Mini Meatloaves: Vegan Meatloaf Muffins (Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)

Mini Meatloaves! These Vegan Meatloaf Muffins are gluten-free, allergy-free, and a perfect kid-friendly dinner idea! These individual, healthy, meatless lentil loaves are full of plant-based protein and veggies. Made in a muffin tin, they're a freezer-friendly recipe and perfect for meal prepping!

Meatloaf without the meat and mini? What else could you ask for? These Mini Meatloaves, Vegan Meatloaf Muffins are made right in your 'ole standard muffin tin and packed with lentils, veggies, and loads of savory "meaty" flavor and texture! With a quick "ketchup" frosting, you can think of these are savory cupcakes, perhaps? Whatever you want to call them, they're gluten-free, allergy-free, and perfect for a kid-friendly family dinner!

What's in these Vegan Meatloaf Muffins?

You won't miss the meat! These meatless meatloaves still have a nice hearty texture and savory taste, just like mom's old beef-based meatloaf!

• Lentils
• Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs
• Red Bell Pepper
• Mushrooms
• Black Olives
• Onion
• Garlic
• Thyme, Pepper, Smoked Paprika
• Flax Seed

Tomato Topping for the Meatloaf Cupcakes

You can opt for your family's favorite ketchup, homemade ketchup, even homemade bbq sauce. However, for these specific meatloaf cupcakes, I used a mixture of pure tomato paste and vinegar. I love the intense, concentrated flavor of tomato paste. Mixed with a touch of white vinegar, it was the perfect "frosting" to these savory cupcakes!

How to perfectly cook lentils

You can use brown or green lentils for this recipe. You can also opt for pre-cooked canned lentils instead of cooking them from their dried state. However, if you go with uncooked lentils, here are my tips:

1. 1 cup of dried brown or green lentils needs 3 cups of water (or other liquid like vegetable broth!) when cooking them on the stovetop.
2. No need to presoak the lentils like other beans.
3. Always add a dried bay leaf or two to your pot of lentils. As I've outlined in my "cooking beans" tutorial, this breaks down the hard to digest oligosaccharides found in beans and legumes, allowing your body to digest them easily (no bloat!), plus it adds a delicious taste!
4. Bring the water and lentils to a boil (add the lentils and water to the pot at the same time), then reduce to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Most of the water should be absorbed.

How to Make Vegan Meatloaf Muffins

I precooked the lentils the night before so they were all set to go when assembling these mini lentil loaves! You'll still need to saute the veggies, before throwing everything into a food processor to blend the lentil loaf mixture together.

1. Saute the red pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and olives together on the stove until softened.
2. Add the veggies, lentils, breadcrumbs, flax egg, and seasonings to a large food processor to blend together. Pro Tip: You don't want the mixture to be completely blended (like hummus), you still want texture and structure for your vegetarian meatloaf muffins!)
3. In a standard muffin tin, grease 10 muffin cups, and fill these 10 cups with the lentil mixture. Pro Tip: Use a bit of gluten-free flour in the greased cups to prevent sticking.
4. Mix together your tomato paste and vinegar (1 standard can of tomato paste to 1 tablespoon of white vinegar) and "frost" the tops of the lentil loaf muffins.
5. Bake the mini meatloaves in the oven at 425°F for 20-30 minutes, until the tomato frosting, begins to show signs of browning and the edges of the meatloaves brown.
6. Allow them to cool slightly before removing from the muffin tin with the help of a knife if serving right away. Cool completely if planning on directly storing.

Meal Prep, Storage, & Freezing Tips:

• As mentioned above, you can precook your lentils or use canned. You can also saute your veggies ahead of time.
• If you want to FREEZE these mini vegan meatloaves, use cupcake or muffin liners in your muffin tin. Then, bake as described, cool, and freeze flat in a freezer bag or freezer container until solid and then you can add them all to a larger freezer bag, etc.
• Store cooked mini meatless meatloaves in the fridge for up to 4-5 days in an airtight storage container.
• To reheat leftovers from the fridge, simply give them a quick blast in the microwave or toaster oven until warmed threw. To reheat from frozen, allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating or place frozen muffins in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes until warmed.

A Perfect Kid-Friendly Dinner Idea

These vegan meatloaf muffins are super kid-friendly and a fantastic family dinner idea! Kids and adults will love them, plus they're such a healthy meatless option that works as an entree, lunch, light meal, or party appetizer! Because you can make these muffin tin meatless meatloaves ahead of time, they are great to meal prep for work or school lunchboxes! They're also:

• Gluten-Free
• Vegan and Vegetarian
• Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free, Coconut-Free)
• Oil-Free
• Sugar-Free
• Packed with Plant Protein and Iron (Lentils)
• Plant-Based Veggie Vitamins & Minerals

Vegan Meatloaf Muffins

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There are two things I know for certain: lentil loaves are amazing and mini things always win! Combining these two and we have one essential family recipe you'll be making time and time again!

More Delicious Lentil Recipes:

• Vegan Cauliflower Lentil Loaf
• Syrian Red Lentil Skillet Bread
• Lentil Sloppy Joes
• Lentil Quinoa Meatball Bolognese and Zucchini Noodles
• Savory Pumpkin Lentil Tacos
• Artichoke Basil Lentils

So tell me:

+ Did you grow up eating meatloaf? No, actually. Never, haha!

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