save recipe
Hi, I’m Catherine.
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.
Meatloaf Meatballs
Over the past few months, Kenya has veered away from eating meat and chicken for the most part. However, for whatever reason, there is one meat dish I make which he finds hard to resist_ meatballs. Especially these Meatloaf Meatballs.
I'm not sure if Kenya's general aversion to meat is a texture or taste issue. He devours fruit, vegetables and carbs, but meat just seems less and less enticing to him. Interested to figure out why, last week I made a batch of one of his old favorite recipes, Teriyaki Meatballs, just to see if it still held any appeal. It did and then some. He inhaled a dozen, so I surmised he still must have a taste for turkey and beef that's ground, bite-sized and well seasoned.
Playing around with more meatball ideas that Kenya might like, I merged two classics, meatloaf and meatballs, into....Meatloaf Meatballs! They're made with everything you'd expect to find in meatloaf, like chopped bell peppers, onions, herbs and ketchup, only conveniently packaged in an easy-to-hold ball shape.
These were a total hit with both kids. To add a bit more fun to this dish, I serve the meatballs skewered with toothpicks so the kids can easily dip them in ketchup or BBQ sauce. They're also an ideal leftover addition to the lunchbox. The recipe name may sound like a mouthful, but isn't that a good thing? Even my little vegetarian seems to think so.
Share with us on Instagram. Take a photo of your dish and tag #weemenus to your Instagram photo that we can share in a reader gallery.
Meatloaf Meatballs (makes 30 meatballs)
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins
nut free
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, diced small
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced small
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey, dark or light meat
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
2. Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
3. Add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
4. Remove the veggies from the heat and allow to cool.
5. In a bowl, mix together the cooled veggies, ground turkey, italian herbs and salt, until well combined.
6. Using a 1 tablespoon measure, form the mixture into meatballs, and place in a greased baking dish.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.
Note: You can also sauté the meatballs over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, and cover for 1 additional minute.
Make N' Share!
Post a picture of any Weelicious recipe you make on Instagram - I wanna see them! Just tag @weelicious
Post a picture of any Weelicious recipe you make on Instagram - I wanna see them! Just tag @weelicious
33 comments
I think meatballs are the best invention ever. Especially on a stick. I can see these making a variation to my grill for summer eats for sure. Hope Kenya won't mind :) You may have a future veg on your hands!
We love anything on a stick!! I'll send K over to make them with you ;)
Hi Catherine! My son is the same with meat!! He also concerned about the eating animals aspect. But like Kenya, it's a texture or taste thing too. Thanks for sharing these! Marissa
I love this recipe for my 13 month old! One question - do the leftovers freeze well? Thanks!
Can these be frozen and reheated? If so how?
Yes! Freeze them up, defrost and gently rewarm!
Thanks, now I know what I'm making for dinner tonight for the kiddos!
My boys love meatloaf so much. One time I made them in muffin tins because I didn't have time to cook a whole loaf...and my husband loved it and SERIOUSLYstill talks about it!! Soooo...you can imagine how he'll react to these meat loaf meatballs. He might remarry me or give me a medal.
My boys would love these!! My oldest loves anything he can dip. So great seeing you this weekend! <3
My little seems to only eat meat if it is served in a meatball or hamburger patty. I think it is too hard to chew otherwise for him (he just turned 2 a few months ago) so I am always looking for good ground meat recipes!
that is so interesting! I feel like Pia will eat only very specific meat right now too (like steak is not on her radar)- these are adorable- I should try them!
Love these ! Same things happening with my daughter seems less interested in turkey and chicken which she used to love ! But never turns down turkey sausage Lol !
Couple of questions:
1. How much oil should I use to sauté the veggies
2. Can I put use a mini muffin tin instead of making meatballs and if so for how long should they stay in the oven?
Thanks
I use just enough oil to coat the pan! I think these would work great in a muffin pan, and I would cook them for about 15-20 minutes!
How would these be with ground beef?
I think it would be great with ground beef! Just add about 5-10 minutes to the cooking time!
[…] for something you can make in advance and just reheat when needed. Weelicious has a good recipe for Meatloaf Meatballs to try […]
[…] Meatloaf Meatballs […]
[…] 7. Meatloaf Meatballs […]
Hi there! I have 1 year old twins, so I like to cook in mass production on the weekends and freeze so food is ready for the week. For this delicious looking recipe, would you recommend preparing these and freezing them in the balls and baking when ready, or baking them and then freezing them up and just re-heating them when ready to use?
[…] Meatloaf Meatballs- Double Up! […]
[…] The prices listed are based on an average price of what’s on sale this week at various stores and are subject to change weekly. Meatloaf Meatballs – recipe […]
[…] Meatloaf Meatballs from Weelicious […]
[…] via weelicious.com […]
[…] Meatloaf Meatballs […]
[…] Meatballs […]
Best meatloaf meatballs ever!! Husband and 4 yrs old son love it!! :)
I need to get a thermos so stuff like this will be safe for lunch
Do you send this in the lunch cold or warm in a thermos?
How do they stay together without breadcrumbs? Mine look like mushballs rather than round meatballs. Am I missing something?
So good! I added breadcrumbs, shredded cheese, spinach, zucchini, and mushrooms to mine for my 1 year old! I also snuck a few they were so good and so easy!
These are so good. My entire family really enjoyed them. I had some Italian sausage leftover from a lasagne so threw it in there also and it added great flavor. Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!
So glad these are a hit!