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.
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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!)
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!