Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves are a long-time family fave. I used to make them when my kids were small. They loved the individual servings (which also makes them cook up super fast) and I loved that I could make these and get them to down quite a few veggies at the same time. Of course, if you have picky eaters, you can get by with fewer veggies. Seeing these gorgeous little meatloaves practically studded with veggies could be a turn off to some kids. Hey, I get that!
Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves
These meatloaves are kind of a crazy cultural mix-up but the results are outstanding! A gorgeous, crusty exterior hides away the moist interior (those veggies really do lend so much) and there is a little gingery/soy kick lends a subtle teriyaki flavor. Not so much a sweet teriyaki, and it’s not overwhelming, just enough to give a nice accent. They’re a little addicting!
About Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves:
I love that these little meatloaves are quite a bit different from most of the meatloaf that I make, but still just familiar enough that the kids always ate them without question. They’re just a super nice change up and a fun introduction to different flavors. Dinner should never be boring and these are anything but!
I unearthed the recipe for these as I was going through my old recipe box (you know, the actual kind with cards) and had to revisit them! I’m so happy I did. That first bite! And the second, and the third! And so on. I quickly remembered why they earned a place in my recipe box. The recipe was inspired by the now-defunct Amerian Brasserie in Chicago; they used veal. Veal on a budget? Think again, at least for this amount.
This recipe makes 8 of these mini meatloaves, and since I have a smaller family, I always liked to cook half and freeze half for another night. Having dinner stashed in the freezer for a busy night later always makes me happy! If you have a larger family you could always double the recipe and do the same. Just shape them, place them on parchment and freeze. Once frozen layer them in between pieces of that same parchment and gang them up in a Ziploc. Easy peasy.
Making Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves:
First of all, take a peek at saving money, below; you may want to sautee up more veggies to use them up and stash them in the freezer for another recipe.
These meatloaves are super easy to make. It’s only the chopping of those few veggies that takes any effort at all. And because they’re Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves are small they take hardly any time to cook. Twenty minutes, maybe 25, so dinner can be ready in a jiffy. (Yeah, I really said that lol!)
Saving Money on Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves:
This recipe for the meatloaves (8 of them) ran $7.98, so half for a meal is only $3.99. That’s using bargain-priced ground beef. I watch for sales which are usually larger packs, divide them int pound and freeze for when needed. It’s a great strategy to have ground beef stashed away for weeks when it’s pricier. Usually, items like ground beef drop to a bargain price once a quarter, so buy appropriately and in enough quantity to last to the next great sale. It really pays to know the highs and lows and what’s a great sales price, a good one, and the regular price.
I’ll usually look for budget sides especially when I serve beef, so today I served with my Bomb Baked Potato Wedges (always a bargain) but these are also really good with my Stupid Simple Sweet Potato Fries. And I went with an impulse buy – a mixed lettuce from Aldi. Bagged lettuce, even from Aldi is more expensive than picking up the fresh lettuce but I didn’t want to make another stop. Generally, the bags run 4 to 10 times the amount of picking up a head of lettuce.
Since the Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves only use a small number of vegetables, make sure you have a use for the remainder – Salads are always a great option! Since most of these items are items that can be sauteed for lots of things, not just these meatloaves, another option is to simply cut up the whole onion, the whole container of mushrooms, a stalk or two more of the celery and a carrot or two. Saute it all, set aside part for this meatloaf and stash the rest in the freezer. It makes a great shortcut for another meal later. Maybe spaghetti sauce? Do think ahead for a use for the extra egg yolk. Store up to two days in the fridge or freeze up to a year in a small container, covered with water and tightly sealed.
One more quick hint: keep your fresh ginger in the freezer. When you bring it out, it’s generally not too hard to grate from frozen; if it is, just let it sit on the counter for a few minutes. Grate what you want and refreeze and you’ll always have ginger on hand with no worries about softening or sprouting.
Individual Asian Inspired Meatloaf
Asian Inspired Individual Meatloaves
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 small meatloaves 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms
- 2 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Heat oil in skillet and add onions, carrots, and celery, stirring occasionally until starting to soften. Add mushrooms and cook about two to three minutes. Add the soy sauce and cook until the mixture is tender and no more liquid remains. Set aside to cool.
To a medium-large bowl, add ground beef and the rest of the ingredients. Add the cooled vegetable mixture. Toss lightly to combine, take care not to compress the beef.
Mixture will be very moist. Form into eight oval egg-shaped loaves with curved tops (easiest done by estimating half of the mixture, then half again and so on.) Place on foil-lined rimmed sheet (foil is optional, but makes for easy clean up) an inch or so between each loaf.
Bake at 350 degrees to desired doneness, about 20 to 25 minutes to reach 160 degrees depending on oven. Do not over bake.
Note: to freeze, lay each loaf on a piece of plastic on a flat surface. Freeze until hard, then use the plastic wrap to wrap each individual loaf. Add to a Ziploc and label. Thaw overnight in the fridge to bake the next day.
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