I remember the first time we gave Kenya a big slab of meatloaf and he just stared at it totally daunted.
Can you imagine what it must be like for a kid to see an enormous portion of food on their plate? It helped me to realize that size really does matter, especially when it comes to kids willing and wanting to try certain foods.
You can absolutely make this zesty meatloaf in an 8 x 4 inch pan, but baked into individual bites, just two or three are a perfectly portioned meal for a toddler or kid. These mini meatloaf bites with just a dot of ketchup on top will satisfy everyone!
Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Bites
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients to thoroughly combine.
- Pack greased mini muffin cups with the mixture. Fill to the top as they will shrink a bit during cooking.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
- Note: For a full size meatloaf, press mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 590mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g
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I did not think my kids would like these, but they LOVED them! We had them with a little marinara on top too and I doubled the recipe so I would have left over. I have six left. My 12 year old ate 4 of them!
Tasted great, but cooking time was closer to 30 minutes before they were done for us.
Hi, I used MyFitness Pal to re-calculate the calories for this recipe, I came up with 296 calories for a serving on 6 mini meatloafs, so 5 servings for this recipe is what I come up with for those who are curious.
That should work out just fine. I would check them at 20 minutes to see if they are cooked through, if not, let them go to 25-27 minutes.
hi! I’m going to try these this weekend but only have a full size muffin pan. do you think that’s ok and how long would you bake for?
Has anyone found out how many bites are in the Nutritional Information?
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This is great. I make it at least once a week. Quick, easy, few ingredients, tastes good!
One of the best recipes! Simple, juicy and absolutely delicious! My Marinara sauce had mushrooms in it which made the meatloaf bites even more versatile. My toddler daughter loves them.
Oops forgot the marinara sauce but still turned out delicious. We will see how the kids like them! Thanks
Hello! I just wanted to say that I love your website – you offer good ideas and this is a great place to turn to when you’re stumped for the next food idea for your baby/toddler.
I’ve tried many recipes from this site since my son was a baby. He is now almost 2. However, I recently noticed that some of the recipes just don’t “work” — either flavor-wise or texture-wise. In the last 6 or 7 recipes, I’ve had to adjust the proportions of ingredients, change something or add something in, in order for the recipe to “work.”
Now, I know very well that toddlers go through tremendous changes with their taste buds — one day, they’ll lovelovelove something, the next day, they’ll hate the same exact thing. But even for an adult tasting some of these recipes, I can see that there are things that can make things just a little bit more toddler-friendly, and still stay within the healthy realm.
I haven’t added my thoughts to the previous recipes I’ve had issue with. But for this one — the chicken parmesan meatloaf… my suggestion would be to saute the onions and garlic in a bit of butter or oil before adding to the meat mixture. Sauteing will bring out the sweetness and fragrance of the onion and garlic. Adding raw onion and garlic to the meatloaf – even though all ingredients of the meatloaf will be fully cooked through baking – the “raw” flavors of onion and garlic will still come through. For a toddler, this is a major turn off.
Anyway, hope this helps. 🙂
Can you freeze these? Before or after cooking?
I think some smoked pairkpa, garlic and olive oil would make roasted cauliflower taste delicious! Smoked pairkpa really doesn’t have any heat, just a wonderful smokey red pepper flavor. Let me know how it turns out
[…] I felt strongly should not come in loaf form. Bread? Yes. Ground meat? No. But I came across a recipe for mini meatloaves and had all of the ingredients on hand, so thought I would give it a try. It was super quick and […]
[…] your child’s food and their body. Some of my family’s favorites are: Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Bites, Animal Crackers, Whole Wheat Cheddar […]
[…] way to pack meatloaf for lunch is to make it in easy-to-pack muffin cups. This recipe for “Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Bites” is a great variation on an old […]