Bacon Meatloaf Cups Topped with Mashed Potatoes

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This article was written in partnership with ALDI. All opinions are my own.

It’s no secret that I love to save a few bucks when shopping for my family. Saving a bit of dough is especially helpful when it comes to the grocery budget because let’s face it, food isn’t cheap! Thankfully there’s a store that I know I can always count on for low prices – ALDI. I can grab everything that we’ll need for our weekly meals and pay just a portion of what other stores will charge me for the same stuff with a different label.

But just because food is less expensive at ALDI doesn’t mean that I’m sacrificing quality or taste for that matter. I can even pick up fresh meat and produce! In fact, customers put together a list of ALDI 2015 Fan Favorites. Items include Happy Farms String Cheese, L?oven Fresh 100% Whole Wheat Bread and more.

SimplyNature Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef and Specially Selected Center Cut Bacon are among my favorites from the 2015 Fan Favorites list, so I revamped a classic family favorite – meatloaf. Since meatloaf on its own can be rather boring, I put a fun twist on it with these?Bacon Meatloaf Cups Topped with Mashed Potatoes. My family couldn’t eat them fast enough!

You’ll need the following ingredients to make your own?Bacon Meatloaf Cups Topped with Mashed Potatoes. This recipe makes 12 meatloaf cups and can easily be doubled or tripled to feed more people:

SimplyNature Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef (1 lb)
Specially Selected Center Cut Bacon (12 oz)
1/2 cup?Chef’s Cupboard Bread Crumbs
2?Goldhen Large Eggs
1/2 cup?Happy Farms Shreddd Mild Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
salt, pepper and garlic – to preferred taste
Burman’s Tomato Ketchup
Carlini Canola Cooking Spray
Chef’s Cupboard Instant Mashed Potatoes
fresh chives, chopped

You’ll start by sauteing the celery and onion in a small pan for just a few minutes. When they’re done, toss them into a large bowl. Cook the?Specially Selected Center Cut Bacon?in another, larger pan. When it’s finished cooking, chop it up finely into’small pieces. Add half of it to the large bowl containing the onion and celery; set the rest aside. Add the SimplyNature Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef, bread crumbs, cheese and eggs to the bowl. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.

Now comes the fun part. Actually, it’s the part that I dislike the most! You’ve got to get all up in that mixture with your hands and mix it together really well for about 1 or 2 minutes. Once it’s well mixed, grab a handful and roll it into a ball, then place into a muffin tin. Press it down into the tin and repeat until all 12 tins are full. Squeeze about a teaspoon of ketchup on top of each and spread with a fork or spoon. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes depending on your oven.

While the bacon meatloaf cups are baking, make some mashed potatoes either by scratch or from a boxed mix, whichever you prefer. When the potatoes are done, put into a piping bag with a large star tip attached. I actually use a plastic zipper bag and just cut off one corner for the tip to fit in!

Once the bacon meatloaf cups are done, remove them from the oven and then remove from the muffin tin using a fork. Set on a plate and pipe mashed potatoes onto each one. Sprinkle some bacon pieces over each one and repeat the process with some fresh chopped chives.

There you have it, a tasty meal that your family will enjoy. Trust me, I was never a fan of meatloaf until I tried this recipe passed down by my husband’s family. I think the bacon and cheese really make it taste even better!