Mini Cheddar Meatloaves made with just 6 common ingredients in under an hour! Mini Meatloaf is so easy to make- just shape and top with our special 3 ingredient sauce and bake. This meatloaf recipe is gluten free, low in carbs and absolutely delicious!
Mini Cheddar Meatloaves have become a new favorite dinner recipe at my house. A friend gave me this recipe quite a while ago and I admit that I kept putting it off because meatloaf has never been one of my favorites. I finally decided to try it and now my whole perspective on meatloaf has changed – this is absolutely amazing!
How do you make a moist meatloaf?
I like to make a moist meatloaf by adding one simple ingredient- CHEESE! I would have never thought of adding cheese to the meat, but it adds a wonderful flavor and it keeps the meatloaf from being too dry. I used mild cheddar shredded cheese but any variety of cheese would probably be delicious. I think next time I will try a cheddar/Monterey Jack blend or maybe even mozzarella!
Another ingredient that adds moisture in this meatloaf recipe is milk. This recipe also does not call for bread crumbs like many other meatloaf recipes which I really love.
How long do you cook mini meatloaf?
I love the mini meatloaf concept – these meatloaves are pre-portioned making them easy to serve and they bake faster! These mini meatloaves bake for just 40-45 minutes. I think they look pretty on a plate too. I’m sure that you could make this recipe in a loaf pan and it would still be delicious, but this way you don’t have to slice the meatloaf in order to serve it.
How to make sauce for meatloaf
You only need three basic ingredients to make the incredible sauce that goes on top – ketchup, dried mustard and brown sugar. Don’t leave the sauce off either; it’s the best part of the recipe! The sauce recipe makes enough to drizzle over each mini meatloaf, but when I make this mini meatloaf recipe, my husband always asks me to double (or even triple!) the sauce because he loves it so much.
Ingredients in Mini Meatloaf Recipe with Cheddar Cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lb. ground beef
How to make Mini Cheddar Meatloaves
- Beat egg and milk together. Stir in cheese, chopped onion and salt.
- Add the entire mixture to ground beef.
- Shape into 8 small loaves. I have found that the easiest way to do this is to use my hands! Place the mini meatloaves in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Prepare the sauce and pour on top of each loaf and then bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Ingredients in Meatloaf Sauce
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
How to make sauce for meatloaf
You only need three basic ingredients to make the incredible sauce that goes on top – ketchup, dried mustard and brown sugar. Don’t leave the sauce off either; it’s the best part of the recipe! The sauce recipe makes enough to drizzle over each mini meatloaf, but when I make this mini meatloaf recipe, my husband always asks me to double (or even triple!) the sauce because he loves it so much.
If you double the sauce, you can save some of it and warm it up in a saucepan to use as a dip also. It’s so simple, but it really is fantastic!
MINI CHEDDAR MEATLOAVES
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup Mild Cheddar shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lb. ground beef
SAUCE
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Beat egg and milk together. Stir in cheese, chopped onion and salt. Add the entire mixture to ground beef.
- Shape into 8 small loaves. Place in a greased 9X13 pan.
- Combine ketchup, dried mustard and brown sugar to make the sauce.
- Put sauce on top of each loaf and then bake for 40 minutes at 350°.
Video
Nutrition
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What to serve with meatloaf?
We love to pair meatloaf with potatoes! Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, fried potatoes, alfredo twice-baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes…for some reason, meatloaf just tastes better with potatoes! Add a green vegetable (asparagus, broccoli, green beans) and you have a complete, well balanced meal!
Is meatloaf gluten free?
This meatloaf recipe is completely gluten free. Some meatloaf recipes have breadcrumbs in them, but this recipe does not. This meatloaf is a wonderful low-carb, high protein meal option!
Need some other main dish ideas? We’ve got tons!
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Bacon Grilled Cheese
- Easy Cheeseburger Recipe
- Cheesy Meatball Bites
- Easy Ranch Sausage Rolls
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Best Homemade Chicken Strips
- Easy Salsa Chicken
- Garlic Butter Pan Fried Steak
- Easy Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken
- Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Mini Cheddar Meatloaves are gluten free and low in carbs! This mini meatloaf recipe is made with just 6 common ingredients in under an hour! The special 3 ingredient sauce on top is amazing too!
Marilyn says
Looks like I will be making this at least once a week. Very moist and doesn’t fall apart, which happens to me with most meatloaf.
The cheese, however, just blended in and we couldn’t taste it, but it was so good it didn’t matter.
The GF man of the house thanks you as do I.
Kaylie says
Glad you liked it, thank you Marilyn!
Rhonda says
Oh my goodness! Made this tonight and it was fabulous!! I think this is the best meatloaf I ever made. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Alison says
That’s incredible Rhonda! I’m so glad it was such a success for you!
Kristin says
I have never in my life enjoyed meatloaf until today. This recipe is so simple, and yet so incredibly good! The whole family loved it.
Thank you!
Marlee says
I make this at least a couple times a month, it’s a favorite for my whole family. So easy, and so delicious, this recipe’s a keeper!
Alison says
I’m so happy to hear this Marlee! I hope you and your family continue to enjoy these!
Jillian S says
We make this weekly! It’s amazing!
Angela says
I love this recipe,but I tweek it a bit by using my mini loaf pan(bigger family of6) I also put a couple prices of bacon in each loaf pan before filling with meat mixture,an add a small amount of maple sausage,it is delicious an kids love having their own mini bacon cheeseburger meatloaf!!
Nellie says
I love the idea of adding bacon!
Lil Miss Wondering says
No offense, but this is a rip-off of a Taste of Home recipe that was published at least 10 years ago. The only thing different is the oats were removed. I appreciate those who put in work to come up with delicious recipes for the rest of us non-creative people. But regurgitating the recipe of someone else by simply removing one ingredient and not even putting *recipe inspire by….*, to me is not something favorably looked upon.
Nellie says
There are so many recipes that are so similar (even identical) that it is impossible for us to know about all of the other versions that are out there! I adapted this recipe from a recipe that I got from a friend years ago and so I have no idea what the “original source” is – maybe it was Taste of Home!
Jan says
I made these and they were swimming in fat. I used lean ground beef and followed the recipe exactly. They were very wet when I was mixing almost like there was too much milk. I couldn’t taste the cheese very much. I cooked them for 40 minutes and they were very pale. I took them out and placed them on a rack and cooked them for another 15 minutes. They did taste better but I’m not sure if I would make them again.
Nicole says
hmm, im not sure what went wrong. Sorry to hear that you had some difficulty with this recipe
Jenni B says
I made these again tonight and they were delicious. I cut the amount of onions in half and added a little bit of Italian seasoned bread crumbs for extra flavor and to help bind the mixture. I also used sharp cheddar cheese instead of mild cheddar. I have to say, I think I have a new favorite meatloaf recipe. Both filling and delicious, definitely worth a try.
Jessica says
So glad you liked it Jenni!
Abby says
We made this and loved them!! Do you think I could freeze these after cooking and just reheat if needed. If so, they’d be fantastic to have on hand!!
Nellie says
I think that would work great!
sANDRA-LEE says
Can this be made in a regular in a regular loaf pan or in a 9″ by 13″ pan thank you i have tried so many of your recipes and one always outdoes the other ones. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GREAT RECIPES!!!!
Nellie says
I actually never have tried this meatloaf in a regular loaf pan, but it should work just fine! Just make sure to increase the cooking time – probably 60-70 minutes.