For the past year or so I’ve been working on the side making step by step photo tutorials for Food.com. Ever since I made this basic meatloaf tutorial, I’ve wanted to make it again and again. I always feel bad for meatloaf because I don’t think its reputation lives up to just how comforting, filling, and delicious it is. Meatloaf may not be pretty, but it’s pretty damn good. And that’s just basic meatloaf. When you go and add all sorts of goodies, like in these Mini Garden Turkey Loaves, it gets even better.
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Because even ground meat is super expensive these days, I decided to use my favorite “meat extending” trick for this meatloaf. I like to add equal parts shredded vegetables, beans, or lentils to double the volume of ground meat without doubling the price (see Sloppy Joes Plus). Vegetables, beans, and lentils are not only less expensive than meat, but they also add a considerable amount of flavor, fiber, and other nutrients to the mix. For these Mini Garden Turkey Loaves, I went the vegetable route, and added a medley of sautéed onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms. SO much flavor!
I also opted to make this loaf into single serving sized muffins instead of a whole loaf. Why? A) Automatic portion control and B) they bake faster. One of the only things I dislike about normal meatloaf is that it takes so long to bake. Breaking it up into smaller pieces helps it bake in about half the time. The only down side is that unlike baking it open on a sheet pan, the little muffin tins hold in the juices and that can make them extra moist and delicate. Extra moisture is great for flavor, but bad for keeping them in one piece. So, we just have to be extra careful and cook out most of the vegetable moisture beforehand. As long as you make sure to do that, you’ll have tasty little garden turkey loaves that you can keep in the freezer for a quick re-heatable dinner later. Win!
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Mini Garden Turkey Loaves
Servings 6 (2 mini loaves each)Ingredients
LOAVES
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 small onion ($0.36)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.16)
- 2 medium carrots ($0.27)
- 1 small zucchini ($0.73)
- 8 oz button mushrooms ($1.79)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.06)
- 1/4 cup ketchup ($0.20)
- 1 large egg ($0.18)
- 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs ($0.36)
- 19 oz package ground turkey 93% lean* ($4.59)
GLAZE
- 1/2 cup ketchup ($0.41)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.03)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar ($0.12)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until soft and transparent. Peel the carrots, then use a large holed cheese grater to shred them into the skillet. Cut the ends off the zucchini and shred it into the skillet as well. Continue to sauté over medium heat.
- While the onion, garlic, carrots, and zucchini are sautéing, roughly chop the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and season with 3/4 tsp salt and a generous dose of freshly cracked pepper. Continue to sauté the vegetables over medium heat until they release all of their moisture and it has evaporated from the bottom of the skillet (there should be no juices pooling on the bottom of the skillet).
- After the vegetables have sautéed and are mostly dry, transfer them to a bowl and let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Begin to preheat the oven to 375 degrees and coat the wells of a muffin tin with non-stick spray.
- Once the vegetables have cooled some, add the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, egg, and breadcrumbs to the bowl. Mix these ingredients well until they are evenly combined. Add the ground turkey and use your hands to gently mix it into the vegetable mixture. Try to avoid over mixing.
- Evenly divide the meat mixture between the 12 cups of a muffin tin. Bake the mini loaves in the preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.
- While the loaves are baking, mix the tomato glaze. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Once the loaves have baked for 15 minutes, spoon the glaze over the muffins and let them bake with the glaze for the remaining 15 minutes.
- Allow the loaves to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carefully running a knife around their outer edges and lifting out of the tin with a fork. The rest time will help solidify the loaves and keep them in one piece.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Step by Step Photos
Start with this mix of vegetables: one small onion, one clove of garlic, two carrots, one small zucchini, and an 8 oz. package of mushrooms. I bought these baby portobellos because they were on sale for $1.79, but white button mushrooms, which are generally less expensive than portobellos, would do just as well.
Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Begin to sauté them in a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Sauté them until the onion are soft and transparent.
Peel the two carrots, then use a large holed cheese grater to grate them right into the skillet. Cut the ends from the zucchini, then grate it into the skillet as well. Continue to sauté the vegetables over medium heat.
Roughly chop the mushrooms into small-ish pieces. Smaller pieces will also help the meat loaves hold together.
Add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet, then season with 3/4 tsp salt and some freshly cracked pepper. The salt will help draw the moisture out of the vegetables and you’ll begin to see it pooling on the bottom of the skillet. Keep sautéing until that moisture evaporates away and the skillet becomes dry. This is very important to keep the meat loaves holding together in one piece.
Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a large bowl and let them cool off slightly. It’s okay for them to be warm, just not so hot that they cook the egg. Once they’ve cooled a bit and stopped steaming, add 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 large egg, and 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs.
Also, begin to preheat the oven to 375 degrees and coat the wells of a muffin tin with non-stick spray.
Mix all the ingredients together very, very well. This is your opportunity to get the egg and seasoning evenly distributed before adding the meat (because you don’t want to over mix the ground meat).
Finally, add a 19oz. package of 93% lean ground turkey to the bowl. If you use a higher fat content ground meat it may affect how well the loaves hold together because that fat will be trapped in the muffin tins instead of draining away like meatloaves that are cooked on a baking sheet.
Use your hands to gently mix the ground meat into the vegetable mixture until everything is even and no large chunks of ground meat remain. Divide the mixture between the 12 cups of a muffin tin. Pop the filled muffin tin in the preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes (glaze will be added at the 15 minute mark).
While the loaves are baking, mix together the tomato glaze. Combine 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar in a small bowl until smooth.
When the loaves are 15 minutes into their 30 minute baking time, pull them out and spoon the glaze over each one.
Like this. Just a little on top of each one. Then pop them back in the oven for the remaining 15 minutes of the cook time.
And after about 30 minutes of total baking, the mini garden turkey loaves will be cooked through, juicy, and delicious! Let them rest for 5-10 minutes before trying to remove them from the tin. Run a knife around the outside of each one to loosen it, then use a fork to carefully lift it out of the tin.
And then enjoy your healthier and delicious “comfort” food! (recipe for the mashed potatoes coming SOON!)
yum so delicious! i had to use chicken mince as we can’t easily get turkey mince in australia. so good, did is as part of the turkey meatloaf meal prep with mac and cheese. yum
Delicious! I turned this into a loaf and baked for about 45-50 minutes. I also subbed oats for the breadcrumbs and worked well as an alternative binder.
These are so good! I made a batch last night, and then my daughter stopped by and took half home with her! So I’m going to make more tonight for ME.
The addition of all the veggies keeps the finished product very moist.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times and came back to it today with the idea of making a double batch to freeze some. How would you reheat after freezing? Thank you!
I’d probably just reheat in the microwave. :)
I love these and have made them several times. They are delicious just as written.
Hello Marion an the budget bytes team:
Has anyone tried to make this into a loaf? I don’t have a muffin pan at the moment.
Julie
Hi Julie, We haven’t made it in a loaf pan, though it should work just fine. You will need to change the cooking time. The bigger the loaf the longer it needs to cook. Unfortunately, since we haven’t tested it, we can’t tell you exactly how much longer.
Thank you I’ll let you know how it works.
Thanks Julie!
Hello – can you suggest what to use for a more spicy glaze? Maybe BBQ sauce with Franks? Can you substitute BBQ for ketchup in the recipe as a whole? Thanks, Michele
Hi, Michele! I would suggest fortifying your regular ketchup with some hot sauce (like Frank’s or Sriracha) and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper. You can also find store-bought versions of “hot and spicy” ketchup or siracha ketchup to simplify things. I’m not sure if BBQ sauce would give you equally-successful results since we haven’t tested it ourselves, but I bet it could work out with some tweaking! If you do try it out, let us know how it goes! ~ Marion :)
What’s the green stuff in mashed potatoes?
Hi! It’s spinach. Check out the recipe for our mashed potatoes with spinach and feta here: https://www.budgetbytes.com/spinach-and-feta-mashed-potatoes/
These were delicious! I didn’t have any zucchini on hand, so I subbed a couple celery sticks and half a red pepper instead. I paired it with your colcannon recipe and gravy. Would make again!
We love these! We skip the muffin tin and just scoop them on a foil lines pan because cleaning it is awful.
This was super tasty. I think I will follow one reader’s advice an flash freeze them individually first then put them in a zip lock bag the glaze can get very messy. But, overall it’s a terrific recipe.
Made these before and they are great. Can I freeze JUST the chopped vegetables if I prep ahead of time? Would it be better to freeze them cooked already or raw? Ideally would like to have a few bags of veggies in the freezer to cut down on time when making these. Thank you!
I’d probably freeze just the chopped vegetables, like you mentioned, because they will get watery after thawing so you don’t want that already mixed in with your meat. You could also freeze the finished (cooked) meatloaves. :)
We make these ALL the time, and have for years. I bake up a multi-batch, then freeze them already cooked. The only tricky part is covering the glaze with parchment paper if I use zipper bags to store them in the freezer.
These are a staple in our home and among my family. The first time we made them we realized our mushrooms were a bit older than we’d thought, and omitted them, and the recipe was still perfect, so as a general rule we omit them every time now to keep the “same” flavor each time. We absolutely LOVE these little loaves! Thank you for a wonderful recipe! This is my favorite meatloaf of all time.
These are so so delicious. I may have used turkey with a higher fat content, and they are so tender and moist. I use only half the glaze and it’s perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!
My family loves these, but it takes a lot longer to make than you’d think. The prep is easy but a little time consuming.
This is a wonderful recipe, but I don’t find the prep time to be accurate. Maybe I’m slow? But it took me about 45 minutes to prep. I did have a 4 year old “helping” me, but it still seems off. BUT, the recipe is delicious, my family raves about it ( even the aforementioned 4 year old).
My muffin in has 6 large cups. Should I use the same cooking time?
If you make your loaves larger, they’ll probably need a longer cook time, but without testing it I can’t say exactly how long it will take. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure the inside temperature reaches 165F.
Yum! These are SO good. Do not hesitate to make them. I didn’t find them to be much more work than regular meatloaf plus you get all those extra veggies in there. Also my husband, who HATES mushrooms, loved these just as much as I did. He didn’t even mention the mushrooms. I love budget bytes so much. :)
I’ve been making this meatloaf for years now; I love it so much! My 6 and 3 year olds love it, too! I always make a double batch since the recipe as a whole requires more prep and dishes than I usually like to use on a week night. I cook the loaves, cook, flash freeze, then transfer to a ziplock bag to store in the freezer and pull out for an easy meal. It really is the best meatloaf I’ve ever tried. I love the additional nutritional benefit of all of veggies!
Great recipe – delicious!! ! I changed recipe up a little – didn’t put in mushrooms (didn’t have them); instead of Worcestershire sauce (didn’t have any) I put in oregano and thyme. I didn’t put ketchup glaze either, glad I didn’t they were sweet enough with the carrots. When my family ate them, we dunked them I’m frank hot sauce. Very good – I will definitely add this recipe to my collection!
The one thing we do differently with this recipe is to grind up oats in place of the breadcrumbs (just better nutrition if you care about those things). Ground up oats can be used for a substitute for so many things where you need flour or bread crumbs, it’s really amazing. :) We also sometimes just make it as a traditional medium/large loaf rather than the minis, but either way, this freezes and reheats super well.
As for this recipe… I’ve always loved this recipe from the first time we tried it and it has now become part of our rotation of regular meals.
The veggies (in addition to having fiber and being healthy and things), bring SO MUCH flavor to the meatloaf, not to mention Beth’s simple, yet tasty sauce. In comparison, my mom’s meatloaf (and so many sad sad meatloaves out there), at best would have onion and ketchup, maybe some seasonings. You can play around with the veggies as well, putting in whatever you have on hand and like. It can be a great way to use up leftover veggies in your drawer.
So yes, one of my top 5 favorite recipes of all time! :D
I use this recipe in the meal plan with the mac and cheese with green beans. Turn out great every time and its wonderful to know there’s a delicious meal waiting when I get home. I keep meaning to try some of the other meal plans but I cant get past this one, it’s that delicious!
This was such a fun way to do meatloaf, my four year old loved the “cupcakes” :D Everyone ate them up and they were delicious.
Really delicious recipe, thank you! I didn’t have mushrooms so added green pepper instead. I used my ice cream scoop and put 12 scoops onto a baking sheet. They turned out great and they held together beautifully. I’ll definitely be making these often.
One of my fave recipes! I have made it many times, but just recently made it for people who thought they didn’t like mushrooms or meatloaf…they loved it! Always gets rave reviews when I make it.
This meatloaf is the BEST I have ever had, hands-down BEST! You would never know that so many veggies are in it. My daughter loved it, and she is a tough customer! Thank you so much for such a flavorful recipe.
Does anyone know the nutritional information per serving? Thank you!
These are delish! One of our go-to meals. We usually do roasted cauliflower as a side. Thank you for the recipe (and many many others over the years)!!
Yummy!
About to make these with venison! Do you think they would freeze ok about being cooked?
We haven’t tried it that way yet, but you could certainly give it a shot and then report back to us. Make sure they are air tight and have a good seal so the edges don’t get freezer burnt.
Go to recipe to take to people when they are ill/can’t cook for themselves. It freezes awesome and warms up quick! After my mom’s breast cancer surgery, my parents found them comforting and filling. Because they are pre portioned it is easy to heat up the exact amount you want in the moment and can be paired with any starch/veg on hand.
You’re amazing Laura! Best of luck to your mom. They are a great quick meal!
Feel like it’s about time I rate this recipe since I make it nearly once a week! This is the best meatloaf I’ve ever eaten. I challenge you to find someone who can tell there are veggies in it. The glaze adds a awesome sweetness and acidity to the meatloaf as well. I’ve made it as a whole loaf too which turned out great.
Anyway I love this recipe and will pass it on for generations. I already force everyone who stays at my house to try it :) It’s always a hit.
What an awesome review Ashleigh! Thank you so much!
It’s shocking that there aren’t more positive comments on this recipe. This has become one of our favorites and we make it again and again! The first time we made it we didn’t have mushrooms so we skipped them and now we can’t make it any other way and skip the mushrooms every time and they still come out delicious. We’ve also turned our family on to these, even though they’re not big turkey or veggie people! Truly a crowd pleaser and one of our favorite recipes!
Happy to hear it Ash!
I’ve made this recipe before and my kids and a loved it!! I’m going to be cooking for a large group and was thinking of making these, but do you think I could mix everything together the day before and then put the raw mixture in the fridge overnight?
Yes I think that would be just fine to make ahead Kelianne.
Perfect, I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
This was fantastic!! I agree with the other commenters that it’s a little labor intense, but I got 6 meals out of an hour or so with of work! And each mini muffins is a pretty healthy size. I meal prepped with these and served with roasted sweet potatoes and carrots because that’s just what I had. So good!! I liked it even better than regular meatloaf!
I’ve made these multiple times and they are delicious! If I were to freeze them, what’s the best way to defrost? Thanks!
Thank you Michelle! I’d recommend letting them thaw in your refrigerator a day or two before you want to enjoy them so when reheating they won’t dry out too much. Enjoy!
I didn’t grow up eating meatloaf, and the thought of meatloaf has never been appealing to me. But, my husband has been requesting meatloaf lately, so I gave this healthier version a try. It was so, so good! Added bonus: After sauteeing the veggie mixture, I scooped out a bit to cool off and feed to my one-year-old for extra veggies. He loved them! I will definitely be making these again and double the batch to freeze some for an easy weeknight meal.
Hooray!!
These were really good! The only thing I would change next time is adding no or half the amount of sugar to the glaze. Both me and my boyfriend thought the glaze was too sweet.
Absolutely delicious. Tricked my whole family into eating veggies and they didn’t even notice. Good way to use up the odds and ends in the veggie drawer. Just chop them all up & add them!
Any nutrition info on these? Calories/protein/etc.?
Hi Beth! I’m about to make this recipe again but I’m doubling it this time in hopes I can freeze some. Have you tried freezing these? Is it better to freeze without the ketchup topping? Any tips are appreciated. Thank you!
I froze them with the ketchup topping and it was great. :)
These were v good. I don’t like mushrooms – they kind of freak me out and I had a really hard time even cutting them up. BUT I know they’re good for you and I probably wouldn’t be able to taste them once these were cooked. I was right! These were so flavorful and yummy and if you hadn’t told me freaky mushrooms were in there, I wouldn’t have known. Also, I’m a dunce and got all the way to the step where you put the mixture into the muffin pan… only to realize I don’t have a muffin pan anymore. So instead I just kind of made meatballs the size of what would fit in a muffin tin and cooked them in my cast iron skillet in the oven as directed. They came out wonderfully! Although next time I will definitely be using a muffin pan to get that delicious crispy edge around all the sides. A+ will make again.
This is a forever-bookmarked recipe. I find these lil guys to be superior to the classic. Cheap, easy, great leftovers, delicious, moist, healthy (secret veggie bombs!). The only annoying part is the veg prep — definitely chop your mushrooms before you start cooking, especially if you like them diced tiny like me. I sometimes do this way ahead of time and stick them in the fridge so I can spend less time in the kitchen later on.
I make these a few times a month and they’re delicious! A great way to get plenty of protein and veggies in your diet. They’re also great for leftovers and lunch meal prep. In addition to the veggies listed in the recipe, I also add a diced red bell pepper. This recipe is a bit time consuming with the amount of time it takes to cook the veggies, the cool down period and then to bake the meat loaves but it’s worth it! To save time, I use a mini chopper to dice my onion and mushrooms. I also buy a packet of matchstick carrots for 2 dollars at my local grocery store and that has enough to be used about three times for this recipe. I usually add about two handfuls per recipe. I also replace the bread crumbs with seasoned panko bread crumbs. As for the glaze, I don’t use the amount of ACV that’s called for this recipe. I only add about a dash of it, no brown sugar, add a little Worcestershire and red chili pepper flakes. Even with these slight changes, the meat loaves are super delicious!
Great recipe! I tried it last week for dinner and it was fantastic! thanks!
My 2 and 4 year old girls call these “meat muffins” and they are a huge hit in our house. The mini-meatloaves are enough of a novelty that the girls don’t seem to notice the hidden veggies. Flavor is great, too. They make great, packable leftovers too.
This is a favorite in our house – my 6 year old and 2 year old stole half the pan of these (hidden veggies for the win!). I substituted almond flour for the breadcrumbs because I have to be gluten-free and they turned out perfect!
My fiancé and I LOVE this recipe! It is very time consuming. I hand dice everything and I like to add extra veggies, but the reward is totally worth it! The mini meatloaves are perfect for meal prepping, they’re very healthy, plus they help with portion control. I make this recipe so often I’m looking into food processors!
These were a lot of work but they taste good! I do prefer the other meatloaf recipe on your site that uses the barbecue sauce as a topping. I will probably make both kinds in the future. Thanks, Beth!
My husband and I love this recipe but this week my tiny local grocery didn’t have ground turkey. Ground chicken will work in a pinch. Turkey is more flavorful but chicken holds together fine.
Could I make a regular meatloaf with this recipe? Or is this adapted for the muffin cups specifically? Thanks.
I haven’t tried this as a whole loaf, so I’m not sure how it would translate. One thing for sure, though, is that you will need to bake it longer if it’s in one large loaf.
Should I use dry bread crumbs or crumble up regular bread? Moisture content will differ. Thanks.
Dry bread crumbs
I made these over the weekend and they turned out great! I forgot to add the mushrooms (oops), but they were delicious nonetheless. Thanks!
Prepping these now, for tonight. So excited!
I have a question! Do you know if this can freeze? Like prepare it all, then freeze, and when ready pull it out to thaw for the day them portion it out before cooking? I suspect the structural integrity of the breadcrumbs could get messed up, but then again, maybe not? What do you think.
I think it actually works better if you cook them first, cool them completely in the fridge, then transfer to the freezer. They’ll hold together a lot better through the freeze/thaw cycle if they’re cooked first. A lot of people have commented that they freeze them post-cooking, so it’s user-tested! :)
Superb! I only changed a few things. I did double carrots because I didn’t have mushrooms. I subbed 1 tbsp of worchestershire sauce for one of the tbsp of apple cider vinegar in the glaze, and also threw in some horseradish just to give it a kick. They turned out perfectly! Will definitely make again
I made these mini meat loaves but added a surprise: a small cube of onion favoured mozzarella cheese tucked in the centre of the “muffin”. Fantastic meatloaf recipe!
Awesome idea! I might steal that!
Thanks, Beth! I made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious. I’m looking forward to seeing how well they freeze/defrost as well – they have the potential to be a fantastic Winter dinner paired with mashed potatoes. Yum!
Can you share nutrition facts?
I’m sorry, I don’t have a reliable source for the nutrition information.
Can tomato paste or unsweetened tomato sauce substitute for ketchup here and still be a suitable binder? I assume for the glaze it’d be ok, but im not sure if the loaf’s structure would stand up. We dont use a lot of added sugar and i dont really want to use loads of ketchup. It is more expensive but it’s worth it and not much more.
I would try adding a small dab of tomato paste to the vegetable mixture. The ketchup is more for flavor rather than binding and I’m afraid the tomato sauce would introduce too much moisture and prevent them from holding together.
Amazing way to sneak in a bunch of veggies when feeding picky toddlers!
I always mix ground turkey with carrots, zucchini, onion, garlic, and bell pepper (plus an egg, cheese, and bread crumbs) in the food processor then scoop the mixture out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I use a big fat cookie scoop. It makes the perfect little bites!
I have easily made this recipe four times to prep for lunch during the week! So tasty, and a comforting meal during the cold winter months.
Recipe is good but prep time is far underestimated. It took me 1.5 hours of chopping and sautéing before the muffins made it in the oven. Will definitely be using a food processor or pampered chef chopper to cut down prep time in the future.
I have made these a few times and they’re always great. I substitute the zucchini with spinach because my husband doesn’t like zucchini and it still turns out amazing.
these were delicious and great in my lunch today… even cold! (personal phone call is keeping me cloistered away in my office as I sit on hold forever) but there were a few issues on my end.
1.) mine didn’t really hold together. Perhaps I didn’t get the veggies dry enough? Or cooked them too long? They never really put off much moisture and were kind of just getting mushier and mushier and I decided it was time to pull them. I only had a muffin tin with 6 slots so the second batch I added a fair amount of additional breadcrumbs to combat this and they came out even better!
2.) they were a bit sweet for my taste. The carrots add sweetness to the loaf itself and I found the glaze to be very very sweet between the ketchup and brown sugar. Next time I might just use tomato sauce instead of the ketchup… which is what my dad always did/does. He also thinks adding sugar to spaghetti sauce is sacrilege so this might just be a result of the way I was raised :)
Overall, a great dish, especially for lunches at work! I am pretty confident I’ll make again!!!
Can you use ground beef? I have some in my freezer that I want to use.
Yep! :)
I made these using gluten-free chickpea “breadcrumbs” and didn’t like the taste because of the chickpea element. Could I make these without breadcrumbs?
I use oatmeal as a binder because I like it better and they come out great
These are delicious! I’ve made them twice now, and the recipe is easy to make, and a great way to sneak veggies into a meal Thanks so much!
Made these tonight for a large church supper and it was a hit. Price was good and we’ve never made meatloaf cause of the baking time, but making them in the muffin pan worked out perfect!
Wow! I just made these with the potatoes and they were delicious! I’m a student on a budget and these are fantastic for saving money, and time when I freeze them! Thanks Beth!
Have you tried freezing these?
They freeze pretty good after baking, but I haven’t tried before baking.
I have been looking for a great turkey meatloaf recipe for some time, my husband is a picky beef-eater. This is amazing, and husband loved it! We skipped the sauce on top, and it was still so flavorful. Mine was still very moist and had a hard time sticking together, but I will cook for either a longer time, or at a higher temp to get the sides a bit more crispy and leave the middle moist. 10/10!
Also should add, my 2 year old love them as well! That says a lot considering how picky he can be.
These look delicious! I’m planning to make them next week! Is there any reason I wouldn’t be able to use cupcake liners to ease clean-up?
I feel like the loaf would stick to the paper and you wouldn’t be able to separate them. With an oiled tin you can run a knife around the edge to loosen and remove the mini loaf.
Wow, an impressive amount of veggies are packed in here! I skeptical that they would hold together- I think I ended up with more vegetables than meat- but they are great and fluffy. The veggies add a great moistness that you often don’t get from turkey meatloaf. I swapped out the zucchini for some yellow squash that I had, and traded the breadcrumbs for some rolled oats and they turned out great!
Turned out great as is. Thanks for a comfort food gem!
These are delicious! I made them with 16oz of turkey and they just filled 12 muffin cups. I love that the muffin size helps with portions too! Thanks 😀
I made these tonight for kids and adults. They were amazing. My four year old gobbled them up and my friend asked for the recipe. They are excellent and are a great way to get extra veggies in. These are definitely going on the dinner rotation.
Hi! I like the idea of using lentils in this. Do you think that would be a good substitute for the mushrooms? (Not a big mushroom fan)
Thanks!
Emma
I’m not sure they’d really act as a substitute for the mushrooms, but you could probably add some lentils to this. Or you can simply leave the mushrooms out.
I don’t care or mushrooms either but eggplant made a good substitute in mine.
I come back to these meatloaves as a staple in my meal prep. I have shared this with others who end up loving it as much as I do! I love to prepare these with some roasted or mashed sweet potato and roasted or steamed broccoli, put it into containers and lunch is ready for the work week.
Thank you for such a great recipe that has been used and loved time and time again!
Great recipe! I’ve shared it with many friends who all rave about the recipe. I’m a vegan so I substitute the ground turkey with lentils (smashed), vegan worcestershire, and a flax seed “egg”. These are delicious!
Thanks Megan! My husband and daughter are vegetarian and I was looking for a way to make the loaf :)
One of my favourites! I make up a batch from time to time, freeze the majority and then grab a couple to reheat in the office microwave. Just the other day I found a mini-stash I’d forgotten about. Winning! Almost as satisfying is the fact I’ve had a few envious glances from colleagues peering over at my lunch choice. Love this recipe – keep em coming!
made these last night and my chef boyfriend went back for thirds. SO good! they took a little while to prepare, but that’s only because I’m a slow veggie chopper/peeler :)
Thank you for the fantastic recipes! I substituted eggplant for the mushrooms as I’m not a fan of them and the mini loaves were still delicious. :)
I have made these about a dozen times now, I have taken to potlucks and to friends in times of hardship with heaps of happy feedback asking for more. I would not change a thing, one of the best recipes that I have made from you, thank you so much!
I LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it several times with just the ingredients I’ve had on hand and it always turns out great!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I didn’t have a zucchini so I substituted celery. I also added some poultry seasoning and substituted quick oats for the bread crumbs. I did add the extra egg to be sure the muffins would stick together.. The muffins heated up beautifully. This recipe is definitely a winner for me!
I LOVED this and so did my husband! It’s your third meal (out of 3) to go on our “Make again” list. very very delicious. I can’t wait for the leftovers. A lot easier than I thought, too!! Thanks for all your recipes!
I love this recipe! I’m not into the sweetness in most meatloaf glazes so I swapped out half the ketchup in both parts of the recipe for spicy brown mustard and nixed the brown sugar in the glaze. I also substituted tamari for Worcestershire because that’s what I had. Still great!
Man oh man, these are so delicious! I can barely tell there are cooked vegetables mixed into the meat, and the vinegar-ketchup-brown sugar glaze sends the turkey loaf over the top, it’s the perfect amount of sweet and sour. These are very tasty and so filling, and lighter in calories than an all-meat or all-beef meatloaf (I put the recipe into my fitness pal, and 2 turkey muffins as written have 289 calories). Taste amazing on top of some mashed potatoes. I might have to make a double batch next time and freeze half of it.
Delicious!!! :)
Not a fan of zucchini… can I leave it out or substitute something in its place? Please advise…
I think I’d just leave it out. :)
I did red bell pepper. Amazing flavor! Just put it in a chopper
The only thing this recipe is missing is more five star reviews.
These are the perfect size for us. One each for each meal, and it can stretch to a week’s worth of leftovers. They each work out to be really low calorie (if I remember right, around 200 calories each, if even), so having these and some veggies on the side make for a great light meal. But mashed potatoes and meatloaf is just so delicious.
I used rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs, and let them sit after mixing together for a good 10-15 minutes to soak up the egg to make it all stick together better.
Great idea about the oats! Did you use regular oats or quick cook? And did you use the same amount as you would if you used breadcrumbs?
Made this for my picky about veg kiddo, using half the zucchini, a quarter of the carrots, and it turned out great. As she gets older, she is becoming more and more accepting of veg (especially when they hide so well in this recipe).
I needed a larger pan to sauté everything down, so it took a while longer than it did have. Served these with baked potatoes and corn, and going to freeze leftovers for another night. Will definitely make them again. Thanks, Beth!
These little loaves of meat are the best thing that have ever hit my muffin pan. We thoroughly enjoyed them! I have recently returned to work after 14 years as a stay at home mom. I was ready to socialize with adults….Any who, so glad I doubled this recipe our family of four will all enjoy leftovers for lunch today. This is going to be in our meal rotation. Thank you for your hard work in helping make our lives simpler…..
I love these and can not stop making them with all the zucchini I get from my garden!! Thanks :)
I’ve been making several of your recipes over the last year from both your book and this website as I learn to cook and they have all been so outstanding. This especially was so great – my carnivore boyfriend loved it and praised every veggie in there! The only adjustment I made was I added a little thyme to the mix. Thanks so much for your awesome work!
My loaves fell apart a bit. In the future, I’ll probably add another egg and some more breadcrumbs just to make them bind together better.
Next time I try this, I might use it as a stuffing for vegetables. Maybe use the scooped out flesh from the zucchini or use eggplant and/or peppers. I think throwing in a little cooked or instant rice as a stretch could work really well.
Is there anything else other than ketchup that I can use in the loaves? I’d like to make these for my baby but would rather avoid ketchup because of the sugar
You can try adding a little plain tomato sauce (usually they just contain puréed tomato, salt, and a few spices) or a tablespoon or so of tomato paste. These changes will change the flavor, though, as the sugar helps balance the flavors.
Thanks Beth! It’s a big hit with my picky baby and hubby :D. Hubby said its the best thing I’ve ever made so far (I don’t cook that often). I ended up using ~1/8 ketchup and about 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
How many calories is in a serving and how much is a serving
Each serving is two of the mini loaves (you can find that info on the recipe template), but unfortunately I don’t have any nutritional information.
Your recipes look great. But, it would be great to have the nutritional information. They look healthy and a nice addition to the Weight Watchers diet.
Sparkpeople has a great recipe calculator you can use to determine the nutritional data.
Beth, thanks so much for this recipe! I cooked it last night along with the spinach and feta mashed potatoes and they was a hit! It’s definitely boyfriend approved! Will be making this again very soon.
*were
I dislike mushrooms, can you recommend a veggie to substitute?
I’m not sure there is anything like it that I’d use in it’s place, but you could certainly just leave it out. There are plenty of other vegetables to go around. :)
Beth- Hi! I made these before and they were delicious. I have a couple of questions. 1) it took forever to get the liquid out of the vegetables, how long should that take? I ended up draining the liquid both times. 2) I ended up with more, not quite double but at least a quarter more. I didn’t add another egg. Will it hurt to add another egg next time if I think I will have more than 12 muffins? I didn’t have enough to fill another 12 tin but I had a mini loaf pan and used that.
Draining the liquid out of the skillet is actually a great idea. That will cut your time down. If you use a large skillet so that the vegetables are spread out more instead of piled on top of each other, the process will be faster. Also, you can try turning the heat up a bit. That might help.
Adding another egg won’t hurt a bit. :)
And save the drained liquid for soup stock–just freeze in ‘baggies’ or ice cube trays and then in baggies.
For this I actually used a paper towel. I grated them and then used paper towels to suck some of the moisture out. :)
This also works great for hair before you blow dry it!
the 1st and 2nd times I made this were freaking delicious.
the 3rd time i used super discount bargain basement ketchup and it was terribly dry and mealy.
use decent ketchup.
If I made this into a regular meatloaf in a loaf pan, how should I adjust the cooking time?
It will need to cook much longer, but I’m not sure of an exact time. Probably in the neighborhood of 45-60 min, but you should use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
I have never been disappointed with any of your recipes. I love meatloaf but the hubby doesn’t. I thought I would try these, figuring I could freeze them if he didn’t like them. Turns out we both loved them. They were very flavorful. I will definitely be adding them to our rotation!
I have made several of your recipes and we have loved every single one of them, until today. (I’m sorry for admitting it.) This was not our favorite. I’d definitely try it again, with several tweaks… maybe cutting back a bit on the veggies or adding some sort of additional seasonings.
Hi~ I love these! I used the last of the ketchup in the loaves so I put cheese on top of these. Sooooo delicious! And my cats liked that I let them lick the plate after I was done ;)
My kids could not get enough of these meatloaves along with the spinach/feta mashed potatoes. Excellent meal. Definitely will be part of our regular meals. Thanks!!!
This is heaven sent… do you think it would be ok to drop the egg? I have an allergy (egg, dairy, soy, peanut) tot.
Well, the egg acts as a glue to help hold them together, so they will probably be crumbly without it.
These turned out quite well, very flavorful. I’m afraid they have been nicknamed “Turkey Eyeballs” in my household . . . .
My husband’s family is italian, and their meatloaf recipe is both delicious AND expensive. (Veal is not typically in my weekly budget.) When I told him I was going to try this recipe in an attempt to get our 2 year old to eat some vegetables, he was really skeptical. But they both loved it! My only complaint is that we don’t have any left to freeze, because my husband and toddler both asked for seconds. Thanks for another great recipe!
These look delicious! Do you think it would make a difference if I baked them in a silicone muffin pan?
It should be fine, although I’m not that experienced with silicone.
Fantastic! I needed a comfort meal and this hit the spot. I substituted mashed cauliflower for potatoes in an effort to be healthier and it was still delicious. I really like meatloaf with added veggies instead of just the onion and ketchup.
You mentioned this as being a great way to stretch out the meat. I have a favorite turkey meatloaf recipe that also adds canned white beans to the mix along with veggies. It adds a nice earthy taste and is very filling, stretching out the turkey even more.
These turned out great and I love that it took half the time to make vs. full size loaves. Plus, it helps with portion control. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks Beth, another awesome recipe. Used chicken mince (Turkey mince is not so readily available in Australia ) and added some herbs that were in the fridge. Only used half the quantity of glaze and found this was plenty for my tastebuds. Half to be eaten over the next couple of days and half into the freezer for quick lunches.
Beth, you’ve created another winner! Made this for dinner last night and loved it. Eating one of the leftovers as I type this for lunch today, and I think it’s even better reheated than it was last night!
I never thought to add a variety of vegetables to meatloaf before. I’ve added spinach in the past and it was good, but that was the extent of it. Will definitely be making this regularly. I love your blog, your recipes are so tasty!
Sooooo good! My mouth was watering as I cooked these and they were just as good as I thought they would be! Yummy!!!! Love the high veggie content!
Disappointing!! there might be a good turkey meatloaf recipe out there but this is not it. If you have to drown it in ketchup or sriracha, then it is not really a good dish. I like the concept but this was not good. The feta/spinach mashed potatoes were quite delicious though!
These were so delicious!! will definitely work this into my regular rotation. Just a side note–your recipes using ground turkey show 19 oz packages. When I buy ground turkey it comes in 16 oz packages–maybe it’s a regional difference?
Just finished having this for dinner, albeit with ground chicken instead of turkey as it’s cheaper. Such a great recipe! Forget getting kids to eat zucchini, you got me to eat it, and I don’t like zucchini. Definitely adding this recipe to the rotation, which includes a number of your recipes. I love that it’s portable as most of my dinners are eaten at work, so something that is freezer friendly is very helpful to me. Another recipe to recommend to my friends!
These are a great alternative to traditional meatloaf. Turkey always tastes different from beef in things like this but they still taste great. I made mine in silicone muffin cups on a tray in my toaster oven and it worked well.
great recipe! I merged it a bit with Jamie Eason’s meat muffins. The zucchini is a nice touch.
– subbed oats for the bread crumbs (worked out perfectly)
– added a stalk of celery
– one extra egg to hold it together and absorb the oats
kicked up the spices with:
– 1/2 tsp ground cumin
– 1/2 tsp dried thyme
– 2 tsp dry yellow mustard
– 2 tsp chipotle pepper spice
I made these for dinner tonight and they are super delicious! I added some Sriracha to the ketchup for a little extra kick. Yum!
Hi Beth, Approx. how much shredded carrot and zucchini is that? About a cup (8oz)? They were out of zucchini at the store, so I bought a bag of shredded broccoli to substitute. Thanks!
Yes, I’d say about a cup of each. :)
Hiya Beth!
Our fabulous first is graduating college in a few weeks, and the transition has her (and all friends) VERY anxious. You know I’ve said “cooking brings me no joy” and yet my family wants to eat every, single, day. THIS recipe and the spinach fetta cheese potatoes will be some perfect comfort food that “even I” can make when she’s home again to help sooth her spirit. Thanks for saving dinner again Beth, “we’ll eat you up we love you so”
I love this recipe!
I also love how you do step by step photos.
Thanks for taking the time to do that.
Plus you are a microbiologist?!!
Congrats on the Food.com gig Beth!
YUM!!!
Made this tonight as written, except used ground beef (because I had it on hand after a Costco trip) and it was OH SO MARVELOUS!
I kept it under my hat just how chock full of veggies it was. Both my picky 4 y.o. daughter and my meat-loving husband gobbled them up and none were the wiser! HA!
Totally making this again, it was so easy, quick, tasty, and filling!
I made these with beef because that’s what I had on hand. Happily, it got my family to eat zucchini. They’re not quite ready for mushrooms yet, but SOON. I love being able to just freeze them since they’re already pre-portioned.
Hi Beth! I love your recipes, my boyfriend now makes your freezer taco bowls every week! I was wondering for this recipe would you suggest cooking them first then freezing them? Still a newbie with freezing homemade items. Thanks!
Yep, definitely cook them first, then let them cool completely in the fridge before wrapping tightly and freezing. Or, you can freeze them in single serving containers like Ziploc or Gladware (the kind with the blue lids).
Beth, just wanted to say I made these last night and everyone liked them quite a lot. I will be adding this to the rotation. Very easy to make and it is nice to be able to get some veggies down my kids throats. :) The only difference on your recipe (and not really a difference) is tha I used some sugar/ maple bbq sauce on the top since they all like it and we almost always have an open bottle in the fridge. I also added some more garlic to the filling. Thanks again. :)
I made these last night and they are amazing! so juicy and the veggies give the mini meatloaves such a great flavor! I left out the mushrooms and just used slightly more carrot and zucchini shreds! Once again, another great recipe, Beth :)
Can I use 97 or 99% lean ground turkey for this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, that should work out fine. :)
I’ve NEVER tried meatloaf that contained mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, and ground turkey. I’m used to eating meatloaf that has ground beef, ketchup, grilled onions, and crackers. This is different, but in a good way. :-)
Wow! This reminds me that I just bought 20oz of the gr.Turkey at Target (normal $4.99, but had $3 off sticker). That’s about the only way I buy ground meats anymore…just required to be frugal so we don’t have to choose between food and meds just quite yet.
I came home and put it straight in the freezer. I know what I’ll be doing.
Wow, that’s an excellent deal!! Jealous :)
I wasn’t prepared for how delicious these would be. Let extras sit in the fridge, prepared, for about 4 hours before going back for more. The flavor was even better! Will be sharing this one
Another fantastic recipe. The only things I didn’t have on hand were the turkey and zucchini, and I used spicy breadcrumbs and added Sriracha sauce to the glaze.
These were fantastic! I used pork mince and added some thyme and fennel to the mix. I also changed the glaze to just honey, sirracha, and ketchup.
Thanks, Beth, for another amazing recipe!
You’ve actually made meatloaf look pretty! Looks delicious!
These look great! When I make turkey meatloaf I usually use quinoa and caramelized onions as a filler. The quinoa really helps with the texture and the onions add a lot of flavor.
I will have to try throwing some other veggies in there and the muffin tin trick! Making meatloaf in less than an hour would be pretty awesome.
I love this idea! Although I am not a huge ketchup fan, so I tend to pass up meatloaf recipes. Do you think this would work with salsa? I do have a salsa turkey meatloaf recipe that I love that I am wondering if it would work in these mini forms?
use barbecue. I have one kid that doesn’t like ketchup, so we sub bbq. Maple and brown sugar flavored so it is mellow.
Are you a fan of BBQ sauce? That subs pretty well.
I don’t think it would work well as a topping because it’s just a bit too watery. If you mix it into the meat mixture, it also might be a little too much moisture for these small muffins to hold together. Maybe BBQ sauce as a topping?
Can I use the 97 or 99% fat free ground turkey for this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, that should work well. :)
What a good idea to put the loaves in muffin tins. I haven’t had turkey meatloaf in a very long time. This version looks very flavorful and delicious.
That’s so smart to use veggies as filler! I hadn’t thought of that. I hope to have a lot of carrots and zucchini this summer…this is a great use to make them go farther (I freeze my mini-meatloaves).
This sounds delicious. Do you think you could also cook this on a Forman Grill and make a sort of meatloaf burger hybrid?
Probably, yes! Just make sure they don’t stick to the grill because they can be very soft and delicate.
Meatloaf has got to be my favourite meal! I know, I know. I love the veggie bulk up. This recipe looks amazing. I will add everything I need to my grocery list for my big trip on Wednesday. Can hardly wait!
In the recipe you write 97% lean turkey, but it looks like the package in the picture is 93% lean. Which one did you mean? (Sorry if I’m missing something.)
Ooops, my mistake! I meant 93%. Fixing now. Thanks! :)
I made this for dinner tonight! I forgot the breadcrumbs, but they still turned out fantastic (though a bit crumbly.) This paired perfectly with your boursin mashed potatoes. So good!
I’m making this sometime this week, you’ve won me over already!
I’ll have to check out Food.com. I feel like if more websites showed step by step instructions for their recipes instead of posting fifty pretty pictures of the finished product, it would encourage novice cooks to try the recipe. I’m so thankful!
That’s a really good point. Beth has spoiled me with her photo-by-photo posting. I’m a seasoned (HA) cook, but seeing the images alongside with instructions for that step really make the recipe less intimidating, and I’m just a tiny bit disappointed when other blogs don’t do that :p
Meatloaf is so good but you are right, one hour in the oven is torture, I never think to get started early enough. So I will def try this next time!
I love that you’ve got a side dish paired with this one, I would love to see you add more side dish recommendations for a complete meal.
BTW, I moved cross country recently so I get a lot of visitors, and you have saved me so much money by cooking for visitors with your blog, thank you!
I do plan to move more to that format! :D I’m quite excited about it.
I can’t wait to try this! I’m not a big fan of turkey meatloaf, but this sounds perfect.
You are the queen of freezer pleasers. I love the idea of making these “muffin meatballs” and freezing for later. Brilliant. And your meat extending trick of adding veggies/beans/lentils is fantastic. I usually buy 95% lean beef, and organic when I can, but it was like 30 bucks today! In fact, my grocery bill was $181, yikes.
Hey Beth. You actually used 93% lean, not 97%! Great recipe and I’m going to make it this weekend!
Oops, yes that’s what I meant! Thank you! :)
These look really great! Love all the veggies you put on!
Just one question… How is the texture? Any time I’ve made turkey meatloaf or meatballs they always have a rubbery texture. Just curious how it was with this recipe.
Not rubbery at all. As a matter of fact, they’re very soft and tender. You’ll need to be gentle with them so they don’t fall apart.
This looks delicious and much healthier than traditional meatloaves!