Meat Loaf Muffins
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing the muffin tin
Вѕ cup finely diced onion
ВЅ cup finely diced button mushrooms
ВЅ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
Вј cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Вј teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1ВЅ pounds ground beef
1 large egg
1 teaspoon dried thyme
ВЅ teaspoon garlic powder
Вј cup carrot juice
Вј cup water
- Preheat the oven to 350В°F. Grease the wells of a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and sautГ© the onions, mushrooms and peppers for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, garlic and pepper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the beef, the reserved sautГ©ed vegetables, egg, thyme and garlic powder. Stir in half of the tomato mixture and combine well.
- Spoon the meat mixture into the greased muffin tin and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the muffins are baking, combine the remaining tomato mixture, carrot juice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a quick boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the muffins are removed from the oven.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and spoon or brush the sauce on each muffin. Place the muffins back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160В°F.
- Allow the muffins to stand for about 5 minutes before eating.
VARIATIONS: Replace ВЅ pound of the ground beef with ground pork or venison to alter the flavor a bit.
NOTES: Avoid using paper muffin cups, as they will get soggy from the liquid in the meat loaf during cooking. If you end up with an empty muffin tin well or two, fill those halfway with water before placing the muffin tin in the oven to prevent it from warping.
