BBQ Meatloaf Meal Prep Bowls are an easy lunch idea that you are going to be so excited to eat! With cajun mashed sweet potatoes, steamed green beans and mini BBQ meatloaves.
After sharing this Low Carb Meatloaf & Cauliflower Mash, I was inspired to do a little remix! While today's recipe is not low carb, it is lower in calories, full of delicious, healthy veggies and a great lunch to fuel you all afternoon.
This meal prep recipe is SO packed with flavor: sweet and smoky BBQ sauce, sweet and savory sweet potato mash, and crunchy green beans. It tastes just as good on day 4 as it does freshly made. YES.
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You'll ♡ these bowls because
- the mini meatloaves cook much quicker than traditional meatloaf, making these bowls ready in 45 minutes
- the ingredients keep really well and are just as good on day 4 as day 1
- the combination of BBQ sauce, ground beef and sweet potatoes pair well together
Ingredient notes
- ground beef- I used lean ground beef here, but you could swap for ground turkey without adjusting the cook time or seasonings.
- BBQ sauce- adds a ton of flavor to the meatloaves without much effort; I am a big fan of Sweet Baby Ray's, but you can use your favorite brand.
- Cajun seasoning- adds a touch of flavor to the mashed sweet potatoes; I use Clubhouse brand. Some Cajun seasoning can be really spicy, so use your best judgement when adding it!
Step by step directions
1. Cook sweet potatoes- you can cook your sweet potatoes using your favorite method.
2. Mash sweet potatoes- When cooked through, remove skins and mash the sweet potatoes with salt, cajun seasoning and butter.
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3. Prepare BBQ meatloaves- Heat oven to 350°F and spray 8 cavities of a standard-sized muffin pan with oil. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce, salt and ¼ cup of the BBQ sauce.
Press the mixture into the 8 cavities, pressing into a meatloaf shape. Bake for 20 minutes, then brush tops with ¼ cup more BBQ sauce. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
TIP- I love this muffin pan!
4. Steam green beans- Steam in a covered dish in the microwave or on the stove top for 5 minutes, until tender crisp.
5. Portion- Divide the meatloaves, mashed sweet potatoes and steamed green beans between four meal prep containers. Cool completely, then refrigerate.
FAQ
No, you can use a 3 cup meal prep container (or larger) to store these.
I haven't tried freezing these. The mashed sweet potatoes might weep a bit, but in theory all of these ingredients should freeze/thaw well. Let us know if you give it a try in the comments below!
Sure. Bake in a parchment- lined loaf pan at 350°F for 45-55 minutes, or until it reaches 165°F when checked with an instant read thermometer.
Storage and reheating
Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. We have not tried freezing, but in theory, all ingredients are freezer-friendly (let us know in the comments if you try freezing them!)
Reheat in the microwave until steaming hot, and enjoy!
More beefy meal prep bowls
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BBQ Meatloaf Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
Cajun Sweet Potato Mash
- 2 sweet potatoes medium; scrubbed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning see note 1
- 1 tablespoon butter
Mini BBQ Meatloaves
- 1 lb lean ground beef see note 2
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup barbecue sauce divided
Other
- 12 oz green beans washed, ends trimmed if you prefer
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes
- Cook sweet potatoes- you can cook your sweet potatoes using your favorite method. To steam, add 2 cups of water to a pot, place a steamer basket on top, and place the sweet potatoes into the steamer basket. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- Mash sweet potatoes- When cooked through, remove skins and mash the sweet potatoes with salt, cajun seasoning and butter.
BBQ Mini Meatloaves
- Prepare BBQ meatloaves- Heat oven to 350°F and spray 8 cavities of a standard-sized muffin pan with oil. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce, salt and ¼ cup of the BBQ sauce
- Bake- Press the mixture into the 8 cavities, pressing into a meatloaf shape. Bake for 20 minutes, then brush tops with ¼ cup more BBQ sauce. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
Green beans
- Steam green beans- Steam in a covered dish in the microwave or on the stove top for 5 minutes or until tender crisp.
Meal prep bowls
- Portion- Divide the meatloaves, mashed sweet potatoes and steamed green beans between four meal prep containers. Cool completely, then refrigerate.
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Tips:
Nutrition Information
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Shakti says
These look amazing! I do find that for freezing lunch bowls, meatballs thaw and reheat more gracefully than mini-meatloaves (or mini-Salifbury steaks as I also tried once). Elsewhere on the web, I found information that mashed sweets should freeze/thaw/reheat just fine, so I guess I know what's going to happen to the pound of ground turkey in my fridge!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Shakti, we hope you enjoy! Please report back once you've tried them, we'd love to hear how they turn out for you!
Shakti says
YUM!
In addition to making meatballs instead of loaves, I decided to leave the skins on the sweet potatoes when mashing them. I'm into "whole/healthy carb" rather than low/no carb and read that the skins are edible and, like white potato skins, full of fiber and vitamins. To do this, I scrubbed well, cut out the tougher-looking eyes and ends of the skin, and diced before steaming. Also used an immersion blender to mash to ensure the skins were well-incorporated. As Denise recommends, one the portioned meatballs and mash were cool, I added frozen green beans still frozen and popped by prep containers into the freezer.
Everything thawed and reheated fine and the combination of flavors is indeed great--BBQ and sweet potatoes are meant to be together!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Shakti, wow!! It sounds like you really enjoyed, and your variations sound delicious! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Jay says
This dinner is on my rotation once a week. Everyone in the house loves every part of this and I recommend to everyone to make this. I use turkey instead of beef and it comes out perfect. Love the recipes.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jay! I"m so happy to hear you love this recipe, that makes me so happy! Thanks for including your modifications. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Heather Nichols says
Can these be frozen?
Denise says
Hi Heather! I think that might work, but I haven't actually tried. Would you let me know if you try freezing them?