Meatloaf and Carrots is a whole dinner on one sheet pan: four glazed mini meatloaves made with ground beef, quick oats, onion and an egg, roasted with thin-sliced carrots and baby potatoes tossed in olive oil. Everything bakes together at 450°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the meat reaches 160°F and the vegetables are tender. It serves 4.
How to make it: Mix the beef with oats, onion, egg and seasonings, shape four mini loaves on a lined sheet pan and brush them with ketchup and Worcestershire. Toss the carrots and potatoes with olive oil, onion powder, salt and pepper and spread them around the meat. Bake until a thermometer in a loaf reads 160°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pan: the meat and both vegetables cook side by side.
- Faster than a big loaf: mini loaves are done in about 40 minutes.
- A simple glaze: just ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
- Easy cleanup: a parchment-lined pan does most of the work.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: 1 pound makes four mini loaves.
Quick-cooking oats: 1/3 cup is the binder here. Plain bread crumbs or panko work too.
Onion and egg: 1/4 cup finely minced onion and 1 large egg.
Seasoning: 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper for the meat.
Glaze: 1/4 cup ketchup stirred with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
Carrots: 16 ounces, peeled, quartered and sliced thin so they cook in the same time as the meat.
Baby potatoes: 24 ounces, halved or quartered.
For the vegetables: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Ingredients
For the mini meatloaves
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup onion, finely minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup ketchup (for the glaze)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (for the glaze)
For the vegetables
- 16 ounces carrots, peeled, quartered and sliced thin
- 24 ounces baby potatoes, halved or quartered
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
How to Make Meatloaf and Carrots
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 450°F. Line a half sheet pan (with rimmed sides) with parchment paper. Cooking spray or foil works too.
2. Mix the meat. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, quick oats, onion, egg, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix gently with clean hands, just until combined.
3. Shape the mini loaves. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a mini loaf and set them on the prepared pan.
4. Glaze. Stir the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl. Brush or spoon it over the tops of the mini loaves.
5. Toss the vegetables. In a separate bowl, stir the carrots, baby potatoes, olive oil, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together until coated. Scatter them on the pan around the mini loaves in an even layer.
6. Bake. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a thermometer in the center of a mini loaf reads 160°F and the vegetables are tender.
Carrots Around the Meatloaf or Inside It?
There are two ways to pair meatloaf and carrots, and this recipe uses the first.
Around the loaf. Sliced carrots and potatoes roast on the pan next to the meat, so dinner comes out of the oven all at once. The trick is getting them tender in the same time as the meat: slice the carrots thin, cut the potatoes into halves or quarters, coat everything in olive oil and spread it in one even layer. When the loaves read 160°F, the vegetables should be tender too.
Inside the loaf. Finely shredded carrot can also be mixed straight into the meat along with chopped onion. That style usually goes into one big loaf baked in a loaf pan.
Tips for Sheet Pan Meatloaf
- Mix gently. Stir the meat just until combined; overmixing makes it tough.
- Keep the loaves equal. Four even portions bake at the same speed.
- Don’t crowd the vegetables. One even layer roasts better than a pile.
- Use a rimmed pan. It keeps the juices and oil on the pan.
- Check with a thermometer. Ground beef is done at 160°F in the center.
Variations
- One big loaf: shape all the meat into one loaf with bread crumbs and a ketchup topping, set whole baby carrots and halved red potatoes around it and bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes, until the center reads 160°F.
- Beef and pork: use part ground pork with the beef.
- Slow cooker: set a loaf in the middle of the slow cooker with chopped carrots and potatoes around it and cook on low, brushing on a ketchup, brown sugar, Dijon and Worcestershire sauce near the end. Use thawed meat and check for 160°F.
- Sweeter glaze: add a little brown sugar and Dijon mustard to the ketchup and Worcestershire.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, or reheat from frozen in the oven or microwave, which takes longer.
Reheating: Reheat covered until it reaches 165°F. In the microwave, rotate the plate and check in several places. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
With carrots and potatoes already on the pan, you only need something green. Try smothered green beans or roasted asparagus and carrots. For a bigger batch of roasted vegetables, make roast carrots, potatoes and onions.
More meatloaf: Old fashioned Momma’s Meatloaf, Parmesan meatloaf with carrot mixed into the meat, and French onion meatloaf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it wise to add carrots to meatloaf?
Yes. You can roast sliced carrots around it, as in this recipe, or mix finely shredded carrot into the meat.
What veggies go well in meatloaf?
Onion goes in the meat here. Carrots and potatoes roast around it; shredded carrot and onion can also go inside a larger loaf.
Will the carrots be tender when the meatloaf is done?
Yes, if they’re sliced thin and spread in one layer. Check that the loaves reach 160°F and the vegetables are fork tender.
What temperature should meatloaf reach?
160°F in the center for ground beef, checked with a food thermometer.
Can I use bread crumbs instead of oats?
Yes. Plain bread crumbs or panko both work as the binder.
Final Notes
Four mini meatloaves, a pan of carrots and potatoes and one hot oven make an easy weeknight dinner. If you try it with a brown sugar glaze, tell me in the comments how you liked it.
Meatloaf and Carrots
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup onion finely minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for the meatloaf
- 1 teaspoon black pepper for the meatloaf
- 1/4 cup ketchup for the glaze
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce for the glaze
- 16 ounces carrots peeled, quartered and sliced thin
- 24 ounces baby potatoes halved or quartered
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder for the vegetables
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt for the vegetables
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper for the vegetables
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Line a half sheet pan (with rimmed sides) with parchment paper. Cooking spray or foil works too.
- In a large bowl, add the ground beef, quick oats, onion, egg, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix gently with clean hands, just until combined.
- Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a mini loaf and set them on the prepared pan.
- Stir the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl. Brush or spoon it over the tops of the mini loaves.
- In a separate bowl, stir the carrots, baby potatoes, olive oil, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together until coated. Scatter them on the pan around the mini loaves in an even layer.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a thermometer in the center of a mini loaf reads 160°F and the vegetables are tender.
