Turkey Meatloaf Muffins with Bacon

These turkey meatloaf muffins with bacon turn out juicy and tender while being high in protein and low in calories.

Muffin pans…gotta love built in portion control! Especially when you still get a delicious, juicy, and healthy meal. These Turkey Meatloaf Muffins with Bacon are perfect because you can create perfect little 2 ounce meatloaves. And tiny food, I mean, what could be cuter than that?

Ingredients

• Ground turkey: High in protein while low in fat and calories, a great protein to allow guiltless use of bacon in the recipe. I like to use 99% lean ground turkey breast but 80% works also.
• Worcestershire sauce: A great source of unique flavor with a blend of vinegar, molasses, garlic, anchovies, sugar, and spices. It is total umami!
• Grill seasoning: Typically a mixture of black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and rosemary, but different brands have different blends and you can experiment to alter the flavor.
• Garlic: Low in calories, but high in flavor and antioxidants. If you’ve been around a while, you know I love cooking with garlic.
• Parmigiano reggiano: A hard, Italian cheese with sharp flavor. It’s savory-ness is balanced out with nutty and fruity notes.
• Sundried tomatoes: Sweet, tangy, and chewy, sun-dried tomatoes bring flavor as well as vitamin C and vitamin K.
• Onion: White onions, also known as sweet onions, are light and mild in flavor, but bring needed moisture to this mostly fat-free protein.
• Bacon: Adds salty flavor and a healthy balance of fat. Who doesn’t love bacon?
• Ketchup: Sweet and tangy, and the classic sauce for meatloaf, it helps to seal in the moisture.
• Dijon mustard: Stronger than regular yellow mustard, Dijon mustard not only adds flavor to the sauce, but also antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds.

How to Make Turkey Meatloaf Muffins with Bacon

Start by greasing your muffin pan. Then add your grill seasoning to a large bowl- whichever brand is your favorite, or you can create your own blend.

Then grate your garlic, I like to use a microplane to grate mine.

And pour in your grated parmigiano reggiano blend as well.

Next, you’ll want to mince your sundried tomatoes, making them nice and small. Sun-dried tomatoes can be pretty chewy, so keeping them small helps with the texture.

And add the minced sundried tomatoes to your bowl.

Next comes your ground turkey, don’t worry about breaking it up ahead of time. Season with some salt and pepper.

Grate your onion on top of the turkey. Grating it helps to spread out the flavor and moisture.

Then drizzle the Worcestershire sauce over everything.

Mix it all up! Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, using your bare hands is the best way to get all of the ingredients incorporated together. Once it’s good and mixed, portion them out into your prepared muffin tin.

Mix the ketchup and Dijon mustard together to create your glaze.

And using a brush or a spoon, spread it over the top of your little turkey meatloaves.

Next you’ll chop up your bacon slices into roughly one inch sized pieces.

And garnish each muffin with a tiny handful of chopped bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and broil for an additional 2 minutes if you want to make the bacon nice and crispy.

Remove from the muffin pan, and enjoy your Turkey Meatloaf Muffins with Bacon.

Easy Recipe Swaps

• Omit the bacon. Don’t like or can’t have pork? To still get something crispy on top, you can use more sundried tomatoes or some shitake mushrooms.
• Swap out the protein. You could easily switch out the ground turkey for chicken for similar nutrition factors, or change it up entirely by using ground beef or pork.
• Change up your fillings. If you can’t eat dairy, you can swap out the cheese for soy parmesan or nutritional yeast. Instead of sundried tomatoes, use shitake mushrooms or fresh basil leaves.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Complimentary Side Dishes:

• Carrot Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
• Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons
• Sautéed Swiss Chard with Lemon and Garlic
• Perfectly Roasted Parmesan Broccoli
• Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower

Similar Recipes

• Cheeseburger Meatloaf Muffins
• Pizza Meatloaf Cups
• Baked Turkey Meatballs with Guacamole
• Low Carb Ground Turkey Lettuce Cups

As I’ve said before, the key to delicious turkey dishes is to incorporate moisture and flavor. By loading up on grated onion, garlic, sundried tomatoes, and other seasonings, these meatloaf muffins turn out juicy and tender.

Your fork is waiting.