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Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf muffins are a fun twist on traditional meatloaf. They are stuffed with cheese and topped with a tangy ketchup sauce that keeps you coming back for more!

I’m already kind of a sucker for meatloaf, but these meatloaf muffins might be my favorite way to prepare it. This meatloaf is mixed just like regular meatloaf and then tucked into a muffin tin for baking.

Breaking the meatloaf mix into individual portions reduces the cooking time substantially, putting dinner on your table a lot quicker and gives you time to whip up a side or two like this Roasted Broccoli of Insanity or Super Creamy Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes.

The part of this recipe that I think really puts these mini meatloaves over the top, is the addition of a tangy ketchup sauce and french fried onions. The sauce is similar to your traditional ketchup-based meatloaf sauce and includes brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. The french fried onions add crunch and excellent flavor.

Helpful Tips for Making your best Meatloaf Muffins

• Spray your muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray WELL! Doing this will ensure that your muffins will release from the pan easily and make washing the pan easy, too!
• Use a medium-lean ground beef. Look for meatloaf that is right around 10% fat. This will give the meat enough fat to stay moist but isn't so fatty it will be swimming in grease while cooking.
• Don't over-fill your muffin cups. Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of meatloaf mixture into the bottom of each cup, top with a slice of cheese and cover with an additional 1 ½ tablespoons.
• When done cooking, remove your cheeseburger meatloaf muffins from the muffin tin after cooling for 5 minutes. Take them out too soon and they may fall apart, wait too long and the cheese will cool, making it harder to remove them from the pan.

Can I freeze meatloaf muffins before cooking?

Yes! I've frozen prepared meatloaf mix many times and had it turn out great. To make meatloaf muffins for the freezer, prepare the recipe through putting the sauce on top and omit the french fried onions.

Place the muffin tin in the freezer and freeze until firm. If you'd like to free up your muffin tin, you can pop the frozen meatloaf muffins out of the pan and place in a Ziplock bag until ready to bake. When ready, place the frozen muffins back into the muffin tin, allow to defrost, top with french fried onions and bake as directed in the recipe.

Please note that freezing raw onion can intensify its flavor. I've never noticed it being too overbearing when freezing meatloaf mix, but if you are particularly sensitive to onion flavor, you may want to reduce the amount of onion in the recipe.

Tools I Recommend for Making Meatloaf Muffins

• A Sturdy Muffin Tin – A good quality non-stick muffin tin will help the muffins cook more evenly and allow for easier removal. I love these Wilton Brand pans.
• Small Silicone Spatulas – These small silicone spatulas are perfect for running around the edges of your muffin tin to ease the meatloaf out. They are also perfect for icing cakes, cupcakes and have lots of other uses!
• 1 ½ Tablespoon Cookie Scoop - This cookie scoop will make portioning out the meatloaf muffins a breeze and also makes  perfectly-sized cookies!

Want More Meatloaf Recipes?

If you like these Cheeseburger Meatloaf Muffins, give my Classic Meatloaf a try or try this one-pot Slow Cooker Version and make some garlic butter potatoes right alongside your meatloaf!

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4.67 from 30 votes

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf Muffins

Savory mini meatloaves stuffed with cheese and topped with a tangy ketchup sauce and crunchy french fried onions!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Meatloaf Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 319kcal

Author: Heather Cheney

Ingredients

• 6 strips bacon finely chopped
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef 10% fat
• 2 whole eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup white onion finely chopped
• ⅔ cup saltine crackers crushed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cut into small squares
• ½ cup french fried onions

Sauce

• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
• Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
• Combine bacon, ground beef, eggs, milk, onion, saltines, salt, sage and dill in a mixing bowl. Mix until just combined-- do not overmix. 
• Place 1 ½ tablespoons of meatloaf mix into the bottom of each muffin well. Gently press meat into the tin and top with a slice of cheese. Cover cheese with an additional 1 ½ tablespoons of meat. 
• Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons of sauce over each muffin and sprinkle with french fried onions.
•  Bake meatloaves for 20 minutes or until onions are browned and sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin. 
  

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 553mg | Potassium: 262mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Texas Toast Griddle Burgers - Grilled cheese sandwiches and I are BFFs and when I bought a loaf of Texas toast to make french toast with (if you've never done that, you need too!) I decided that needed to make a grilled cheese with it. And then, before I knew it, I had hamburger patties sizzling away on the griddle and burger sauce mixed up. That day was a goooood lunch day. Too bad I was the only one home.

How to Make Texas Toast Griddle Burgers

These Texas Toast griddle burgers are super simple to get going and satisfy that I-want-a-burger-grilled-cheese-hybrid craving that I everybody gets. Am I right? The trick here is to make your patties super thin, like as thin as you can make them. I like to use an ice cream scoop to portion out the patties into ⅓ C portions.

Buttering the bread is not optional, btw.  If you want a lettuce wrap, kindly go elsewhere.

Sizzle sweet patty, sizzle.

Top your Texas Toast Griddle Burgers with all your favorite fixings. I made a simple burger sauce made with mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish and put lettuce and tomato on the burger. Oh, and american cheese is totally the way to go here.

This is some serious lunch here.

Happy friday!

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4.72 from 7 votes

Texas Toast Griddle Burgers

Flavorful, thin burgers sandwiched between buttery texas toast! A fun twist on burgers that you're going to love!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy burgers, texas toast, thin patties

Servings: 6 Burgers

Calories: 606kcal

Author: Heather Cheney

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 12 Slices Texas Toast Bread
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• 6 slices american cheese
• ¼ C Ketchup
• ¼ C Mayonaise
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• ¼ teaspoon dried dill weed

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients for the patties together and divide into ⅓ cup portions. Press each portion into a thin patty. Cook on a griddle or large frying pan until cooked through or done to your liking- about 3 minutes per side. Add a slice of cheese on top towards the end of cooking to let melt.
• Butter 1 side of each piece of bread and cook along side the patties until golden brown and toasted.
• Combine mayo, ketchup, relish, and dill weed.
• Assemble the burgers with one patty on a piece of toast topped with tomato and lettuce. Spread about a tablespoon of the sauce on another slice of the toast and top the sandwich with it. Serve hot!

Nutrition

Serving: 1burger | Calories: 606kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1048mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 241mg | Iron: 14mg

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This is the recipe I reach for most often when we're making ground beef taco, burritos or nachos. It's full of flavor, saucy, and not much harder than reaching for that big bottle of taco seasoning!

If you're tired of reaching for the Costco-sized container of taco seasoning every time you want need ground beef for tacos, enchiladas, or nachos, you have to try this recipe!

I know I'm guilty of going the easy route too, but this recipe is really not that much harder than stirring in premade seasoning.

It is perfect for a myriad of Mexican ground beef recipes and tastes so much better than anything you can shake out of a canister.

📋 Why This Recipe Works

This recipe uses cumin, paprika, chili powder, and dried onion which are all elements in traditional taco seasoning. What sets it apart is the use of green enchilada sauce! The enchilada sauce adds acidity, moisture, and tons of flavor making these ground beef tacos saucy and delicious.

🔪 How To Make The Recipe

1.) Gather your ingredients

You'll need ground beef, paprika, cumin, chili powder, dried onion, and green enchilada sauce.

2.) Brown and crumble the beef

Place the meat in a skillet, cook, and use a spatula to break up and crumble the meat.

3.) Remove the excess fat

I like to fold up a paper towel and move it around in the pan to absorb the excess fat. Sometimes it takes a few paper towels, but it's much easier than transferring the meat into a strainer, in my opinion.

4.) Add the seasoning!

Stir the spices, onion and enchilada sauce into the meat.

5.) Let it it simmer

Let the meat simmer on low to soften the onion and allow the sauce to thicken up a bit. Allow it to simmer as long or little as you'd like or until it's your desired consistency.

6.) Assemble!

See my serving and topping tips below for suggestions on how to use this super versatile meat.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

• Salsa or Enchilada Sauce: Use what you have on hand! I've used both salsa and enchilada sauce with great results. Sometimes salsa is thicker and you may need to add a little bit of water to the meat while it simmers.
• Bake the Shells: If you're making crunchy tacos with this meat, remember to bake or heat up the crunchy shells before assembling. It makes a huge difference!

👪 Scaling The Recipe

Cooking for two or a crowd? This recipe is easily adaptable. Use the slider on the recipe card to change the quantity and the ingredient amounts will change accordingly.

🍽 Serving and Topping Suggestions

I love to eat this taco meat in basic taco form with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese but here are some other ideas:

• Wrapped up in a tortilla with beans, spanish rice, and pico de gallo for burritos.
• On top of corn chips with refried beans and cheese for some epic nachos
• Mixed with red enchilada sauce and stuffed inside corn tortillas for beefy enchiladas
• Served on greens with beans and veggies for fresh taco salads

Want Super Fine Taco Meat?

Ever wonder why some taco meat found at restaurants or in chili is ground SUPER fine and how they get it that way? That is the result of actually boiling the hamburger first. This method of cooking brings the temperature of the meat up slowly and prevents it from clumping, keeping it finely ground.

If you'd like to try this method with this recipe, place the beef in a deep pan and add enough cold water to cover the meat. Slowly bring the pan to a boil, stirring often to separate the meat into small crumbles. Once it's to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat is brown and fully cooked.

At this point, you'll drain off the water and add the remaining ingredients to the meat, following the recipe card below.

💭 FAQs

🥘 Leftovers and Storing

This taco meat can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. It can also be place into a freezer zip-lock bag and kept frozen for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat, place in a skillet with a little bit of water, bring to a simmer, and serve!

🥣 Handy Tools For This Recipe

• Lodge 10" Cast Iron Skillet: Cast Iron Skillets are your BEST friend and are totally underrated. Cast iron retains heat really well and allows you to get that irresistible sear on steaks and other meats you can usually only get at a restaurant. Pair this with the fact that they are CHEAP it's a no-brainer.
• Chop Stir:  This strange little tool makes short work of browning ground meat with its odd shape that allows it to crumble the meat quickly as it cooks.

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4.64 from 190 votes

Mexican Style Ground Beef

Forget that bottle of taco seasoning, try this recipe instead. You'll never go back!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex

Keyword: green chiles, no taco seasoning, quick

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 169kcal

Author: Heather Cheney

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef 
• 10 ounces green enchilada sauce
• 2 tablespoons minced dried onion
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and brown and crumble ground beef until no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
• Return meat to pan and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.  Let simmer for 5-6 minutes over medium-high heat or until most of the liquid is absorbed and is the consistency you like.

Notes

• Salsa or Enchilada Sauce: Use what you have on hand! I've used both salsa and enchilada sauce with great results. Sometimes salsa is thicker and you may need to add a little bit of water to the meat while it simmers.
• Bake the Shells: If you're making crunchy tacos with this meat, remember to bake or heat up the crunchy shells before assembling. It makes a huge difference!
• Add Water: If the meat seems a little dry after adding in the spices and enchilada sauce, add ½-1 cup water and stir to combine. Allow the meat to come to a simmer and reduce down to your desired consistency. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 468mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2.5mg