Turkey Meatloaf Muffins are a great twist on traditional meatloaf. A flavorful ground turkey meatloaf mixture is topped with ketchup and bakes up perfectly in a 12 cup muffin tin. Serve them with mashed potatoes and a green veggie for a great family dinner!
To make these with beef, pop over to this recipe for Meatloaf Muffin Cups. Or for a different flavor profile, check out this Italian Meatloaf Recipe!
Why These Are Great
- They are made with ground turkey, which is a little healthier than beef.
- They are filled with a panade of panko and milk, which keeps them juicy.
- The topping is just ketchup, keeping things simple and traditional.
- The muffin cups cook much faster than baking an entire meatloaf.
- Smaller portions make them great for a snack too!
- Leftovers make an amazing meatloaf sandwich or slider.
Ground Turkey for Meatloaf Muffins
When you are shopping for ground turkey there are generally two (maybe three) options:
- 99% fat free
- 93/7
- 85/15
You ABSOLUTELY want to buy the 93/7!! This means it has 93% lean meat, and 7% fat. It has enough fat to make it flavorful and juicy without being greasy.
The 99% fat free ground turkey should only be used if you have some kind of diet restriction. It cooks up like rubber and has very little flavor.
You may also see an 85/15 ground turkey, this is going to be too fatty and have a funny flavor. I recommend avoiding this one.
Topping
Traditionally, ketchup is used on top of meatloaf. It has enough sugar content to caramelize a little in the oven and becomes tangy, salty and sweet. Perfect balance!
Another option would be to use a mixture of 50% BBQ sauce and 50% ketchup.
Step by Step Picture Instructions
Start by sauteeing your onions and garlic, then stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire and rosemary. Let cool for a couple minutes.
Meanwhile make the panade by mixing the milk, egg, salt, pepper and onion powder with the panko bread crumbs, let it sit for 5 minutes.
Finally mix the panade, turkey, and onion mixture together.
Generously grease your muffin tin. Then using a ⅓ cup measuring cup scoop heaping portions of the meatloaf mixture into the muffin tin. You will have exactly 12 muffin cups.
Top each cup with at least 1 tablespoon ketchup.
Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
Serving
Serve your turkey meatloaf muffins warm out of the oven, 2-3 cups per person. They are excellent served with mashed potatoes and green beans!
They also make a great slider sandwich or meatloaf sandwich.
Side Dishes
Here are some great side dishes to consider making for your meatloaf muffin cups:
Freezing
You can freeze your turkey meatloaf muffin cups for easier meal or snack prep.
- Freezing Baked – bake and cool the turkey meatloaf cups. Place in a freezer safe baggie or container and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, defrost in the fridge overnight. Or use the quick method by placing the sealed bag in luke warm water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed completely. Then heat through in the oven or microwave.
- Freezing Raw – Fill the muffin tin with the meatloaf mixture, leave the ketchup off until it is time to cook. Pop in the freezer. Once solid move to a freezer safe baggie. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, bake from frozen, adding the ketchup to the top and you may need to add 10 minutes to the cooking time to cook through. Make sure your meatloaf cups reach 160 degrees internal temp to be considered safe to eat.
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Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small to medium yellow or white onion diced
- 3 plump garlic cloves chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or thyme - chopped
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 lbs. ground turkey - use the 93/7
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup ketchup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° and spray a 12 count muffin tin with baking/olive oil spray.
- Add the oil to a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic until softened, about 5 mins.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and fresh rosemary or thyme. Let cool for a couple minutes.
- In a large bowl combine the panko bread crumbs, milk, lightly beaten eggs, salt, black pepper, and onion powder. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey and the onion mixture.
- With clean hands lightly mix the ingredients together. Only mix just until it comes together, over mixing will create tough meatloaf muffins!
- With a ⅓ cup measuring cup portion out the meatloaf mixture into the prepared 12 cup muffin tin.
- Top each individual meatloaf with 1 tablespoon ketchup, use more if you love the ketchup topping.
- Place the muffin tin on top of a baking sheet to catch any spill-overs in the oven!
- Bake at 400 for 25 minutes until the center of the meatloaf reaches 160°.
- Let rest for a few minutes and then serve, 2-3 cups per person!
Freezing Baked
- Bake and cool the turkey meatloaf cups. Place in a freezer safe baggie or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Then heat through in the oven or microwave.
- To serve, defrost in the fridge overnight. Or use the quick method by placing the sealed bag in luke warm water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed completely.
- Then heat through in the oven or microwave.
Freezing Raw
- Fill the muffin tin with the meatloaf mixture, leave the ketchup off until it is time to cook.
- Pop in the freezer. Once solid move to a freezer safe baggie. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To serve, bake from frozen, adding the ketchup to the top and you may need to add 10 minutes to the cooking time to cook through. Make sure your meatloaf cups reach 160 degrees internal temp to be considered safe to eat.
Rebecca says
Absolutely delicious, I ran out of onion powder so I used onion soup mix and it was still delicious!! This will be a staple recipe in my house hold 😊
Ashley says
These were delicious and were super simple to make!!
James says
I always check out rating and comments before making dinner. I forget and didn’t this time. Looks like I’ll be the first comment! Be back soon!