It's that time of year again. Game Day, right? We're all scouring the internet looking for the best, most delicious food to serve on Super Bowl Sunday. I mean, this is an American tradition. We need to feast and have fun and laugh and cheer on our teams! I wanted to do something fun and a bit whimsical so I give you Super Bowl meatloaf bites with mashed potatoes and gravy... and cute little Super Bowl toothpicks to get your guests in the mood.
Mini Meatloaf Bites Are Easy to Put Together and Make-Ahead Friendly
Look, we all have different Super Bowl rhythms. Some of us are happy to be the one in the kitchen cranking out all the yummy food. Others want some no-fuss food to make so we can enjoy the game too. Mini meatloaf bites with mashed potatoes and gravy are the perfect make-ahead treat. You can prepare the meatloaf mixture the day before and form your meatloaf patties. Store them in plastic containers (on parchment paper if possible so they don't stick) and refrigerate them overnight. Or if you have room for a sheet pan in your fridge (that will never be me) you can do that too. Then you can cook them on game day. Same with the mashed potatoes. You can make those the day before too. Reheat them in the microwave before spooning them on the cooked meatloaf.
And the gravy? I'm all for shortcuts on Super Bowl Sunday and going with a packet of gravy is a fantastic time saver. We always use the McCormick Brown Gravy packets - the darker one. It's perfect for this. If you have a preferred store brand - great. I wouldn't recommended the "chicken gravy" for this. You'll need the dark brown one. The McCormick one says simply "brown gravy." Pretty straightforward, right?
In terms of those fun toothpicks you see in the pictures, you can order those on Amazon. Just search for "Super Bowl toothpicks" or "football cupcake toppers" and you'll see all the varieties on hand. There's a lot to choose from. You can probably find these at your local party supply store, but you'll probably pay more.
Easy Steps to Make Super Bowl Meatloaf Bites
Are You Looking for More Super Bowl Sunday Treats? I Gotcha Covered!
- Super Bowl Sunday Food Ideas (see video below: a round-up of 12 game day recipe ideas)
- The Ultimate Spaghetti Lasagna
- Big Batch Spaghetti Sauce
- Moroccan Spiced Phyllo Meat Pie
- Phyllo Cup Appetizers FIVE ways
- Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Bacon
- Nana's Weird Hot Dog Appetizer (kids will love it - adults too!)
- Crunchy, Cheesy Patty Melts on Grilled Sourdough
- Balsamic Cholula Chicken (cook all in one pan)
- Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers
- Brown Sugar Bacon Sticks Brushed w/Maple Syrup
Super Bowl Meatloaf Bites w/Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18-20 mini meatloaves 1x
Description
Super Bowl meatloaf bites are the perfect game day eats. Mashed potatoes and gravy on top and fun football toothpicks - yay!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2.25 pounds of 80/20 ground beef
- ¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs (I used Progresso)
- ½ cup milk (for breadcrumbs)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup shaker parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons chopped parsley, optional garnish
For the cooked onions
- 1 ¼ cup of diced onion (¾ to 1 medium onion)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic, finely diced
For the mashed potatoes
- 3 medium Yukon potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup warm milk (may not need all of it)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For the gravy
- 2 packets of McCormick Brown Gravy (follow package instructions)
NOTE: You will need an electric hand mixer or potato masher for this recipe.
Instructions
- Peel and cube your potatoes. Make sure cubes are about the same size so they cook evenly. Add potatoes to a large pot of water. These take 20-25 minutes to boil and soften. Plan your time with the rest of your prep and cooking the meatloaf. This is approximate, but turn your burner on high about 10 minutes before the meatloaves go in the oven.
- Finely dice the onion. Transfer to a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for about five minutes - until onions are slightly translucent and browning a little. Stir a few times while cooking.
- Finely dice the garlic.
- At the end of cooking the onions add the garlic, a splash of oil and cook another two minutes. Set aside to cool.
- If you’re using the optional parsley garnish, you should chop that parsley now.
- Put the Italian breadcrumbs in a bowl, add milk and stir. It will be mushy at first. Set aside a couple of minutes. It will be thick by the time you add it to the meatloaf mix.
- Empty your McCormick Brown Gravy packets into a small pot. Add water per package instructions. You don’t need to cook this now, but put it on your stovetop to be ready. The gravy only takes a few minutes so turn on the burner at the end of the cooking process - right before you’re ready to serve.
- Assemble the meatloaf mix. Add the ground beef to a large mixing bowl followed by Worcestershire sauce, salt, BBQ sauce, dried thyme, shaker parmesan cheese, the cooked garlic and onion mixture, breadcrumb and milk mixture (will be thick now), and eggs. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, portion out your mini meatloaves and place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Fill the measuring cup with the meatloaf mix, scoop it out with your hands and shape into a mound (not a “ball” like a meatball, a mound closer to the shape of a thick patty). You should get about 18-20 mounds total. Use two sheet pans if you need to.
- Bake meatloaf in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Internal temp should be 160 degrees. My oven runs hot so it might take a little longer depending on your oven or if you made the meatloaves a different shape or size.
- While the meatloaf is cooling, don’t forget to heat your gravy per package instructions.
- Heat your milk for the mashed potatoes in the microwave.
- The potatoes should be boiled through by now and ready for mashing. Drain the water and put potatoes back in the same pot. Add butter, salt and pepper. Using an electric hand blender (or potato masher) start blending the potatoes. Add milk a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency. You may not need all the milk.
- Transfer mini meatloaves to a platter. Using a kitchen tablespoon, add a scoop of mashed potatoes to the top of each meatloaf. Add a spoonful of the brown gravy to each after that. Sprinkle fresh parsley if you are using it.
- If you are using the decorative toothpicks like you see in my video, add one or two to the top of each meatloaf. Serve immediately.
- Serve any extra mashed potatoes and gravy on the side. It will get eaten. J
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