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Keto Individual Mini Meatloaf
I believe that I have officially unlocked the secret to a low carb keto meatloaf recipe that actually stays together – – and one that stays together well. Making keto recipes easy to prepare and simple to execute is my motivation at all times, and this recipe is no exception. This recipe for easy keto mini meatloaf is exactly as promised — a super simple easy keto dinner.
I have struggled at every single attempt to make a keto-friendly meatloaf or meatball. The problems ranged from the meat being too dry, or it was impossible to get the meat to hold together. I have tried a variety of recipes and used every keto-friendly flour alternative.
I was confident that it was possible to make a keto meatloaf hold together, without compromising the texture.
The secret is in the meatloaf binder —
What did I do differently?
For this low carb recipe, I used ground pork rinds as my breading, and I have added a secret step. I allowed the ground up pork crumbs to soften and almost rehydrate in one egg. This made the pork rinds incorporate evenly with the ground meat without any issue.
The pork rinds were completely undetectable in the cooked meatloaf. This made a noticeable texture improvement — which for me was far more appealing.
Have you ever had an experience like me where your binder creates a dry spot in the meat? This has to be my least favorite meatloaf mishap. The dry crumbs lend an undesirable meatloaf texture, and it does nothing to hold the meat together. This is precisely what I was hoping to avoid, and I am thrilled to have discovered a solution.
Do you need to buy pre-ground pork breading?
The answer is no. The binder for these individual keto-friendly meatloaves is easy to make at home in a food processor or blender. I usually weigh out the amount that I need for a recipe and crush them in my Blendtec in a matter of seconds, and you can also use a food processor. An alternative is to crush the pork rinds by hand. In my experience, this does not result in the same crumb-like consistency.
If you want to always have pork crumbs on hand you can purchase them as well. I will say that having these on hand is incredibly convenient. I personally recommend Pork King Good for pork crumbs!
Who is this recipe for?
Everyone! This keto-friendly meatloaf recipe is adaptable for anyone.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how easily it can tailor to many different eating protocols. This meatloaf would be a great Atkins dinner, it is naturally gluten-free, and THM friendly.
Skip the cheese topping and this delicious meatloaf recipe becomes dairy-free and paleo-friendly.
Variations for this easy keto mini meatloaf:
This specific recipe is a tomato sauce free meatloaf. To keep it keto you can always opt to use some sugar-free ketchup. Do you have some sugar free BBQ sauce on hand? A BBQ bacon cheddar meatloaf would be outstanding! How about a Philly Cheese-steak stuffed meatloaf? Take this recipe base and create anything you crave.
How to make individual keto-friendly meatloaf —
To form these easy keto mini meatloaves I used the Ultimate Burger Press. The amazing people behind this product sent me two to try, and I am loving them. We have used the smaller 4 oz. press for burger patties, and for the meatloaf, I used the 8 oz. press.
My favorite thing about The Ultimate Burger Press is how easy they are to use! It was not uncommon for me to spend way too much time creating the “perfect” shape meatloaf or burger. Now in one simple step, this burger press did all that work for me.
The Ultimate Burger Press also makes stuffed meatloaf a breeze. The center cavity in the doughnut form is ideal for stuffing with any and all of your favorites. This just might be my favorite part of using this press.
Side dish ideas:
This easy keto mini meatloaf recipe paired beautifully with a quick riced broccoli and cauliflower risotto.
Do you prefer finger foods? Then might I suggest a side of bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers!
Bonus Easy Cauliflower Risotto recipe:
Risotto is typically a labor-intensive side dish that requires quite a time commitment.
I used a bag of Full Green Riced Cauliflower with Broccoli. I absolutely love that this product is shelf-stable, which makes it the perfect keto pantry essential. In comparison, the net carbs on the Full Green cauliflower rice are also very low! Hands down the best part of this cauliflower is being able to easily throw together a quick and easy dinner like this. To make this dish I followed these simple steps:
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a pan on medium-low heat.
- To the melted butter I added 1 minced garlic clove.
- Next, I added a 1/4 cup of heavy cream.
- After adding the heavy cream it is important to whisk well.
- For the risotto seasoning, I added salt, white pepper, and poultry seasoning.
- After adding the seasonings melt 2 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese into the cream.
- As soon as the sauce comes together add in the riced veggie mixture, heat, and enjoy! (The full green riced veggies have a very short cooking time, making them the perfect quick and easy side.)
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Easy Keto Mini Meatloaf
The perfect easy keto dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of ground meat. (We always use 80/20 ground beef)
- 30 grams of smashed or ground pork rinds
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley or 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 2-4 cloves of garlic
- Mustard for brushing onto the meatloaf.
- 60 grams of shredded cheese. I used a combination of mozzarella and cheddar.
Instructions
- Place the ground pork rinds into a mixing bowl and add in one egg.
- Stir to coat the pork rinds evenly, and then leave to sit for 5 minutes.
- Once the pork crumbles are nice and soft (rehydrated) they're ready to use. The pork rind mixture should be nice and thick, not watery.
- Now mix the parsley and garlic into the pork rinds. I like to add my seasoning now so that they evenly distribute into the mini meatloaves.
- Add the ground beef or the ground meat of your preference. (Ground chicken, ground pork, ground turkey, or even ground sausage.)
- Mix well with your hands -- kneading away, or you use a stand mixer if you have a kneading attachment.
- I love to make my meatloaf ahead of time and let the flavors meld together in the refrigerator for a minimum of a couple hours -- or up to 24 hours.
- Pull the chilled meat mixture out of the fridge and form your individual patties by hand, or using the ultimate burger press.
- Cooking instructions will vary depending on the size of your meatloaf. Or if you want to make one large meatloaf. Expect a longer cooking time and double-check that the meatloaf is done using a meat thermometer.
- The meatloaf is done when it reaches a temperature of 155°-160°F.
- To cook my 8 oz. mini meatloaf I used my air fryer and baked them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The air fryer browned the cheese nicely. The design of the doughnut patties also kept these individual meatloaves nice and juicy.
Notes
The sky is the limit with this recipe, just keep the ratio of meat to pork rind the same. With so many delicious flavor options you could enjoy mini meatloaf weekly.
The serving as is included the full 8 ounces of meatloaf. If that portion is too much for you, or your macros then calculate the macros accordingly.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 623Total Fat: 48gProtein: 44g
brilliantlyketo.com offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from multiple online calculators. Although all attempts to provide accurate nutritional information have been made, these figures are only estimates as products and ingredients macros vary.