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A muffin pan turkey meatloaf is cut in half with a fork and sits on a plate with broccoli and mashed potatoes.

Muffin Pan Turkey Meatloaf

This muffin pan turkey meatloaf is moist, tender, and loaded with veggies for a healthy, crowd-pleasing, weeknight-friendly dinner. To speed up the prep significantly, cook the veggies ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble your meal.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Cooling time for vegetables20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion ½ to ⅔ cup, diced
  • 1 medium bell pepper ⅔ to ¾ cup, diced
  • 1 medium carrot around ½ cup, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs or crushed saltines
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup ketchup plus more to top muffins (unless you are using barbecue sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • ½ cup low-sugar barbecue sauce optional

Instructions

  • Dice the onion and the bell pepper and shred the carrot. Using a rocking motion, run a knife through all of the veggies to get them very small. (Here’s a quick video demo on mincing vegetables from Just A Pinch Recipes)
    1 medium onion, 1 medium bell pepper, 1 medium carrot
  • Place a dinner plate or shallow bowl in the freezer (optional) and set a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the skillet is preheated, add the minced vegetables and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and sauté 1-2 minutes more.
    2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • Let this mixture cool for 5-10 minutes so it's not piping hot, then transfer it to the cold dinner plate and spread it out in a thin layer. Place the plate in the refrigerator to cool for another 5-10 minutes. The veggies should be no warmer than room temperature before adding to the turkey.
  • Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying the cups with cooking spray or brushing generously with olive oil. You should get 6 muffins out of a single batch.
  • In a large bowl, mix together cooked veggies and the rest of the ingredients except the turkey.
    ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper, ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, ¼ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Add the turkey and gently mix with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not overmix. Divide meatloaf evenly between the muffin cups. The tops of the muffins will be higher than the rim of the muffin cups.
    1 pound ground turkey
  • Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven (be sure to close the oven door quickly) and brush the tops with either ketchup or the barbecue sauce. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.
  • Check to make sure the temperature has reached at least 155°F internally, and allow the meatloaf muffins to sit for 10 minutes before serving, accompanied by ketchup or barbecue sauce.
  • Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to four days. Reheat in the microwave covered with a dampened paper towel at 70% power for 1-2 minutes.

Notes

Ingredient notes:
  • The egg in this recipe can be replaced with 3 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas, whisked until foamy) or flax seed meal (1 tablespoon of flax seed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of water and allowed to sit for 10 minutes). See the FAQ section of this article for detailed instructions. In a pinch, you can also use an extra ¼ cup of panko breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of olive oil (this doesn't work as well as the other two options, however).
  • Ground turkey breast (as opposed to regular ground turkey, which is a mix of light and dark meat) doesn't have quite enough fat to hold everything together. If you prefer to use ground turkey breast, add another egg yolk to boost the fat content and bind the breadcrumbs together better. 
Meal prep notes:
  • The minced veggies can be cooked and refrigerated up to three days ahead.
  • The meatloaf mixture can be assembled and refrigerated up to 12 hours ahead of cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 196.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.3g | Protein: 20.5g | Fat: 7.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 68.9mg | Sodium: 398.5mg | Potassium: 386.6mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 3.6g | Vitamin A: 2390.4IU | Vitamin C: 28.1mg | Calcium: 41.6mg | Iron: 1.7mg
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