Easy Turkey Meatloaf Muffins with Tangy BBQ Sauce

I have never been a meatloaf lover. (No, I do not mean the singer Meatloaf, people!) I do not have fond memories of meatloaf and potato Sunday dinners... instead I have fond beef pot roast and potato memories, lol!

Meatloaf was just never a staple dinner in my house growing up. Well, my husband IS a meatloaf lover. And sometimes I feel a slight bit guilty because I hardly ever make it! 

I found this Rachael Ray recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a go because:

1. Muffin tins are cool.

2. They cook fast (forget the hour long cooking process for a normal meatloaf!).

3. There are hidden veggies inside that my kids will never taste/find - bwahahaha!!! (insert evil laugh)

4. One word: EASY.

5. The BBQ sauce is absolutely AH-MAZING.

So there you have it. My reasons for throwing these bad boys into my weekly meal planning. I switched up the beef for turkey and added some different veggies and they were SO GOOD. My boys loved how the portions were the perfect size for them. They couldn't even find those pureed bits of carrots and celery! ;) They're fork tender and have the best flavor. For reals. Plus they look kinda pretty, dontcha think? They loved the camera... ;)

Easy Turkey Meatloaf Muffins & Tangy BBQ Sauce:
Printable Recipe HERE  (recipe adapted from Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup baby carrots
• 2 green onions, top & bottoms cut off and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg plus a splash of milk, beaten
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 
2. Put ground turkey into a big bowl. Put onion, celery, baby carrots and green onion into a food processor. Pulse the processor blades to finely chop the vegetables into very small pieces then add them to the meat bowl. Add egg beaten with milk, bread crumbs and grill seasoning to the bowl.
3. Next, mix together the barbecue sauce, the salsa and the Worcestershire sauce in a separate small bowl. Pour half the sauce mixture into the bowl with the meatloaf mix. Mix the meatloaf together with your hands. Wash up.
4. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Use an ice cream or cookie dough scoop to help you fill meat into a each tin. Top each meat loaf with a spoonful of the extra sauce. Bake about 20 minutes. Cut open 1 muffin to test that the middle is cooked through or check that the temperature is 170 degrees. Bake until cooked through. Let cool a few minutes before extracting muffins. Serve warm and ENJOY!!

Here's the BEFORE yumminess going into the oven:

 And here's the AFTER...SO yummy!!

 They are fork tender and so delicious! Give them a try and let me know what you think!!

If you're looking for some more great dinner ideas, check these out:

9 Yummy Crock Pot Dinner Ideas

Healthy Southwestern Casserole

Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Healthy Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes

Easy Taco Braid

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