Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites
Meatloaf is THE all-American food. I always think of it as the dish that you either love or absolutely hate. I’ve also seen hundreds of recipes for it and people are extremely passionate about what they think does and doesn’t belong inside. My mother must have used an entire bottle of ketchup on hers. I’ll refrain from commenting.
My version of meatloaf is perfect for the whole family, but especially for your little one. The best part is they’re cooked in mini muffin pans, so they only take 20 minutes to bake. I pack mine with vegetables and since there’s no salt or sugary ketchup, I add some cheese which makes every bite taste heavenly. Kenya had such a grin on his face when I gave him his first one. He tried to shove the entire thing in his mouth, but luckily I cajoled him into letting me cut it up.
Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites (24 Mini Bites)
1 Zucchini, chopped
1/2 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Cup Baby Carrots (about 8), chopped
1 Egg
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Worsteshire Sauce
1 Tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs (whole wheat, preferably)
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, white or orange, shredded
1 Lb. Ground Turkey (93% lean ground meat)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a nonstick mini muffin tin with vegetable oil cooking spray or grease with oil.
3. Place all of the ingredients, except the turkey, in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined and the vegetables are in tiny pieces.
4. Place the ground turkey and vegetable mixture in a bowl and thoroughly combine (using your hands is the easiest way to do it).
5. Place about a tablespoon of the meatloaf mixture in the muffin pans and pack down with a spoon.
6. Bake until the mini turkey loaves are cooked through or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes.
7. Cool and serve.
* This recipe can also be baked in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and baked for 50 minutes.
**To Freeze: After baking, let bites come to room temperature, place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 3 months. When ready, defrost over night in the fridge and place in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes to reheat.
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Hi Catherine, love your recipes and want to try this one too! What temp and time would this cook at for regular muffin tins? Thank you. Oh, yeah I voted!
what about temp and time on a small loaf tin?
I tried this today for my 11 mo old and he was not too big of a fan. I don’t like meatloaf at all, and I did not think it was too bad, needed salt for me but I am an adult. My question is I had to do the veggies seperate since my food processor bit the dust last night…..could that be part of the reason they tasted kinda soggy….I had to use my magic bullet and food chopper to improvise…any thoughts?
hmm maybe, If they were a bit soggy, it could have been from your veggies. After chopping them, if you found that there was liquid, just pat it out with a towel to remove some of the liquid. Also, I used lean turkey – was your turkey lean? The fat from the turkey may have also caused it to become soggy. Let me know if this helps, but I am happy you enjoyed them
another hit! we did eat them with organic ketchup though…just can’t do meatloaf without it
I made these for my son for the first time when he was about 12 months old, they are now a freezer staple for him. I like the addition of veggies to the meatloaf. I often snitch a few of them for myself when I defrost them for him. I did make one change – I noticed my son is not a big fan of onion so I eliminated the onion from the recipe and increased both the red bell pepper and the baby carrots to 3/4 cup. He loves these, sometimes plain and sometimes I give them to him with some applesauce to dip them in.
Just to clarify…do you bake them and then freeze them or freeze them raw? How long does it take and at what temperature to defrost?
I bake them then freeze
After baking, let bites come to room temperature, place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 3 months. When ready, defrost over night in the fridge and place in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes to reheat.
Yum! Can’t wait to try this recipe – probably tonight! I have a turkey meatball recipe this just might replace!
This looks great! What do you think about substituting ground beef for turkey? (I have beef thawing out in the fridge and don’t have time for a grocery store trip today.)
Thank you!
Ground beef would work fine!:)
It did! I was afraid it would be too fatty, but they were delicious. My 3 year old couldn’t get over them being in a muffin tin – he must have been expecting something sweet, so he rejected it at first. I smooshed one between bread and he was sold. Perfect size. Thanks again.
I was really excited and a little nervous to make this. My 3 kids have been terrible @ eating their veggies lately. I needed to get some in somehow. I made a full meatloaf tonight & everyone devoured it, even my picky 3 year old (he is a chicken nugget guy). I was so happy. Thank you for coming up with this delicious, healthy lunch/dinner option. I will be replacing my other meatloaf recipe with this one
BTW – I used a loaf pan 375 for 40 minutes & it was perfect
This recipe was just awesome. So mush flavor and still on the healthy side. I’m making it again for dinner tonight! =)
Catherine – I saw this on the FB site. How do you reheat them if you’re packing them in a bento for lunch?
Kenya eats his lunch at room temperature since there really is no reheating at most schools. At home, I just pop them in the oven at 300 for 5-10 minutes just until they are warm
I don’t have a food processor, do you think I could still make them? I do have that old fashioned thing that you turn the handle and the blade spins….we use it to make pesto, etc – do you think that would work??
Sure
Will these hold together if I leave out the cheese?
did you get a reply about making without cheese? my son is allergic and would love to try this . . .
Love all of your recipes…but I’m wondering if I could do this without using the egg. My son has an egg allergy. What if I added lots of chicken broth? Any thoughts?
I substituted psyllium for the egg. Mix 1 tbsp of psyllium with 3 tbsp water and let sit for a few minutes before adding. You can use this substitute for egg in all kinds of recipes. I did notice that they seemed to take longer to cook and were a bit soggy though. But still delicious!
DELISH!!!!
I was curious if you could eliminate the egg, as well? Is there a substitution you would recommend?
You can do the 1 tbsp of ground flax seed with 3 tbsp of water solution – I have not tested it so let me know how it goes!
Thank you for the tip, it worked perfectly!
This recipe was just awesome. So mush flavor and still on the healthy side. I’m making it again for dinner tonight! =)
how big of a zuccini? or how many cups chopped? they go from the size of a banana to the size of a station wagon here.
I just use a regular medium size
I get about 36 or more out of this recipe so I must be using a larger than average zucchini.
I was worried they’d be soggy with so much zucchini but with a few more minutes cooking time they turned out brilliantly! Hopefully Santa will bring me a food processor for Christmas…I have to hand mince all of this every time I make them! A lot of effort, but so worth it. We pop them into a bowl of cooked pasta with sauce and treat them like meatballs.
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Great recipe! I doubled the recipe and made one loaf and one min muffin recipe. I added some crushed tomatoes on top too. What a great recipe!!! Thank you!!!
My husband and son will not eat veggies. I made this for them tonight and the LOVED it! They both asked for seconds. This is a great recipe! I freezed the leftovers for quick lunches and dinners. Thank you so much!
Not sure if anyone has the same problem I have with cleaning the mini muffin tin (mine is a nightmare no matter how much I spray it) I have been using a mini icecream scooper and baking them on a cookie sheet, clean up problem solved! Thanks again for another awesome recipe!!!!!
Can I use chicken instead of turkey?
I used chicken the other night and it turned out great!
I made this recipe the other night and my daughter LOVED it! Instead of turkey though I used chicken and grated the veggies instead of chopping so I wouldn’t have to use the food processor and it worked great! So excited to make it again
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Just wondering why you couldn’t throw the turkey in with the veggies in the food processor.
Great recipe! My kids love these mini meatloaves! But my 6yo insists on dipping his in Krazy Ketchup!
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How long and at what temp for regular muffin size muffin tins?
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Made these last night, big hit with my little guy! I made gluten free by substituting G.F. crackers in place of the bread crumbs. I had to blow on three hot from the oven for him to snack on before bedtime!
fantastic post, very informative. I’m wondering why the opposite experts of this sector don’t realize this. You must continue your writing. I am confident, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
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Does anyone know if my baby bullet would work as well as the food processor? I do have a food processor but there are so many attachments and parts that I sometimes find it to be overwhelming just taking it out of my cabinet!! But I use my baby bullet almost daily
Another question – I am currently out of red bell pepper and zucchini. Would any other vegetables work — like green beans? I do have onions and carrots however. I am wondering if I should wait to make it until I have all vegetables but hoping someone else has made it without these two and it still comes out yummy!