Need something hearty and filling for dinner tonight? Try this Sheet Pan Mini Meatloaf with Vegetables! It’s like a Sunday dinner, only much simpler and with far fewer dishes to wash. Shaping the barbecue sauce-infused ground beef into mini meatloaves shortens the cooking time so you’ll be able to get dinner on the table faster.
This post was created in partnership with the Minnesota Beef Council.
A One-Pan Dinner Winner
If the thought of having a sink-full of dishes is keeping you from making dinner tonight, keep reading because we’ve got just what you need with this Sheet Pan Mini Meatloaf and Vegetables dinner! It features tender, savory meatloaves among a sea of roasted sweet potatoes and perfectly caramelized Brussels sprouts.
Start to finish, it’s just 50 minutes with only 20 minutes of that time being hands-on. The rest is baking time, so you’ll have plenty of time to whip up a salad and get the small handful of dishes you’ll need to make it done before it’s time to serve.
Now THAT sounds like a weeknight dinner winner, for sure!
Lean Ground Beef is a Hearty and Healthy Choice for Sheet Pan Meals
Want to know our secret to easy weeknight meals? It’s simple: we keep a stash of lean ground beef in the freezer.
Not only is ground beef a very economical and versatile ingredient when it comes to making meals for your family, it’s also a healthy choice and one you can feel good about. A 3 oz. cooked portion of lean beef (about the size of a deck of cards) provides 10 essential nutrients and about 30 grams of protein to help support the maintenance of lean body mass. For more information about beef, it’s health benefits, and why it’s a great fit for individuals of all ages, visit the Minnesota Beef Council.
And ground beef can be used in so many ways making it a go-to for weeknight meals such as Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili, Ultimate Meal Prep Meatballs, Tex-Mex Sweet Potato Hash, Slow Cooker Healthy Hamburger Soup, Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato Topping, Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili, and more.
Ingredients for Sheet Pan Mini Meatloaf with Vegetables
Here’s what you need to make this easy, one-pan meatloaf dinner that the whole family will love:
- Lean ground beef – Lean ground beef (93% lean)is a natural choice for this recipe. The addition of barbecue sauce helps keep the meatloaves tender and juicy. Here are more recipes that use ground beef.
- BBQ sauce of choice – Use your favorite premade sauce or try our Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried thyme –May substitute with fresh thyme, if desired. As a general rule of thumb, when using fresh herbs in recipes that call for dried herbs, use 3 times as much fresh as you would use dried herbs
- Brussels sprouts – If your sprouts are large, cut them in half or quarters so that they are about the same size as the sweet potatoes to ensure even cooking
- Sweet potato – May substitute white potatoes or butternut squash (look for precut squash in the produce section for a time-saving shortcut)
- Garlic
- Olive oil – May substitute cooking fat of choice. Avocado oil is also a great choice thanks to its neutral taste and high smoke point which makes it great for baking and roasting.
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
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How to Make a Sheet Pan Meatloaf Dinner
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400℉ with the top rack positioned in the center of the oven then grab a large rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper (if easy clean-up is your thing) or a silicone baking mat.
Step 2: Place the sweet potato cubes (leave the peel on for extra fiber) on one side of the baking sheet and Brussels sprouts on the other side. Drizzle the oil over the vegetables then gently toss to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper before spreading them out so that they’re in a single layer.
Step 3: Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the vegetables for 15 minutes.
Step 4: While the vegetables are roasting, make the mini meatloaves. Place the meatloaves on the pan and brush a little BBQ sauce (we love this silicone basting brush for this task) over each one. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meatloaves registers 165℉.
Step 5: When the meatloaf is done and the vegetables are tender, remove the baking sheet from the oven, sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired and serve immediately.
Can I Make this Mini Meatloaf and Vegetable Dinner Whole30-friendly?
You sure can! Since most premade BBQ sauces contain added sugar or other sweeteners, you’ll want to look for one that’s naturally sweetened with dates or fruit juice (like our Homemade BBQ Sauce) or these bottled sauces which are Whole30-approved.
Can I Substitute Other Vegetables to Use What I Have on Hand or What’s In Season?
Absolutely. You already know that you can save time and money by not making an extra trip to the store, but using vegetables that are in-season or on sale is also a smart move when it comes to minding your grocery budget.
For the sweet potatoes, try using white potatoes or cubed winter squashes like butternut, acorn, delicata, or Hubbard (just to name a few). Cauliflower, broccoli, onions, bells peppers, and green beans can easily stand-in for the Brussels sprouts.
Get creative and use what you have on hand, what you like, and/or what’s in season. The only ‘rule’ is to cut the vegetable pieces into relatively uniform sizes, keeping in mind that starchy vegetables like potatoes and winter squash will take longer to cook than more tender vegetables like green beans or broccoli so keep those taters on the smaller side for even cooking. Adjust for the vegetables you’re using, and it will turn out great!
Other Sheet Pan Dinners You’ll Love
- Sheet Pan Parmesan Steak and Potatoes
- Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Sheet Pan Kielbasa, Cabbage, and Potatoes
- Sheet Pan Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetables
- Sheet Pan Cauliflower Fried Rice
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Sheet Pan Mini Meatloaf with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup BBQ sauce, divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Pinch black pepper
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed (halved if large, quartered if really large)
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into ½-inch pieces (peeled, if desired)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the sweet potato cubes, Brussels sprouts, and minced garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle oil over vegetables then gently toss to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper before spreading them out so that they’re in a single layer.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the vegetables for 15 minutes.
- While the vegetables are roasting, mix the ground beef with ¼ cup BBQ sauce, garlic and onion powders, thyme, salt, and pepper. Divide the meat mixture into 4 portions and shape each into a football shape about ¾-inch thick. Set aside.
- After the vegetables have been in the oven for 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Stir vegetables then make a space between them for the meatloaves.
- Place the meatloaves on the pan and spread the remaining BBQ sauce over each one.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meatloaves registers 165℉.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, sprinkle with chopped parsley (if desired) and serve immediately.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: ¼th Recipe
- Calories: 380
- Fat: 17g
- (Sat Fat: 6g)
- Sodium: 645mg
- Carbohydrate: 32g
- (Fiber: 6g
- Sugar: 13g)
- Protein: 29g
Dietary
This post was made possible by our friends at the Minnesota Beef Council. Although we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are – as always – 100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
Pamela M DUXBURY says
i love your recipes! but would like them even better if, when printing, you would include a picture and fit on one page…
thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks, Pamela! You may be able to adjust the size of the recipe card in your print settings (i.e. 75% instead of 100%) so that more of the recipe fits on the page. We are currently working with the plugin developer to troubleshoot ways to get the image to show without obscuring any text – stay tuned.
Rita says
Love your recipes. Please keep more mature eyesight in mind when sizing your print!
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks, Rita. Website text is pretty standard but you can increase the size of the font on your computer to make it easier to read.
Amanda says
Very good!
Cassandra says
Simple and delicious this recipe is! I’ll be making this one again!!
(I’m following the 4-Week Healthy Meal Plan)
Jessica Beacom says
We are so glad you loved this recipe!
Lori says
I made this for dinner last night using butternut squash instead of sweet potato as suggested in the article (we don’t like Brussel sprouts, so I added onion wedges instead). Wow! This is really good. I am changing my diet, and this was so good that my husband commented that if this was how I was going to eat to count him in too. This was so easy and yummy.
Note: If you used butternut squash, poke holes in it and heat it in the microwave for a few minutes and you will be able to peel it and cut it safely.
Jessie Shafer says
Thank you for the feedback and tips, Lori! We love it when we hear that a recipe was nutritious and delicious for your whole household!
Aubrianna Lantrip says
My partner LOVES Brussel sprouts, but I’ve always avoided them. Needless to say we made this recipe as is and we both loved it! Great combination of flavors.
Jessie Shafer says
We’re so glad to hear we made a Brussels believer out of you. Thanks for your feedback!