Cute Little Round Turkey Loaves
Once there was a single raw egg, cracked into a large glass bowl. All it could do was sit and wonder what the world had in store for it. Surely since it had just been liberated from its dark and claustrophobic shell it was destined for a life of adventure?
In this case, yes, It was the very first ingredient used in my little turkey loaves.
Now I find the idea of meatloaf in general to be ghastly, but when you shrink it down into cute little muffin-sized morsels and swap out the cow for bird, you’re in for a delightful dinner that won’t make you gag into your napkin.
These are adapted from a loaf-of-organs recipe from Joy of Cooking that I’ve been making for about 2 centuries, and now I’ll stop talking because nobody likes when bloggers yammer on before presenting the recipe.
Directions:
Step 1: Saute onion and garlic in a pan with olive oil on medium heat until soft.
Step 1b:Â Crack the poor, unsuspecting egg into a medium bowl.
Step 2: Add in the ketchup, bread crumbs, milk, parmesan, mystery vegetable of your choice, salt, pepper, chocolate chips, basil, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, chili pepper flakes.
($50 if you can find the egg.)
Step 3: Add the meat, onions, garlic, and mix everything up with your bare-ass hands.
Step 4: Lick your fingers. Just kidding, Salmonella-face!
Step 5: Distribute evenly into a 12-count muffin tin that has been lightly sprayed with oil. (Don’t mash it in.)
Step 6: Squirt a few ketchup dollops on top of each one and sprinkle the tiniest bit of brown sugar on that.
Step 7: Bake at a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the tops are a little browned and the loaves are cooked throughout the center.
Happily, most of the ingredients in this recipe, except the turkey and egg, are optional. Since I don’t refer to a written recipe and I’m middle aged, I forget an ingredient or 2 half the time.
P.S. If you’re hankering now for a recipe where you can lick your fingers after mixing the ingredients up with your hands, try my no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars.
Recipe
Cute Little Turkey Loaves
An easy and endlessly adaptable turkey loaf recipe that is cooked in muffin tins for extra cuteness.
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes
- 2 cups spinach (loose in measuring cup and then cut into smaller pieces, OR the next veg:)
- 1 cup shredded zucchini or yellow squash or carrots
- 1 package ground turkey
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Saute the onion and garlic in a small pan in a teaspoon or so of olive oil on medium heat until soft and translucent. Set it aside to cool.
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In a large bowl, mix together everything except the meat, onion, and garlic.
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Mix in the ground turkey, onion, and garlic.
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Distribute the mixture evenly in a 12-section muffin tin (lightly greased).
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Squirt a little bit of ketchup on top of each one and sprinkle a teeny tiny amount of brown sugar on top.
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Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove and cool for a minute in the pan before eating.
This recipe is endlessly adaptable. I have eliminated probably most of the extra ingredients at one time or another, and the rest of the recipe held up just fine.Â
Add in the chopped up spinach or a cup of another vegetable like shredded summer squash or zucchini for extra-healthy yumminess.
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I love making cute little meatloaf muffins. I go for all the tiny foods that small children or fairies or elves or gnomes would eat 🙂 I wish I was Thumbelina size so people could put me in their pocket and take me places. 🙂