Veggie Packed Mini Turkey Meatloaf’s make for a great family friendly meal and are a great potluck or appetizer dish for a dinner party. They are a fun hand held item and easy to eat. Not only do they come together pretty fast but they can easily be frozen to make for a super easy dish when you have no time at a future meal. They pack a nutritional punch with the added veggies which also helps to keep the meatloaf moist while providing great flavors.
This dish is a heart healthy, diabetic friendly and kid approved recipe! I used oats in replace of white breadcrumbs in this recipe to make it free of refined grains. However, the oats blend right in so you will not be able to tell they are in the meatloaf. The veggies help to add moisture to the dish so the meatloaf does not dry out. Just one meatloaf provides only 87 calories but delivers an array of nutrients from the veggies including: Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, riboflavin, and folate.
It helps to finely dice your veggies so they blend into the meatloaf. If you make your veggies too large you may have trouble forming the meatloaf. To make it even faster you can choose to use the food processor to chop all your veggies. Just simply throw in and pulse a few times until the mixture is finely chopped.
You want to cook the veggies until they are tender and the mushrooms start to let out their liquid. Finely chopping your vegetables makes the cooking time much faster, about 5 minutes.
When you remove the mini meatloaf’s from the oven you may want to place them on a paper towel after to soak up any excess fat from the turkey and extra moisture from the veggies. I usually let them hang out on a paper towel while I prepare the garnishes.
This is a great kid friendly dish! I have to admit my toddler is going through a more picky stage when it comes to eating. Being a mother and a dietitian this has been very frustrating. I have been brainstorming recipe ideas that would please the whole family. It is normal for toddlers to go through picky eating stages. Studies show that it may take up to 15 times for a kid to accept a new food item. I find it helpful to offer foods at a time when they are not too fussy. Keeping a regular meal schedule works wonders. If you wait to feed when they are very hungry or fussy they may be more agitated at meal times. So if you have a picky eater at home try these veggie packed mini meatloaf’s, they are kid tested and approved!
Storage Tip: Did you know you can easily freeze meatloaf? You can choose to cook them first and let cool then wrap each mini meatloaf individually and place in a storage container. Or if you prefer to bake them at a later time, form the raw meatloaf’s into a ball size that will fit in the muffin tin, wrap individually and freeze in a storage container. For either method simply pull out how many you want the night before and place in the refrigerator to thaw overnight and reheat and serve.
Veggie Packed Mini Turkey Meatloaf’s
Author: Brittany Sparks
Makes: 16 Mini Meatloaf’s
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
1 Medium Onion, Finely Diced (1 cup)
1 Red Bell Pepper, Finely Diced
1 Cup Broccoli, Finely Chopped
2 Portobello Mushrooms, Finely Chopped (~2 cups)
1 Egg
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Chili Powder
½ Tsp Pepper
1 ½ Tsp Salt
½ Cup Oats
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese
Optional Garnishes
Tomato Sauce
Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese
Chopped Fresh Parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees.
In a large non-stick pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the mushrooms start let out their liquid.
In a large mixing bowl add the turkey, egg, Parmesan cheese, oats and veggie mixture. Stir to combine.
Lightly spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. Add the meatloaf mixture to the muffin tins, filling to the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the meatloaf’s reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Serve warm. Garnish with a dollop of tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese and/or finely chopped parsley.
Nutrition Facts
Per Mini Meatloaf:
Calories 87, Total Fat 4.6 g, Saturated Fat 1.4 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g, Sodium 303 mg, Total Carbohydrate 4.2 g, Dietary Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 7.5 g, Potassium 165 mg, Phosphorous 112 mg