still get a wonderfully juicy bite but without the gluten, which is perfect if anyone in the family has an intolerance.
If you or anyone in your family has an intolerance, be sure to buy GF certified quinoa to ensure there’s no cross contamination.
Recipe Tips:
- Use extra lean or lean beef. If you go with a higher fat variety, the grease will spill out of the muffin tin while baking.
- Do not overmix. This may result in dense meatloaf muffins. Instead, mix until just combined.
- Cook the quinoa before mixing. You can buy pre-cooked quinoa for ease, or cook dry quinoa in boiling water for about 15 minutes (follow the instructions on the package). Usually about 1 cup dry makes about 3 cups cooked. If you have extra quinoa, you can always use it to make my Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Cups or Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes or use it as a base for a quinoa salad (try this Greek quinoa salad)!
- Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray or use silicone muffin liners. This will help prevent you from having to scrub the pan once finished cooking (you’ll thank me later)!
- Once cooked, let the meatloaf muffins rest to allow juices from meatloaf muffins to redistribute. This will result in juicier meatloaf!
- Be sure to make a double batch for easy freezer meals!
More Quinoa Recipes
- Tex Mex Quinoa Bowl
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes
- Beef & Quinoa Chili
- Zucchini Taco Boats
- Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Cups
- Butternut Squash, Pomegranate & Kale Quinoa Salad
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Beef & Quinoa BBQ Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 lbs extra lean ground beef
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce divided
- 1/4 cup grated onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with silicone muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until well combined, reserving half of the BBQ sauce.
- Divide the meatloaf mixture among 16 muffin cups. Spread the remaining BBQ sauce over each meatloaf muffin. If you aren't using a pan with 24 cups, you may need to make a couple of batches (or form a mini meatloaf or a couple of burgers out of the remaining mixture).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- Allow meatloaf muffins to cool before removing from pan.
Notes
- Do not overmix. This may result in dense meatloaf muffins.
- Cook the quinoa before mixing. You can buy pre-cooked quinoa for ease, or cook dry quinoa in boiling water for about 15 minutes (follow the instructions on the package).
- Use your favourite store-bought BBQ sauce or sub in this homemade one!
- Once cooked, allow the meatloaf muffins to rest to allow juices from meatloaf muffins to redistribute.
- Be sure to make a double batch for easy freezer meals!
Nutrition
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I love the simplicity of these meatloaf muffins. Thanks for sharing, Elysia.
My pleasure Luna — so happy you enjoyed the recipe!