Need a comforting meal in a short amount of time? Whip up Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf. With beef, bacon, cheese, and BBQ sauce this meal is delicious!

Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf

Here we are already a week through February, how can this even be? I can’t be the only one who thinks the calendar is deceiving me! Can I?

January was a complete whirlwind for my family. We came off of the craziest of Decembers and immediately enjoyed the wedding of daughter #2 the first weekend of January.

Yup, that’s 2 weddings for 2 of our daughters within 7 months of each other. We’re hoping our sons wait a bit before getting married, mom and dad could use a little break!

After the wedding, January was just JANUARY…you know, the deal here in Michigan. Snow, cold, gray…wash, rinse, repeat, over and over again. I truly can say it was one of the gloomiest months ever.

 

 

So forgive me if I’m entering February craving the almighty supreme comfort food! Hand me a fork my friends, I’m ready to dig in! 

Luckily, we’ve arrived at FREAKY FRIDAY! This is a coordinated blogger event that allows us some fun while getting to try another blogger’s recipe. Shoutout to Michaela from An Affair from the Heart who spearheads this organized event by secretly assigning participating bloggers to another participant’s blog. Thanks, Michaela!

Once you have an assignment, you choose a recipe from their site and make it for your site. On the event day, we all debut our recipes and see everyone’s creations. It’s always a good time and I’ve gotten to know some really great bloggers and make some yummy dishes via Freaky Friday. 

CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE

 

This go around I was assigned:

Soulfully Made

Nikki is the brains behind this tasty site, I really enjoyed poking around and perusing her delicious recipes. I discovered that Nikki is a Florida gal, we all know in the south they mean business with comforting dishes and hospitality. 

There’s an array of tastiness over on Soulfully Made! The decision on what to make had me all over the place from Pineapple Casserole to No-Bake Key Lime Pie in a Jar to Salted Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies! Don’t they all sound amazing?

I decided on comfort food, I told you THIS was something I needed in my life at the moment. Nikki has a wonderful recipe for Mini BBQ Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf which my family thoroughly enjoyed. 

Pop over to Soulfully Made and find some delicious recipes to try yourself! I promise you will find some new favorites, I sure did. 

Allow me to tell you a little bit about Nikki’s lovely recipe. I only made two changes to her original recipe, changes to suit my family.

First I halved her recipe. If you are feeding a larger family, simply double my recipe below. Halving the recipe fed my younger 2 daughters, me and my hubby. If my son was home or any other member of the family was here, I’d definitely make the doubled recipe. 

Secondly, I cooked the meatloaf in my AIR FRYER! I love, love, love my air fryers! Yes, I have more than one because Santa thought ours wasn’t big enough…smart fella right there!

The basis for Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf is a rather traditional blend of ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings. What drew me to this particular recipe was the lack of ketchup.

I’m not a huge fan of ketchup, this recipe replaces ketchup with Chili Sauce bringing in so much more flavor to this dish. And then there’s the BACON, yup there’s cooked and crumbled thick-cut bacon mixed right in there. Don’t scrimp on the bacon, get the thick cut so those yummy pieces are big and delish.

Of course, there is a hearty amount of shredded cheddar because what can make bacon better…duh, cheese! And for the topper, a smidge of BBQ sauce. Sounds delicious, right? Plus they are personal-sized, just the right amount! 

Now, why did I choose to make them in an air fryer? The number one reason I love preparing entrees (or anything for that matter) in an air fryer is SPEED! True story, my oven doesn’t heat up as quickly as these were done cooking in the air fryer. 

Let me say that again…they were done cooking in the air fryer in less time than it takes to pre-heat my conventional oven. Okay…can you say weeknight meal! Not only are they “mini” but you can get them on the table in a flash!

Friends, these take approximately 10-12 minutes in an air fryer to cook. Being “mini” in size, they cook in just a short amount of time and get nice and “crispy” on all the edges with the BBQ sauce getting all bubbly and yummy.

>>>Want to try other AIR FRYER recipes? Try these:

• Air Fryer Taco Fries
• Air Fryer Cherry Pies
• Air Fryer Chocolate Cake
• Air Fryer Sesame Chicken
• Air Fryer Homemade Doughnut Holes
• Tangy Air Fryer Korean BBQ Wings

If you aren’t an air fryer fan or would like to cook conventionally in your oven, no problem I’ve included directions in the note below the recipe. We really enjoyed this recipe and cannot thank Nikki for sharing this delicious meal with her fans and my family! 

Be sure to check out the other amazing recipe from Freaky Friday below!!!

What ingredients do you need to make Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf?

• Ground Beef
• Chili Sauce
• Thick Cut Bacon, cooked, cooled, and chopped
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Panko Breadcrumbs
• Egg
• Seasonings: Onion Powder, Seasoned Salt, & Garlic Powder
• Worchestershire Sauce
• Yellow Mustard
• BBQ Sauce

Some tips for making Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf:

• Know your air fryer! Times and temps can vary dramatically from unit to unit. Mine cooked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. 
• I sprayed the pan under the meatloaf with non-stick cooking spray to help with clean up. 
• Depending on the ground beef you are using (I used lean) you may need to add in a small amount more of the Panko breadcrumbs to tighten the mixture. 
• You can make these earlier in the day. Combine the ingredients, shape them into mini loaves, and refrigerate. 
• I made my personal-sized loaves into medium-sized oval patties. Approximately the size of a medium potato, if I had to guess they were: 4″ long, 1″ thick, and 3″ wide. 
• Like things on the spicy side? Add in additional seasonings such as a splash of hot sauce, Sriracha, or a bit of crushed red pepper flakes.
• Conventional oven cooking directions are found within the recipe card below.

Simple steps for making Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf:

In a mixing bowl, combine together all ingredients except BBQ Sauce.

Gently mix the ingredients together. You do not want to overwork the mixture. If you feel the mixture is not tight enough, add in a tiny bit more Panko Breadcrumbs. 

Gently form mixture into 4-6 mini loves. 

Set loaves into your air fryer. Make a small indentation on the top of each loaf. Spoon BBQ sauce into the indentation and spread lightly over the top. 

Place air fryer basket into the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes. The outside should be nicely browned when finished cooking. You can use a thermometer to assure they are cooked to at least 160 degrees. 

 

CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE

 

Yield: 4 servings

Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf

Print

Need a comforting meal in a short amount of time? Whip up Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf. With beef, bacon, cheese and BBQ sauce this meal is delicious!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 3 ounces Chili Sauce
• 2 slices thick cut bacon, cooked, cooled and chopped
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup BBQ Sauce

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine together all ingredients except BBQ Sauce.
2. Gently mix the ingredients together. You do not want to overwork the mixture. If you feel the mixture is not tight enough, add in a tiny bit more Panko Breadcrumbs. 
3. Gently form mixture into 4-6 mini loves. 
4. Place into your air fryer. Make a small indentation in the top of each loaf. Spoon BBQ sauce into the indentation and spread lightly over the top. 
5. Place air fryer basket into the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes. The outside should be nicely browned when finished cooking.

Notes

Conventional Oven: Bake at 425° for 25 minutes.

Find this recipe and more at Meal Plan Monday and the Weekend Potluck!

 

Take a look at all of our 2020 Freaky Friday Winter Edition Recipes:

1. An Affair from the Heart – Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red-Eye Gravy
2. Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Tacos
3. Bowl Me Over –  Honey Sriracha Chicken
4. Hostess at Heart – Chicken Marsala
5. House of Nash Eats – Broccoli Cheese Soup
6. Lemoine Family Kitchen – Vegetarian Pot Pie Soup
7. Life Currents – Pepper Jelly Cheese Balls
8. Soulfully Made – Alice Springs Chicken (Outback Copy Cat Recipe)
9. Take Two Tapas – Chocolate Spoons
10. The Fresh Cooky – Sweet Molasses Brown Bread Rolls
11. The Speckled Palate – Valentine’s Day Dessert Board
12. West Via Midwest – Grasshopper Pie
13. Who Needs a Cape? – Air Fryer Loaded Mini Meatloaf