These mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves are made with ground venison mixed with cheese and topped with a sugar free barbecue sauce. A mini meatloaf recipe made in in a muffin pan for individual serving sizes. Finely Crushed pork rinds take the place of breadcrumbs and topped sugar-free BBQ sauce. With only 2 net carbs per 3 mini meatloaves, this is perfect for the Keto diet!
These mini meatloaf muffins are delicious served with a side of bright green roasted asparagus and a heaping serving of mashed garlic cauliflower! Serve this comfort food recipe to your family and they will leave the table with a happy and satisfied tummy!
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Ground Venison makes a great meatloaf comfort food meal!
I substitute ground venison for most any recipe that calls for ground beef. Because it is one of my favorite meals, I do this often with meatloaf. It is a delicious and satisfying dinner. And, the leftovers are perfect for sandwiches, tacos, or hash!
Meatloaf brings back a lot of childhood memories. Mom would serve her meatloaf dinner with baked potatoes and corn and the juice from the meatloaf pan would be the gravy we would put on our potatoes. I remember mixing the corn with my potatoes and pouring on the juice from the meatloaf. It was pure comfort food on your dinner plate!
How to make BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves
I have specific kitchen tools and dishes I love to use when working in my kitchen. Because I don't like my mini meatloaves sticking to the pan, I always use my 12 cup muffin pan. And, when you bake with silicone, you always need something sturdy to put beneath it. My small baking sheet is the perfect solution to a floppy silicone muffin pan!
I love perfect sized portions. Because of this, I always measure my meatloaf mixture. My handy large cookie scoop is the solution to getting perfectly portioned meatloaves.
You will mix the ground venison, onion, egg, cheese, and barbecue sauce together until it is well combined. I use my hands to do this and to get it mixed well without over mixing.
While you are mixing the meatloaf together, the oven should be pre-heating to 350 degrees. Once the meatloaf is mixed together, it can be portioned into a muffin pan. I prefer silicone because it won't stick when it is done baking.
Use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to measure the meatloaf mixture. Alternatively, you can use a ¼ cup measuring cup.
Pack the meatloaf mixture into the muffin pan tightly. Then top with some more sugar-free barbecue sauce. I do like to make a homemade sugar-free barbecue sauce when I have time, but when I don't have time, my go-to is G Hughes Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce.
Once the meatloaves are topped with BBQ Sauce, they will bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Let them cool up to 15 minutes. By then you should be able to easily remove them without burning your fingers.
Making Venison Meatloaf Low Carb and Keto Friendly
- Deer meat is very lean. Because of this, I like to add extra fat to my recipes to keep them from drying out. If you don't have venison on hand, feel free to use higher fat ground beef (such as 80/20) and omit the extra fat.
- Breadcrumbs are a commonly found ingredient in meatloaf. Since they are a no-no on the Keto diet, I substituted ground pork rinds. If you don't follow Keto, you can still use the bread crumbs and leave out the pork rinds.
- I use a sugar-free barbecue sauce that I buy. If I don't happen to have that particular sauce on hand, I make my own. This Strawberry Rhubarb Chipotle BBQ Sauce is one of my favorite ones for homemade.
What to serve with BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves
As you can see by the photo above, I served this particular recipe with roasted asparagus. Another roasted veggie I would serve with these BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves is Balsamic Browned Butter Artichokes. If you want to add dessert to the menu, we love this recipe for Low Carb Lemon Thumbprint Cookies!
If you want to enjoy a burger instead of meatloaf, be sure to try our favorite Venison Burger Recipe for Caprese Burgers!
📖 Recipe
BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves
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Ingredients
- 14 oz ground venison
- 1 oz pork rinds crushed fine
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon onion diced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ cup sugar free barbecue sauce divided
- 2 oz cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, using your hands, mix the ground venison, eggs, onion, pork rinds, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup of the barbecue sauce, and cheese until it is combined.
- Scoop ¼ cup of meat mixture and pack into a silicone muffin cup. Repeat until all 12 muffin cups are filled.
- Place silicone muffin pan on a sturdy baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Temperature should be 160.
- Remove mini meatloaves from oven and let cool up to 15 minutes before removing from the muffin pan.
Crystal
It doesn't say where to add the cheese?
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Crystal, thanks for asking, I had missed adding it to the instructions. It is mixed in with the meat mixture ingredients in step 2. I have updated the recipe to reflect this.
Megan Ellam
I love these individual serves. I have done meatloaf like that before so will absolutely give them a try. Thanks for a great recipe.
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Megan, thank you for trying the recipe! Shelby
Linda
Love these meatloaves and the addition of pork rinds. So good and comforting!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Linda, thank you! Shelby
Mikayla
We went with a combination of beef and sausage for this recipe and I have to say quite simple and very good!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Mikalya, thank you! I've not tried beef and sausage together, sounds like something I need to do! Shelby
Erin
Ooh, this sounds really interesting and tasty! I haven't had meatloaf since I was a kid but this sounds awesome. I should really give it a try!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Erin! Yes, meatloaf is SO good. I love leftovers in sandwiches too! Shelby
Petro
Love this idea, such an interesting take on a classic recipe! I never tried venison in my meatloaves, I'll have to give it a try next time I make some.
Alex
The cookie scoop is such a great idea! I'll have to try that. And these meatloaves! They sound packed full of flavor.
Katie Crenshaw
These were so fun to make and so delicious! The cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce makes them so tasty!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Yay! Thank you!
Brianna
This meatloaf has so much flavor, I especially love the crunch from the pork rinds. Definitely going into the dinner rotation.
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Brianna! So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you! Shelby
LaKita
These little meatloaves are absolutely delicious! Also love the addition of pork rinds in the recipe, yum!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Lakita, thank you so much!