My family loves meatloaf.  In order to make it as fresh and health as possible, I choose to grind my own meat.  Using my trusty Kitchen Aid stand mixer and meat grinding attachment, I have complete control of what is (or isn’t) in my ground meat.  By grinding my own, I can limit the amount of fat that goes into the mixture. Because fat does add flavor, I like to choose a high quality meat with plenty of marbling.

I have adapted this recipe from one found in Cooking Light magazine.  I love the fact that these meatloaves are cooked in muffin tins. Not only does their small size expedite the cooking time making this an easy weeknight dish, but they are also more appealing to small diners.  I find Cooking Light recipes to be easy and generally tasty but often a bit bland. To counter this I’ve increased the amount of herbs and spices. The results are meatloaves that we all enjoyed.

MINI GREEK-STYLE MEAT LOAVES

10 ounces ground sirloin

5 ounces ground lamb

1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated red onion

4 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided

1/2 Teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 Teaspoon allspice

1/2 Teaspoon cumin

1/2 Teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Cooking spray

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Juice from 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon olive oil

• Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Coat 8 muffin cups with cooking spray.  Set aside.
• Combine the ground sirloin, lamb, breadcrumbs, and red onion in a large bowl.  Stir in half of the mint, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the allspice, cumin, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, and egg.
• Press the meat mixture into the prepared muffin cups.  
• Bake for 7 minutes.  Turn the broiler to high and broil for an additional 3 minutes.  
• Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and remaining mint in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine and serve over meatloaves.

Serves 4

Tagged: beef, dinner, Greek, lamb