Tuesday 29 October 2019

Lazy Food Prep : Mini Meatloaves


Every weekend, I do food prep for my partner. I admit, sometimes I do feel a tinge of laziness and wished that I did not have to cook for him.

I have been prepping his lunches since 2016 and I will continue to do so, not out of a sense of duty but out of love. chewah! heh..heh...

There are weekends when I am all raring to go and I cook up a storm - I prep 3 or 4 weeks worth of food. When that happens, some weekends I can actually take a break because there is enough stock in the freezer.


To make food prep less taxing, I like to spread out the work by choosing one recipe that can be cooked in the oven, another on the stove and the last one in the rice cooker. That way, I can move lots faster and save time.

One of the dishes that I can prep very easily in the oven is meatloaf. I make these in one-serving portions in small glass containers. They are a breeze to do and taste very good too.


The base is minced meat and I like to add minced onions, garlic powder, soya sauce, sesame oil and pepper as seasoning.

Then I add other stuff like carrots, mushrooms, celery, corn and sometimes, mashed potatoes. To bind the mixture together, I add an egg and some tapioca flour.

For this batch, I added shredded carrots, finely chopped celery, sliced canned button mushrooms and fresh corn. 


I portion out the meat mixture into small glasslock containers and bake them in the oven for about 25 minutes until the tops are slightly browned.

I find these mini meatloaves to be very versatile (you can change up the seasonings and fillings) and so easy to put together and bake. 

Corn, Carrots and Mushroom Mini Meatloaves
Recipe source : PH

Ingredients :
- 480g minced pork
- 2 tbsp light soya sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 red onion, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour (or cornflour)
- 1 small carrot, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 rib celery, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup fresh corn
- 6 button mushrooms, sliced (I used canned mushrooms)

Method :
1. In a mixing bowl, add all the above ingredients except the sliced mushrooms.
2. Use your hand to combine the mixture and mix until you achieve a sticky consistency.
3. Divide the mixture among 3 or 4 small glasslock containers and add on the sliced mushrooms (I half fill the containers and then add the mushrooms. Then I add the remaining filling ie the mushrooms are buried in the meat mixture).
4. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for about 25 minutes or until the top of the meatloaves and browned.
5. Remove from oven and let cool completely before storing in the freezer.

20 comments:

  1. This must be yummy. I never try making and freezing meatloaves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No photo of the cross-section. Don't think I've ever tried making meatloaf. I love the singer though - Meatloaf..."I'll do anything for love!"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember Meatloaf! He's from the 70's if I remember correctly.

      Delete
  3. Wah, his heart melted when he read this post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your partner is one lucky guy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your hubby is a blessed man to have you. With so many ingredients in the meatloaves, i am sure they taste yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, hee..hee.. They taste good due to the seasonings and ingredients.

      Delete
  6. with food made with such love, i wouldn't want you to stop prepping ever either! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that's so sweet of you to say so hee..hee..

      Delete
  7. Your partner is the luckiest man from Penang Island. I am the first runner up?

    I am very curious about this Meatloaf of yours. I think I ate them many years ago in US during the Thanksgiving dinner. They served in thick slices with gravy. I want to try to make them since the ingredients are available at home except pork meat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, ah? hee..hee.. Yes, meatloaf is an American thing but their bahan-bahan inside the meatloaf is very different.

      Delete
  8. Actually, I don't see men bringing food from home for their lunch (usually only the female colleagues do that). Yours is the exception....haha! :D The only downside is that you can become a recluse if you do it too often...kekeke! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Men, they need someone else to prepare for them hah..hah...

      Delete
    2. My hubby don't want bento even though I offer him ~>_<~
      Those glass container can be baked in oven? That's very convenient!

      Delete
    3. hah..hah.. less work for you thne :) Yes, those glass containers can be baked in the oven.

      Delete
  9. If my hubby eats, I too would want to prepare for him. I like your meatloaf but hubby doesn't know how to appreciate such food.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I see... your hubby is more into traditional food that he is familiar with.

      Delete