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How many of you thought I'd lost my mind when they read "Turkey Cupcakes," huh? It's alright, I promise I haven't been combining meat with dessert to save time. Although believe me, if it could be done and not be disgusting, I'd probably try it! Well maybe. I know they make mince meat pies...uh never mind...
So Thursday after my hiking adventure I was starving. Thanks goodness I had already shopped at Trader Joe's for dinner ingredients or I probably would have just made a smoothie and called it a night. I had decided earlier in the day to make a comfort food in a healthier way. I adapted a recipe from the awesome Hungry Girl and made individual turkey meatloaves. Here's my version:
Individual Turkey Meatloaves
1 small sweet yellow onion
1/4 cup ketchup
1 lb. raw lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 10oz. can of regular or sweet corn kernels
1 6oz. box of stuffing mix (I used Stovetop Chicken flavor but other ones like Cornbread, Turkey, or Whole Wheat would be great too)
garlic powder
sea salt
cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a box grater, grate the onion into a big bowl. I LOVE THIS TIP! Thank you Hungry Girl! I try not to be super picky with my food but I've always hated that raw, uncooked texture of diced onions, and this gave you the flavor of onion in the meat loaf but not that crunchy onion texture I hate.
Add all the other ingredients to the bowl. I didn't add measurements to the garlic powder, sea salt, and cayenne pepper because I think you should add according to your own taste. I sprinkled each throughout mixing the ingredients so the spices were evenly distributed.
Prep your 12-cup muffin pan. You could either use nonstick spray or cupcake liners, I went with the cupcake liners for an easier clean up later. The original recipe only made 9 mini meatloaves, but with the addition of the stuffing mix mine ended up making 12 generous portions. Evenly distribute the mixture, and top each with ketchup. I made a little swirly pattern on the top of mine just for the heck of it.
Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. What I did was set my oven for 35 minutes and I checked on them. I did end up cooking them for almost 40 minutes. Let them sit for a bit (the original recipe says 5 minutes) or if you're like me just grab the pan and "nom nom nom" because you're starving!
These turned out great! While they make 12 individual servings, the average person would probably be able to eat two of these along with sides for dinner. For my sides I had baked sweet potatoes which I mashed with a pat of Smart Balance and a sprinkling of brown sugar, and I love corn so I also had some more with a splash of lime juice and cayenne pepper.
Not the prettiest plate color-wise, but the meal was delish and hit the spot for me. Quick comfort food that doesn't sacrifice your health, it's an A+ in my book!
Delicious! I have used turkey in my meatloaf recipe for a while because if you use the right seasonings you can hardly taste the difference! If you had a tiny bit of Worceshire sauce, it gives it a more meaty flavor, so I will do that sometimes. We also shred carrots and bell pepper with the onion to add some veggie punch to the meatloaf.
ReplyDeleteALSO, your love of corn reminded me of this recipe we have made before: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/budget-recipes/tilapia-with-roasted-corn. SO easy and tasty, especially if you like fish. I bet you could do it with thin sliced chicken or turkey cutlets too if not.
Thanks for the tips and recipe suggestion Mal! I have some tilapia in the freezer too, yay!
DeleteI was thinking of adding some broccoli slaw to the meatloaf mixture next time for some added veggies and crunch.
I have a borderline obsession with corn. For real.