Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

My family  has never really been huge fans of meatloaf the traditional way.  But, I found this recipe one day and loved the idea of baking them as muffins instead.  The self portion control is FANTASTIC!  Not to mention, they are super tasty and don't take nearly as long (about half the time) to cook as a traditional meatloaf.  Finally, these are a great make-ahead meal.  Make them in advance and keep them in the fridge (or freezer, they freeze well).  Great for a grab & go snack as well.

Give this a try sometime!

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients:

2lbs. 93% Lean Ground Turkey Breast
3 Large Eggs, beaten
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1 medium Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 cup Old-Fashioned  Oats (can finely grind them down if you don't care for large oats)
1-14.5oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
1/2tsp. Sea Salt
1/2tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 cup Natural Marinara Sauce, no sugar added

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine turkey, eggs, onion, celery, bell pepper, oats, tomatoes, salt & pepper in a large bowl.  Mix well with clean hands or a rubber spatula.

- Scoop out handfuls of meat and place in a regular size muffin tin pan.

- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops look crispy and brown.  Remove the muffins from the oven and spread the marinara sauce over the muffin tops evenly.  Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until coked through.

This recipe will make 12-15 meatloaf muffins.  One serving would be one muffin.

Serve these with a small baked sweet potato or mashed sweet potatoes and a salad or veggies for a complete meal.  Or, you could take one and put it in a whole wheat tortilla or whole grain pita and make a meatloaf sandwich out of it.