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Mini Paleo Turkey Meatloaves {by Merit + Fork}

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What it is, jive turkeys! I’m baaaaack! I missed my December OPL guest post & was on a Caribbean cruise during last month’s Paleo Pomegranate-Ginger Sticky Wings guest post. Now, I’m back and it’s time to party. If you’ve never made turkey meatloaf before, I can guarantee you’re missing out. This veggie-packed paleo turkey meatloaf recipe is one of my absolute favorite meals, right next to Chicken Pot Pie and Sweet & Smoky Salmon. I’ve heard several times “isn’t turkey meatloaf super dry?” HELL, NO! I actually prefer it over your standard beef meatloaf!

To be honest I was never even a meatloaf lover growing up. My mom’s meatloaf was good, but, she put so little ketchup on top that I didn’t really realize what I was missing out on, until I made meatloaf for myself as a teenager. The first time I made meatloaf, I decided to use ground turkey. I was eating strictly organic food and could only afford organic ground turkey instead of organic grass-fed ground beef. #imcheapokay #dontjudgeme #brokeasajoke. I decided to spread the ketchup evenly over top the entire loaf (you know, the way it should be) rather than my mother’s very skinny, zig-zag, straight-out-of-the-squirt-bottle ketchup pattern – it just seemed more logical. I baked that ketchup-coated hunk o’ meat and out came a sweet & savory, caramelized-ketchup-y meatloaf sensation.

All my other meatloaf connoisseurs should know that the sweet, baked ketchup topping is the best part – even my picky boyfriend agrees. Ever since that day, I’ve vowed to never, ever, ever skimp or be stingy on the ketchup topping, again. MOTHER, WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME. All of those years I was just barely enjoying meatloaf, while I could’ve been straight-up lovin’ it. Meatloaf was my JAM and I didn’t even know it. Meatloaf + Me were meant to be.

So, here today, I present to you: Mini Turkey Meatloaves/Meatloaf! You can obviously make it in a standard-sized loaf pan, a 4×8 loaf pan OR as mini meatloaves… I personally think minis are the most logical answer as they’re the most fun! Plus, anything in individual, miniature servings is #cuteasabutton. I think the, uhhhhh… entire rest of the world would agree. 😀 So, what are you waiting for?! Make these veggie-packed Paleo Mini Turkey Meatloaves tonight and you won’t be sorry. (p.s. They’re my absolute FAVORITE leftovers!)

Mini Paleo Turkey Meatloaves {by Merit + Fork}

Mini Paleo Turkey Meatloaves {by Merit + Fork}

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Meatloaf is good, but you know what makes it great? Making them miniatures and packing them with veggies. They're cute and sneaky, and best of all, they're delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp ghee/bacon fat/olive oil
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced/grated
  • 1/2 tsp each of fresh herbs, use any combination of fresh/dried rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, or sage, chopped OR 1/4 tsp each of dried herbs
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh baby spinach/baby kale, optional
  • 1/4 cup diced carrot
  • 1/4 cup diced celery
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp worcestershire
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup homemade paleo ketchup

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with lightly greased aluminum foil.
  2. Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Saute diced carrots for 3 mins. Add celery & onion and saute another 5 mins.
  3. Add baby spinach/baby kale, tomato paste, worcestershire, broth, garlic, herbs, salt & pepper.
  4. Saute another 1-2 mins until liquid has mostly evaporated, remove from heat and set aside.
  5. Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add egg, almond flour, and sauteed veggie mixture and gently mix. (I use my hands for this.)
  6. Lightly grease a 1/3 cup measuring cup and evenly pack meatloaf mixture into measuring cup. Flip onto greased-foil baking sheet and repeat until you have 8 mini meatloaves.
  7. Gently flatten the tops and spoon 1-1/2 to 2 tsp homemade paleo ketchup on top of each mini turkey meatloaf.
  8. Bake for about 30 mins at 350°F or until meat thermometer inserted in center of mini meatloaf reads 165°F. ENJOY!
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1 meatloaf
Amount Per Serving Calories 134Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 56mgSodium 324mgCarbohydrates 6gSugar 3gProtein 15g

Nutrition is calculated by a third party and may not be 100% accurate

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Alissa Tag

Thursday 24th of August 2017

I have a question. I just finished the Whole30, and through it, realized I have a tomato sensitivity. It wreaks havoc on my body. What would you suggest as a a substitute for the tomato product? This is new to me. I started having symptoms in January, so I've never had to avoid them before.

Carey

Monday 6th of February 2017

Hi! I'm not sure where on earth the 10 min. prep time comes in here... This takes me a lot longer than that every time. My family loves this recipe. My daughter is begging me to make these for her birthday tomorrow. We have a very tight schedule, so I'm considering trying to use the recipe as written and make it one big meatloaf to save a little time. Any suggestions on how to make it moist?

Just for those who haven't tried it yet -- this recipe was delicious the first time we tried it; however, I have resigned myself to using oat flour (I know, not paleo) and they come out even better with a lighter, moister consistency. I also use more of the vegetables than the recipe calls for, though I can't remember how much more.

This is one of our family staples now, and I usually quadruple the recipe and freeze some for later.

Carey

Saturday 29th of October 2016

This recipe has become a family favorite. My kids beg for me to make these all the time. Just FYI, I tried coconut flour and they were still yummy but dry. I tried almond flour and that was better. I ran out of that and had to sub oat flour recently when we had 18 people over for dinner. That resulted in the moistest meatloaves and every mom there asked me for the recipe.

Ana

Thursday 18th of February 2016

Do you think I can sub the almond flour with coconut flour in this recipe?

Nicole

Saturday 4th of July 2015

(meritandfork.com)

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