Meatloaf is THE ultimate all American food. My Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites are perfect for the whole family because it’s fast, easy and packed with vegetables! 

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I pulled up a favorite recipe of mine to see if these Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites are as good today as they were several years ago. I hadn’t made them for about a year, so last week I whipped up a batch hoping to freeze a few. Nice try! Chloe and her two friends, ate an entire batch in less than 15 minutes. It was fun watching them down the full recipe even though it left hubby and I eating leftovers. Next time I’m doubling to make sure I have plenty to go around!

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My Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites are 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 very little salt and no 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 Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bite when he was a little one (and before he was vegetarian). He tried to shove the entire thing in his mouth at once. Luckily I cajoled him into letting me cut it up!

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I always think of meatloaf 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 on that 😉 Whatever line of the meatloaf debate you fall on, I think you’ll love this recipe! 

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Are you making Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites tonight?! Tag me @weelicious on social media so I can see! 

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Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites

5 from 2 votes
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup baby carrots (about 8), chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tablespoom worsteshire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs (whole wheat preferably)
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Spray a nonstick mini muffin tin with vegetable oil cooking spray or grease with oil.
  • Place the zucchini, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and garlic clove into the food processor and pulse until everything is in tiny pieces.
  • Add the egg, worchestershire sauce, herbs, bread crumbs, cheese, and turkey. Pulse until everything is combined.
  • Place about a tablespoon of the meatloaf mixture in the muffin pans and pack down with a spoon.
  • 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.
  • * 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.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 55mg | Sugar: 1g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. This was absolutely delicious!!! My 1 year old loved it and couldn’t get enough. It was so easy, yet packed with so many good nutrients and protein for young ones. So glad we were able to freeze a bunch for easy, delicious lunches or dinners. A must try for sure!

  2. You can leave the zucchini out. It adds moisture to the meatloaf so it will have a slightly different texture without the zucchini, but the recipe will still hold up without it.

  3. I cook and bake everyday for my family and am usually pretty good at following recipes but for some reason have issues with the turkey not baking all the way and it ends up burnt. They were too mushy and still cold inside until they were too burnt to eat. Wish this recipe worked for us. We seem to need to cook any of your turkey recipes twice as long as recommended.

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Steph,

      I read your post and had to reply- the same thing recently happened to me when baking with ground turkey. For us, the issue was the brand of ground turkey; our grocery store stopped carrying our regular brand so we switched, and that really changed the cooking time and also the taste. We liked our original brand better (Plainville organic), so we go to two grocery stores now. Hope this might help.

  4. If you cut it up like you would dice the turkey, then you should be able to use the same amount!

  5. Just made these tonight and they are absolutely delish! I like that the veggies are pureed because I have a husband who is picky about onions and he had no idea that they were even in there! Thank you!

  6. That might work as long as you make sure to tap it all down so that it gets evenly mixed and chopped. Otherwise you might end up with half mush and half chunky ingredients.

  7. […] once I got home yesterday, I made a batch of Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites for Lucas to have for the […]

  8. […] easy to make! Just throw everything into a food processor, or a blender. I took my inspiration from weelicious‘ cheesy turkey meatloaf bites but added the ketchup glaze to make them look like cupcakes. If […]

  9. I have two questions… 1.) How much longer do i leave it in the oven if i’m using organic beef instead of turkey? and 2)Is this recipe okay to freeze before I bake them, or do I need to bake them first and then freeze them?
    Also…these look fantastic and I hope mine turn out okay and my little one likes them! Thanks!

  10. My girls (3 & 4) ate almost the whole batch and asked me to make them again. I put in more veggies by mistake but they still turned out great! Luckily there are a few left for their lunch boxes tomorrow. Will definitely make this again!

  11. Catherine,
    I can’t wait to have my family try some of your recipes! Congrats on your cookbook!

  12. I was thinking of grinding some old fashioned oats to use instead of the breadcrumbs. You gave me this idea in your turkey burger post. Do you think it would work well here too?

  13. Can’t wait to try these. Wondering if I packed them in my daughter’s lunch box, would it taste ok cold?

  14. Let me tell you, this recipe is AMAZING!!!! For babies (mashed up or pureed with vegetables/rice) kids and adults. I have used this recipe with company and it is so yummy. It’s my go-to recipe for quick, healthy and delicious. I really love that you’re eating your vegetables while enjoying your meat loaf

    I use the grater on my food processor and process/grate all the vegetables (including the onion, even though it gets pulverized) and cheese then mix with the remaining ingredients.
    TO SAVE CLEAN-UP TIME: I shape into little loaves on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
    DOUBLE UP OPTION: These can be shaped into balls, baked and frozen on a cookie sheet then put into a ziplock in the freezer. I add to pasta sauce for a super quick (8 minute) spaghetti and meatball supper!! because the meatballs cook quicker than the small loaves I have them freezing before we sit down to eat

  15. Hi, this looks like a great recipe! My kids have dairy allergies. Have you tried an alternative without cheese or would you have suggestions for alternatives? Thanks!
    Kisha

  16. I just do not know what to do anymore. I can not get my 3 yo to eat any meat or veggie. Now he loves muffins and cheese. Made these with ketchup on the side and he would not even try it. I eat with both my boys and eat the same thing, I cook all meals (no fast food or take out). I also do everything the books say anout feeding kids but nothing seems to work. HELP, what am I doing wrong?

  17. Just made this tonight for my 16 month old daughter – it’s a keeper! She ate them right up! Of course I gave them a taste first, and I must say… I will be making this for the adults too! Super moist and full of flavor, as well as healthy on top of it all. Love it! Thanks for the recipe!

  18. These are going to be a staple in my house for dinner. Bake once and you have dinner for days. Great way to get veggies into your kids.

  19. I’ll have to try this! A word of caution if your babe is allergic to fish – often times Worcestershire sauce does contain anchovies. 🙂

  20. I’ll have to try this! A word of caution – if your babe is allergic to fish, please note that Worcestershire sauce does contain anchovies (at least the Lea and Perrins brand does). 🙂

  21. I made this last night and it is delicious! We didnt have enough zucchini so I added in more onion and carrot. I made 6 regular size “muffins” and a shallow loaf, baked for 45 mins at 375. I think the loaf could have used 5-10 more minutes. My 16 month old son loved it and I thought it was awesome too. Thanks for the recipe!

  22. Absolutely delicious! Made it last night. I didn’t have zucchini, but added 1 small stalk of celery and added pinch of Indian spices I had it on hand. Also, I added 1 tbsp of ground oats.
    Big hit with my kids and DH.

  23. What is in “Italian herbs”?

    Also, could I substitute bread crumbs for some quick oats?

    I am thinking about making this for my 1 year old. I hope she likes it!

  24. These were terrific and my kids loved them. We used the leftovers the next night mixed with tomato sauce over whole wheat pasta!

  25. My 15-month old loved these! He never liked meat until this recipe. I used Trader Joe’s panko and soaked it in a little milk. Otherwise kept everything the same.
    I chopped extra veggies in the processor and used them on homemade pizza the next day 🙂
    Thanks Catherine.

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  27. I’ve been making these for my daughter since she was around 11 months old. They are a freezer staple in our house. I switch out cheeses, onion powder for fresh onion, ground chicken for turkey, yellow squash for zucchini. It all works. It’s very versitle.

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  30. 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!

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  34. Great recipe! My kids love these mini meatloaves! But my 6yo insists on dipping his in Krazy Ketchup!

  35. Just wondering why you couldn’t throw the turkey in with the veggies in the food processor.

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  37. 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 🙂

  38. Brilliant idea! I also baked these in mini muffin pans with non stick spray and they came out extremely burnt on the bottom. It was a real pain to clean. I tried your idea of mini meatballs on parchment paper on a baking tray and they came out perfect and very easy to clean! Thank you!

  39. 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!!!!!

  40. 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!

  41. 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!!!

  42. […] Mini-meatloaf muffins, peas and applesauce with yogurt flavored with the strained berries from flaugnarde for AM snack and zucchini bread (farmer’s market) for PM snack (big sis) Apples & Cinnamon and Pumpkin Risotto Puree (baby girl) work lunches out (Me & Hubby) […]

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  44. 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. 🙂

  45. This recipe was just awesome. So mush flavor and still on the healthy side. I’m making it again for dinner tonight! =)

  46. 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!

  47. I was curious if you could eliminate the egg, as well? Is there a substitution you would recommend?

  48. 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 🙂

  49. 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?

  50. 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!

  51. Our whole family loved these mini meatloaf bites! I am about to make them for the third time this month. It’s very had to find food that my daughter likes and so when I can find something, I stick to it. I love the website and can’t wait to try more recipes. I do have one question about this recipe. My mini muffin tin only holds half the recipe so we end up with 48. I was wondering if I should be using a half a pound of turkey instead of a whole pound or if I’m making the correct amount.

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