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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!
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!
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!
Are you making Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites tonight?! Tag me @weelicious on social media so I can see!
Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites
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 tablespoon 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.
Video
Notes
- * 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.
hi, can i combine all of the ingredients in my blender and pulse?
thanks.
[…] Get the full written recipe here: http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2008/06/09/cheesy-turkey-meatloaf-bites/ […]
[…] once I got home yesterday, I made a batch of Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites for Lucas to have for the […]
[…] 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 […]
I love this recipe, we make this once a week in our house …:)
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!
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!
Catherine,
I can’t wait to have my family try some of your recipes! Congrats on your cookbook!
Mailing list please:)
Yes! That should work great!
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?
My kids love these in school lunch! Lunch is served at room temp!
How well do these store for lunches? Can kids eat it cold?
My family couldn’t stop eating these! And they were so easy to make. Thank you!
Our school lunches are served at room temp and the kids gobble them up!
Can’t wait to try these. Wondering if I packed them in my daughter’s lunch box, would it taste ok cold?