Meatloaf Muffins

I’m such a dork!  In my free time I enjoy browsing the internet and reading recipes.  Sometimes I use the recipes, but most of the time I just take away some little tips and tricks.  Tonight, I decide to dig into the depths of my brain to come up with a dinner plan.  I defrosted a package of ground turkey and needed an entree.  Enter Meatloaf Muffins!

Meatloaf gets a bad wrap.  It’s made out to be this dry lump of mystery meat, but it can actually be a great healthy main dish. I came up with my own recipe and gave it a whirl.

One dozen mini meat-loves!

Ingredients:

• 1 package (~1.3 lbs.) of lean ground turkey – I used 93/7.
• 1/2 lg. onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 sweet bell pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 c. quick-cooking oats
• 2 T. worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. spicy brown mustard
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• a couple shakes of salt
• Optional – your favorite BBQ sauce.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all vegetables in a food processor and chop finely.
3. Mix turkey, vegetables, egg, oats, worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
4. Coat a muffin tin with non-stick spray and separate mixture evenly into 12 cups. I used a 1/3 c. scoop to divide the mixture evenly.
5. Top with BBQ sauce.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Meaty muffins ready for baking.

This recipe was so easy to prepare and cooked in a jiffy!  The muffin style makes it so easy to portion out servings.  This could a great make-ahead protein to have for lunches during the work week.  My family enjoyed these meaty little muffins, as did I!

Dinner time.

For dinner, I ate two meatloaves, a baked sweet potato, and some steamed veggies.  A very well-rounded meal, if you ask me!  It left me feeling full and not even longing for dessert – did I just say that?! Don’t worry!  I’m sure something sweet will pass these lips before bed.

I got a lot of work done today, so I’m feeling slightly relaxed.  I’ve got Food Network humming in the background and I’m ready to snuggle a puggle.  Enjoy your night, my loves!