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Moroccan Mini Meatloaf Cups

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Moroccan mini meatloaf cups are tender and juicy, flavored with a moroccan spice blend and worcestershire sauce. A great choice for weeknight dinner or for meal prep!

Meatloaf is classic comfort food, but sometimes you just want to spice things up with new flavors. My Hoisin Turkey Meatloaf is a great example. When you make individual portions, like with these BBQ Meatloaf Meal Prep Bowls, weekly lunches are a breeze.

plate of Moroccan spiced mini meatloaf cups with mint pistachio pesto on top

Today, we’re combining both of those concepts, by making meatloaf muffins with a Moroccan spice blend. The blend, called Ras el Hanout, includes cinnamon, ginger, cumin, allspice, and a tiny bit of cayenne. The combination adds some heat and a unique flavor to the meatloaf.

Making the recipe couldn’t be easier! Just combine all of your ingredients together and portion it into muffin trays. While they’re in the oven, you’ll have plenty of time to make a side dish and some homemade pesto to serve on top.

Reasons you’ll ♡ mini meatloaf cups:

  • these only take about 10-15 minutes of effort
  • personal size meatloaf muffins instead of one large loaf
  • these are fridge and freezer friendly for easy storage

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a pound of raw lean ground beef next to Moroccan spices in measuring cups

Let’s Talk Ingredients

  • ground beef – for a traditional meatloaf, experts suggest you use a higher fat ground beef as it cooks for a long time and is prone to drying out. Since we are cooking these personal-sized meatloaf muffins for just 25 minutes, it’s perfectly fine to use lean ground beef for this recipe.
  • bread crumbs – Store-bought helps cut down on prep time; the breadcrumbs help bind and bulk out the meatloaf.
  • eggs and milk – These add moisture to the meatloaf making it tender and juicy.
  • flavorings – Salt and worcestershire sauce elevate the natural flavors in ground beef.
  • ras el hanout– is a traditional Moroccan spice blend, which should be available in the spice aisle or the ethnic foods aisle of your grocery store. If you cannot find it, here’s a homemade recipe that should do the trick!

mini muffin tin filled with meatloaf mixture

Any ground meat can be used

You can certainly swap the ground beef for one of many alternatives. Ground turkey has been tested and works well, and ground chicken may also work well. Ensure that the meatloaf muffins reach an internal temperature of 165°F if you choose a poultry substitute for ground beef.

Some experts advise mixing ground pork with ground beef at a 30/70 ratio for an extra juicy and delicious meatloaf recipe.

Ras el hanout can be spicy

Ras el hanout can be spicy, and the blend that I used (from Trader Joe’s) made these meatloaf muffins mildly spicy as written. You can reduce the spice level by reducing the amount of ras el hanout that you use, or making your own homemade blend.

Since this is an obscure spice blend, you may have troubles finding it at the grocery store. Fear not, as there are about a million ways you can flavor mini meatloaf cups! Check out my post with 7 baked meatball flavors and use the same spice ratios in this recipe.

Storage

These mini meatloaf cups work incredibly well for meal prep and can be stored in the fridge or freezer. For fridge storage, place in an air tight meal prep container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. For freezer storage, you may wish to wrap them individually in plastic or loosely in parchment paper, then place in a larger meal prep container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheat

Thaw completely before reheating. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or in the oven at 350°F in a covered baking dish for 15-20 minutes.

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Variations

While delicious as written, you may wish to make changes to this recipe. Here are some ideas:

  • low carb– breadcrumbs act as a binding agent in meatloaf. If you want to leave them out, the recipe will still work, but the meatloaves might be a little more ‘dense.’ Adding an extra egg in place of the breadcrumbs is another option to keep the recipe low-carb.
  • traditional– skip the ras el hanout and brush on ketchup during the last 5 minutes of cooking
  • full size– bake it up in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan using directions in this post. Ground beef is cooked through when it reaches 155-160°F, and turkey/chicken when it reaches 165°F.

a stack of 3 meatloaf muffins

More ground beef recipes

Moroccan spiced mini meatloaf cups recipe video

Want to see how this recipe comes together? Watch the video below to see how easy they are to make. You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

This recipe was originally published in 2015. It was republished in 2020 with fresh photos, recipe improvements and more helpful tips.

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Moroccan Spiced Mini Meatloaf Cups

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Moroccan
Keyword: freezer, ground beef
Calories: 121kcal
Author: Denise
Servings: 12 meatloaves
Moroccan mini meatloaf cups are tender and juicy, flavored with a moroccan spice blend and worcestershire sauce. A great choice for weeknight dinner or for meal prep!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time45 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef (450 g)
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon worschershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ras el hanout spice blend

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  • Spray a 12-count muffin tray generously with spray oil and set aside.
  • Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Scoop and gently press into prepared muffin trays.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until completely cooked through.
  • Serve with Pistachio-Mint Pesto.

Storage

  • Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze wrapped in plastic or parchment and placed in a larger container or bag for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw completely before reheating for 1-2 minutes in the microwave or 12-15 minutes in the oven (350°F in a covered baking dish).

Notes

Ras el Hanout spice blend can be found in stores, or made using this recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1meatloaf cup | Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 90mg | Sugar: 2g

 

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Comments

  1. Mary

    I want to make these for a freezer meal. Would I bake them and take them out of the muffin tin to freeze? Trying to think of the best way to freeze and reheat. Also, could you freeze the pesto? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Mary! You can either freeze them unbaked in muffin trays, then pop them out once frozen and transfer to a storage bag. You would need to thaw probably in a muffin tin though or they might lose their shape. Or you can bake them through, cool completely, and store in a container/bag. Personally I like freezing meatballs/meatloaf unbaked because then when you go to bake you are cooking for the first time and it retains more moisture, however they’re going to be easier to handle after you bake them. I hope this makes sense!

      Reply

  3. Amanda West

    I made this tonight with ground lamb. Oh my goodness! This recipe is amazing and sooooooo flavorful. Thank you for posting this. It’s heavenly. I love that pesto and that homemade spice blend. Everything is delicious!

    Reply

  6. Alyssa @ My Sequined Life

    Meatuffins…SEO might have been hurting with that title haha! I never really think to make meatloaf but I do like it if it’s jazzed up with a few flavors. I’m a fancy meatloaf fan I guess. 🙂 These meatloaf cups definitely fit the bill – especially with that pesto!

    Reply

  9. Kelly - Life Made Sweeter

    My husband is a big meatloaf fan but I haven’t made it in a long time since there is always so much leftovers because he’s the only one that eats it. These adorable meatloaf cups would be the perfect solution! 🙂 The pistachio-mint pesto sounds awesome!

    Reply

  12. April @ Girl Gone Gourmet

    I have a total soft spot for meatloaf – we ate a lot of it growing up and it was always so comforting on cold winter nights. I love how you’ve updated it and I agree — a big o’ loaf of meat is pretty strange! Much prefer your cute single-sized ones 🙂

    Reply

  16. Amanda West

    Hey! This looks really good. You think it would work well with ground lamb? I love lamb and it seems like the flavors would mesh well with the pistachio mint pesto. I just wanted your opinion on that since I haven’t made the recipe yet.

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Amanda, I think they would be great with ground lamb! I will admit I don’t have much experience cooking with ground lamb, though and haven’t tried it myself. But lamb + Moroccan flavors go really well together! Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

      Reply

  18. Danielle

    These are totally my kind of dinner! I love that you used your Pistachio Mint Pesto on them too, such a great idea. Plus they’re mini, so that automatically makes them better! 😉

    Reply

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