Microwave meatloaf in a mug with mashed potatoes
A tender little meatloaf with a sweet ketchup glaze cooks in a mug in three minutes, and instant mashed potatoes and green beans make it the full diner plate.
- 25 min total
- 12 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 1
- About $2.42 a serving
- 550 calories
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- 4 saltine crackers
- 1 tbsp milk
- 4 oz 85/15 ground beef
- 2 tbsp ketchup, divided
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup frozen green beans
- ½ cup instant mashed potatoes
- 2 tsp butter
From your pantry
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ½ cup water
Each serving has about 550 calories, 27 g protein, 53 g carbs and 26 g fat, and costs about $2.42 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Crush the saltines into fine crumbs over a big microwave-safe mug by squeezing them in your fist, stir in the milk, and let them soak 2 minutes.
Timer: 2 min
Add the beef, 1 tbsp of the ketchup, the Worcestershire, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and mix with a fork just until combined.
Dolly’s tip: Mixing too hard makes a tough meatloaf. Stop as soon as you can’t see streaks of crumbs.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Press the meat down flat in the mug, stir the rest of the ketchup with the brown sugar, and spread it over the top.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes, until the meat has pulled away from the sides and it reads 160°F in the middle.
Timer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: No thermometer? Cut into the middle with the fork. If it’s still pink, give it 30 seconds more at a time.Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Leave the meatloaf to in the mug and the water in the kettle.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Put the green beans in a bowl with of water, cover with a plate, and microwave 2 to 3 minutes until hot.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Timer: 2 min 30 sec
Stir the potato flakes, butter and of salt into the hot water in another bowl until fluffy.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Dolly’s tip: Too thick? Stir in more hot water a spoonful at a time until it’s as soft as you like.Hold the meatloaf in with the fork and tip the mug over a wad of paper towel to pour off the fat.
Dolly’s tip: Don’t pour grease down the sink. It sets hard in the pipes.Turn the meatloaf out onto a plate and serve it with the mashed potatoes and green beans.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
