These BBQ Beef and Quinoa baby meatloaf muffins make a delicious, healthy, and protein packed dinner. Baked in muffin tins and super easy to prepare, you can serve this mini kid-friendly meatloaf as a main dish or make it ahead of time as a freezer meal! Super moist and made without breadcrumbs. {Gluten-free}
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Kid-friendly Meatloaf
If you’re looking for the perfect way to put that muffin tin to good use, these amazing beef and quinoa “baby” meatloaf muffins are sure to be a hit with the whole family and are totally kid-friendly too!
Packed full of nutritious ingredients, this moist and juicy BBQ meatloaf recipe is so easy to make and comes together in a matter of minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
What’s even better, is that the muffins freeze really well, so they’re perfect for when you need dinner in a hurry. (Who doesn’t?!)
Serve these healthy meatloaf muffins as an easy dinner alongside these roasted garlic potatoes and roasted ranch carrots for a well balanced meal, or pop them in lunchboxes to add some protein to these Sweet Potato Kale Bowls. They also make a great finger food for babies and toddlers!
So easy and versatile!
For more quinoa and beef recipes, be sure to also check out this Beef and Quinoa Healthy Chili Recipe and Ground Beef and Quinoa Taco Bowls.
Why we love this beef and quinoa recipe
- Perfectly Portioned: Because these mini meatloaves are made in a muffin pan, they’re the perfect portion for little ones (and they love them!) and you can easily serve them up to adults too. They cook much faster than regular meatloaf and are fun to make and eat!
- Healthy: These meatloaves may be mini, but they pack a nutritional punch! Each “baby” 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 are also freezer-friendly too. These tasty little bites make dinner time so much easier!
Ingredient notes
- Beef: Use extra lean ground beef to reduce saturated fat. You can also sub in ground turkey or chicken.
- Quinoa: Cooked quinoa takes the place of bread crumbs and helps to bind the meatloaf together. You’ll need one cup of cooked quinoa for this recipe.
- BBQ sauce: Adds an amazing flavour to these bites. Try to find a BBQ sauce that’s lower in sugar with minimally processed ingredients. Look for one without honey if serving these bites to babies under the age of one.
- Parmesan cheese: Incorporates some additional flavour to the meatloaf muffins. Use freshly grated parmesan cheese for the best flavour.
- Onion: Shred the onion to add flavour without having large chunks of onion in every bite. This makes them more kid-friendly too!
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best flavour. You can also sub in pre-minced garlic or garlic powder if in a pinch.
- Egg: Helps to bind the meatloaf together and add extra moisture to the meatloaf muffins. You can skip the egg if there are any allergies or intolerances.
- Herbs and seasonings: Fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper add additional flavour to these meatloaf bites.
Gluten-free Meatloaf Recipe
A lot of meatloaf recipes will call for breadcrumbs to help bind the ingredients together and soak up any moisture. In this non-traditional meatloaf recipe, the breadcrumbs are replaced with quinoa.
You still get a wonderfully juicy bite but without the gluten, which is perfect if anyone in the family has an intolerance. Plus, you get a whole load of nutrients from the quinoa too!
On that note, if you or anyone in your family has an intolerance, be sure to buy GF certified quinoa to ensure there’s no cross contamination.
Step by step instructions for muffin tin meatloaf
- 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 16-18 muffin cups. Spread the remaining BBQ sauce evenly over top of each of the meatloaf muffins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Allow meatloaf muffins to cool before removing from pan.
NOTE: If you aren’t using a muffin 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!
Recipe Notes:
- 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 over mix. 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).
- To make quinoa: If you’re making the quinoa from scratch and don’t have some already made, you’ll need to cook 1/3 cup dry quinoa in 2/3 cup water or broth to get one cup cooked quinoa. If you decide to make 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!
How to store
Refrigerator: 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.
Freezer: 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 and freeze for up to 3 months.
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.
Recipe FAQs
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 barbecue sauce. It makes the meatloaf so irresistible!
Quinoa makes a great alternative to bread crumbs since it helps to absorb some of the extra moisture and binds the meat mixture together. You can also use oats, crushed crackers or almond flour as other options to replace bread crumbs.
Eggs are commonly used as a binder in meatloaf to help keep all of the ingredients together so that they don’t crumble and fall apart. In particular, the egg yolk adds some extra moisture, in addition to protein, fat, and additional flavour to the meatloaf. That being said, you can leave out the egg if there are any allergies or intolerances or if you don’t have any eggs on hand.
Serving suggestions
Eat these mini ground beef and quinoa meatloaf muffins as a quick meal or snack or pair them along with your favourite sides!
Try them with:
- Tossed Green Salad
- 5-Ingredient Mac and Cheese
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- 3-Ingredient Tomato Soup
- Butternut Squash Barley Risotto
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Healthy Cauliflower Tots
- Kale Salad with Cranberries
- 4-Ingredient Pasta Salad
Meatloaf variations
- Switch up the meat: Not feeling the beef? Try ground turkey or chicken instead!
- Add some veggies: Try adding some grated carrot or zucchini.
- Switch up the herbs: Try cilantro instead of parsley or use dried basil or oregano instead of Italian seasoning.
- Add extra cheese: Melt some mozzarella or cheddar cheese on top for a fun bite!
- Switch up the binder: If you don’t have quinoa on hand, you can also use quick oats or bread crumbs.
- To make dairy-free: Leave out the parmesan cheese or replace it with some nutritional yeast.
More similar recipes
- 5 Ingredient Meatloaf
- Mini Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
- Chicken Meatloaf Muffins
- Zucchini Chicken Poppers
- Chicken Avocado Poppers
- Veggie Quinoa Muffins
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BBQ Beef and Quinoa Baby Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce divided
- 1/4 cup grated onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon 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 16-18 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. Garnish with a bit of additional BBQ sauce and a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- 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 over mix. 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).
- To make quinoa: If you’re making the quinoa from scratch and don’t have some already made, you’ll need to cook 1/3 cup dry quinoa in 2/3 cup water or broth to get one cup cooked quinoa. If you decide to make 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!
- To freeze: place cooled meatloaf muffins on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a large ziploc bag or freezer friendly container.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted May 2020 and was updated March 2022 to include more helpful tips and photos.
Can we use ground turkey or ground chicken?
Yes for sure!
Any recommendation for an egg substitution? My daughter is allergic. Thanks!
You could try leaving the egg out. I don’t think it would affect the outcome of the recipe too much! Keep me posted on how it turns out if you decide to try it :)
I tried this recipe and omitted the egg and they came out great. Toddlers and husband loved them! Thanks!
So happy the family enjoyed the meatloaf muffins! Thanks for sharing the feedback about the egg too — glad to know the recipe turned out well without the egg!
I love the simplicity of these meatloaf muffins. Thanks for sharing, Elysia.
My pleasure Luna — so happy you enjoyed the recipe!