Turkey Meatloaf Muffins are a fun and healthier twist on the classic meatloaf recipe. These individually portioned meatloaves are super flavorful and they’re packed with nutritious veggies and loads of protein. They make a great weeknight dinner because they come together easily and cook up fast! They’re also perfect for meal prep and lunches through the week.
I’ve made these mini meatloaves more times than I can count. It’s one of those go-to easy dinner recipes the whole family enjoys. They also pair well with a variety of sides dishes. In fact, my favorite way to enjoy these meatloaf muffins is crumbled on top of a crunchy kale and cabbage salad! My kids, on the other hand, LOVE when I top them with some marinara sauce and melted mozzarella (SO good!).
How Do You Make Meatloaf Muffins?
I found this recipe on BodyBuilding.com. They were created by fitness model and author, Jamie Eason. Jamie shares lots of her recipes (and videos) here and offers up lots of great tips and insights about healthy cooking. She really focuses on ‘food-for fitness’ so if your working on building a ‘buff-bod’, you definitely want to check her out.
The first time I made these muffins, I pretty much followed the recipe verbatim and they were delish. The only thing I wanted was a little more moisture. So this time around I tweaked it a bit.
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Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with some cooking spray and preheat the oven.
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Sauté onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic for about 5 minutes.
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Stir Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth in with the veggies and cook another 5 minutes and until all the veggies are tender and the mixture is heated through. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
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In the meantime, in a large bowl, combine ground turkey, egg whites, oats, cumin, chipotle spice, garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
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Mix the cooked veggies with the turkey mixture, until everything is well incorporated.
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Roll the mixture into 12 even balls and place each one in the greased muffin cavities.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Cool and enjoy!
You can see the original recipe here. And you’ll find my full updated version in the recipe card below (and shown in the video below).
Can Meatloaf Muffins Be Made Ahead Of Time?
I love making these ahead of time and knowing I have an easy, delicious, fuel-focused meal, prepared and in the fridge ready to go for a busy week. This recipe is exactly that. These turkey meatloaf muffins are packed with high-protein ground turkey, fiber-filled oats, lots of veggies, and some egg whites for good measure.
I think it’s fair to say that these little guys are a lean and mean kind-of-muffin (perhaps they will help me grow my muscles!).
I just packed a couple up with some veggies and hummus and I had a quick-on-the go meal ready to go. So delicious and super convenient!
Clearly, you can enjoy these turkey muffins many different ways so this is a great recipe to include in your weekly meal prep. Enjoy!
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS:
- Glass Mixing Bowls
- Glass Mixing Bowls with Lids (great for storage and travel)
- Muffin Pan
More Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes:
- Zucchini Taco Boats
- One Pan Roasted Shrimp and Green Beans
- Cast Iron Salmon
- Turkey and Zucchini Skillet Recipe
Thanks so much for reading! You can watch the video down below and if you make this recipe I would love for you to give it a ★ rating below. And be sure to follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and FaceBook for more healthy food inspiration!
Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 chopped cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 lbs. ground turkey I used 1.5lb. extra lean + .5 lb. dark
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground chipotle pepper spice
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 375 and spray 12-cup muffin pan with some cooking spray (or coat with a little olive or coconut oil).
- Heat a medium saute pan over a medium high heat and add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes until you have the raw edge off of the veggies.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth and cook another 5 minutes until all the veggies are tender and the mixture is heated through. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
- In the meantime, in a large bowl, combine ground turkey, egg whites, oats, cumin, chipotle spice, garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
- Add in cooked veggies and mix together until everything is well incorporated.
- Roll the mixture into 12 even balls and place each one in greased muffin pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Cool and enjoy!
Saras says
I made a soy version of the meatball. Used soy granules instead of turkey. It turned out yummy. My kids dont like minced meat and hence I, use soy granules so they dont miss the protein part.
Saras says
Made a soy version of the meatball. It turned out yummy. I used soy granules instead of mince meat.
Chris Swanzy says
Finally found a turkey muffin recipe that is moist & flavorful!
Dani says
Woot!
submissive says
Hi mrs.spies. I love your website because as a mother of two small children as well and I’m looking for ways to add more veggies to our meals. I’m trying this as I type this, I didn’t have worchestire sauce but I did use soy sauce not a lot though. I will let me know how this turns out. Thanks again:)
submissive says
Hi Dani just finished making these and it’s delicious. My family loved it!
Mari says
I crumbled the turkey meatloaf muffins into your butternut squash/apple soup along with some cooked spaghetti squash and kale. YUM and so filling!
Laura says
Hi Dani! I want to make these so bad! But I just found out they don’t have ground turkey where I live, is ground chicken ok to use?
Dani says
yes! Ground chicken works well:)
Kellie says
I served them with cauliflower “mashed potatoes” and my husband loved them both! (He hates cauliflower any other way). I plan to use the leftovers over a whole grain spaghetti noodle tonight as a meatball alternative.
Dani says
That sounds great, Kellie. I love the idea of serving them over pasta as an easy meatball substitution – great tip!
Lisa says
I am going to make these. However, I want to make a big batch for my son in College. Should I freeze these before or after i bake them ?
Dani says
I would freeze them after they are baked – although I have never tried it before. Would love to know what you decide and how it goes!
Marcia Solomon says
I’ve always liked adding 1 small container of natural no sugar added applesauce to add moisture. I find muffin meatloaves are terrific on many levels and mine have always frozen well. .
Maryann says
I added mushrooms to mine to also help with moisture, I followed the recipe but added the mushrooms! They turned out great!
Dani says
Yes! Mushrooms are great way to add moisture. So glad you liked them 🙂
Lica says
Made these yesterday and they are delicious! I followed the recipe with the following exceptions: I omitted the garlic powder and just used the fresh garlic, and also used whole eggs. It was moist and spiced just right. This is the first of your recipes I’ve tried and I’m definitely going to try more. Thanks Dani!
Dani says
So glad you liked it! Definitely try others, and let me know what you think 🙂
Kasia says
Love these muffins. They are truly delicious, and easy to modify with whatever veggies you have on hand. I like that you don’t have to prep the oatmeal in any way. You just use as it comes from the box. Terrific choice for gluten and dairy free diet. They became my meal prep essentials.
Dani says
So good to know you are enjoying them. I love how versatile they are… so easy!
Emilie says
I just LOVE these little muffin meatloaves and so does my hubby. I made them from the original recipe at first and now I make variations all the time. I’m on the maintenance plan from a diet program and these are a very welcome addition. I’ve lost 55 lbs. and use a bunch of recipes from Clean & Delicious. Thank you SOOOO Much Dani!
Dani says
Awe, you’re very welcome, Emilie! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
Carla says
I know I’m late to the party as this post was posted years ago, but I just had to comment. These turkey muffins are soooo goddamn delicious! I am so happy I’ve found your blog and youtube channel. I’m an avid fan!!
Dani says
Yay!! So happy you liked them Carla. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Kimberly says
LOVED these meatloaf muffins! Found this recipe preparing for a diet and they were a flavor godsend after multiple days of baked chicken and steamed broccoli! Added some shredded carrot, used whole eggs and substituted the oats for gluten free bread crumbs. I also topped them with a little bit of all natural, sugar free ketchup before baking. We now make these every couple weeks for an easy weeknight dinner. Thank you!
Dani says
So glad to hear that Kimberly! Thanks for letting me know!
Wendi says
Thank you, Dani (and Jamie) for this recipe. I am not a great cook, but these were so easy to make and my kids absolutely LOVED them! I made them using a 50-50 split between the light and dark ground turkey. I also used your idea of melting a little mozzarella cheese on top of them. My kids give them an 11 out of 10. 🙂 I just posted a link to the recipe on my Facebook page too. Thanks!
Dani says
So glad you enjoyed them Wendi! Thanks for sharing.
Fidel Wells says
What could you use instead of the oatmeal if you are doing a keto diet?
Thanks!
Fidel
Dani says
You can try adding some almond flour 🙂
Fidel Wells says
Thank you!
Fidel
Rose Martine says
This looks absolutely amazing! Cannot wait to make this next week! Definitely want to try it out at our next Bimbo dinner party.
Dani says
So glad you are going to try this one Rose! I hope you enjoy it.
Katie Bowen says
Could I use one egg instead of the egg whites?
Dani says
yes, for sure!