What’s better than a home-cooked, savoury meatloaf? Mini meatloaves! Meatloaf cooked in a “traditional” meatloaf pan can take up to an hour to bake in the oven, but these meatloaf muffins, cooked in a muffin tray, cut that time in half. Still delicious and moist, yet half the time it takes to cook! Who knew your muffin pans (probably collecting dust in your cabinets) could be used for things other than cupcakes.
Plus, you can tailor these fabulous meatloaf muffins to your tastebuds. So dad likes carrots, mom likes bell peppers, and grandma likes broccoli and mushrooms? No problem. Just separate the ground turkey or ground beef (whichever you decide to use), and mix some with bell peppers, some with grated carrots, some with broccoli and mushrooms, or some with all four. Be creative; the sky is the limit. Our choice of veggie was green bell pepper all the way.
We usually serve meatloaf muffins for dinner as the main course, with veggies and a starchy side, such as rice or sweet potatoes, and the leftovers are packed in lunches the following day. But, since these are the perfect portion, grab and go type food, serving meatloaf muffins for a party appetizer is acceptable. But beware: friends may ask for the recipe!
Extra Healthy Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey (minced turkey)
½ medium yellow onion - chopped or 1 teaspoon of onion powder
½ medium green pepper (green capsicum) - chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 medium egg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup ketchup (tomato sauce Australia and UK)- ¼ cup ketchup (tomato sauce Australia and UK)
1 cup oatmeal - blended in blender or breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a skillet, cook ground turkey halfway, extracting excess grease. Only cook halfway. We took out about 2 tablespoons worth. This step is optional but great for a healthier version.
- In a medium bowl, knead together halfway cooked or raw ground turkey (if you skipped step 2) and the rest of the ingredients.
- Divide the ground turkey if you do some with bell peppers and some with your veggies. Or go straight to step 5.
- Spoon into lightly greased muffin pan tray. Mine had twelve muffins. Top it off with a dollop of ketchup.
- Bake for 20 minutes (if you did step 2). Or, bake for 30 to 35 minutes (if you skipped step 2).
