It's been a super long time since I made these Meatloaf Cupcakes. As in... years. A lot has changed since then, especially my tastes and cooking style. The very first time that I made these, they were in the traditional manner. Plain old ground beef and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy. Nothing 'healthified'.

Today though, I've lightened these up and made them a little more wholesome by adding in some veggies like carrots, and zucchini too! I also used an extra lean ground beef which I kept moist and full of flavor by adding in an egg and reduced sugar ketchup. The vegges also help to keep the lean meat from drying out. Of course, I also used a cauliflower mash instead of straight up mashed potatoes to get even more vegetable goodness in there.

These are packed. PACKED. Loaded up entirely with vegetables, and the best part is that you would never guess it!

These guys would make for a great dinner or even a fun hot party appetizer. For me, the best part is that they are clean, lean, and easy to make. Plus, they'll definitely be the talk of the table with how cute they are. I mean... how often do you get to have a savory cupcake? Now, I'm just throwing this out there, but these would also be super appropriate for an April Foods Day dinner!

Winner, winner, meatloaf cupcake dinner.

I will warn you, while I didn't attempt it, I do think these are more of a 'forkable' cupcake and not one that I'd merely pick up and use my hands to eat. Though I'm sure if you were careful enough, that it could be done.

If you're not a fan of ketchup, you could also use a tomato sauce in place of the ketchup here. But, for me I liked the extra flavor and tang that the reduced sugar ketchup gave. I also kept the skins on my potatoes, because that's just how I like them. Plus, I thought it was super cute to get the added bits of color flecked in through the mash/frosting.

Don't forget your cute little chive 'sprinkles'. They definitely add that extra bit of needed color for the perfect cupcake affect!

Healthified Meatloaf Cupcakes & Cauliflower Mash
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 12 • Size: 1 Cupcake • Calories: 180.2 • Fat: 7.8 g • Saturated Fat: 2.6 • Carb: 14 g • Fiber: 1.7 g • Protein: 13.1 g • Sugar: 2.2 g • Sodium: 319.8 mg

Ingredients:
Mealtloaf Cakes:
1 Lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef
1/2 C. Zucchini, Shredded
1/2 C. + 1/3 C. Reduced Sugar Ketchup
1/2 C. Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
1/2 C. Onion, Chopped
1/4 C. Carrots, Shredded
1 Whole Large Egg
2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 1/2 Tsp. Dried Oregano

Mashed Cauliflower Frosting:
1 Small Head Cauliflower, Cut into Florets
3 Potatoes (I used 2 Red and 1 White Potato.)
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
2 Tbsp. Light Butter
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Garnish:
Chives, Chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. . Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners; giving them a quick coat of non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the 1 Lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef, 1/2 C. Zucchini, 1/2 C. Reduced Sugar Ketchup, 1/2 C. Whoel Wheat Bread Crumbs, 1/2 C. Onion, Chopped, 1/4 C. Carrots, 1 Whole Large Egg, 2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, 2 Garlic Cloves, and 1 1/2 Tsp. Dried Oregano.

Divide the meat mixture evenly among the prepared cupcake liners in the pan and press down slightly to form your 'cakes'.

Top each with about 1/2 Tbsp. Reduced Sugar Ketchup and place the pan into the oven to bake for about 45 minutes.

While the mini meatloaves are cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil. Place the cauliflower florets and 3 sliced potatoes into the boiling water and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Drain the cauliflower and potatoes and places them into a large bowl to beat together along with 1 Minced Garlic Clove, 2 Tbsp. Light Butter and Salt & Pepper to Taste.

Once done, remove the cupcake pan from the oven and place the cauliflower mash into a ziplock or piping bag.

If using a ziplock, cut a corner off and pipe the cauliflower mash onto the meatloaves to create your 'frosting' mounds.

Sprinkle with chives if desired.

Enjoy right away!