Mini Meatloaf Muffins

Meatloaf is one of my favorite comfort foods, so when I saw Rachael Ray make Mini Meatloaf Muffins on 30 Minute Meals on Friday, I knew I had to try it.



I used my meatloaf recipe with her cooking method. I combined one package of meatloaf mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup ketchup, about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, one onion finely chopped and 2 minced cloves of garlic. I seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper and then rolled it into balls like I was making hamburgers, but instead I put them in muffin tins I'd greased with a little oil. I put some ketchup on the tops and baked them at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the tops and sides were nicely browned. A quick tip - use a spoon to get them out of the tins. They keep their shape better that way.

To go alongside this comforting meal I made garlic mashed potatoes the same way I did the other night - boiled diced potatoes with 3 cloves of crushed garlic until the potatoes were tender and then mashed them with butter, milk, salt and pepper. I also cooked green beans with bacon. I diced some bacon and cooked that over medium heat in a skillet until the edges started to brown. Then I added trimmed green beans, salt and pepper and covered the skillet and let the beans steam, tossing them with the bacon every few minutes until the beans were crisp-tender.

After making two separate side dishes involving bacon, SP and I have come to the conclusion that bacon doesn't work well with either peas or green beans. For some reason the flavors just don't meld well together. The beans were still good, just not something I'd make again.