Meatloaf – you either love it or you hate it. My son works in the dining room at a continuing care facility and whenever they serve meatloaf, it “sells out.” This past week, meatloaf was on the menu again and once again, by the end of his shift when it’s time for the employees to pack up a dinner plate for themselves, the meatloaf was long gone. Because there was no meatloaf left, the chef prepared a beef tenderloin, which was like Christmas for those teenagers! So I guess it makes me have more in common with the retirement-set than teenagers when I say that I really love meatloaf!

Now, I admit that I am suspicious of other people’s meatloaf. I have been known to order it in fancier restaurants, but since going gluten free, that hasn’t ever been an option. So every once in a while, I get a real craving for this down home, comfort food treat and I have to make my own.

For the longest time, I would crave it, but not make it because it takes so incredibly long to bake. Enter the mini meatloaf. I know that other food writers have been making mini meatloaves for years, but it simply had never occurred to me.

Once I figured out this exact recipe and then broke it into eight mini loaves instead of one big one, I could put meatloaf back on the menu on a regular basis.

Would my teenagers prefer steak? Yes! But we are on a meatloaf budget around here and we all like this recipe a lot. Serve it with some mashed potatoes or cauliflower and a green veggie and you have a delicious, nutritious, comfort meal.

You can easily double this recipe and freeze the meatloaves fully assembled, minus the tomato topping, and freeze until ready to bake. If you wrap them individually, you can cook as many as you need at a time.