Sweet And Savory Turkey Meatloaf Muffins Recipe

Turkey meatloaf muffins capture the essence of Thanksgiving any time of the year. They cook quickly but are loaded with warm and comforting flavors. It's way easier to make than it is to roast a whole turkey, and the ingredients can easily be found year-round.

Recipe developer Leah Maroney brings us this dish, and she loves the simplicity of the recipe: "Everything mixes together in one bowl and is cooked in one muffin tin. Since it includes turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce ... It's a complete meal in a little muffin." However, we highly recommend serving these with mashed potatoes and gravy, because why not? Since there aren't any pan drippings, you can use the pan that was used to soften the vegetables. Or, just use store-bought gravy to save time. Maroney uses a thinner cranberry sauce here, but you can also use jellied cranberry sauce. Just thin the cranberry sauce with a little water to form a spreadable sauce for the top of the muffins. 

For this recipe, onion, garlic, celery, and carrots are sauteed in butter until softened. The vegetables are added to pre-made stuffing mix (which is full of flavor and saves time and effort). Extra Thanksgiving herbs, chicken broth, and eggs are also added to the stuffing mixture. Then, ground turkey is incorporated to form the meatloaf mixture. The meatloaf is divided evenly in a greased muffin tin, topped with tangy cranberry sauce, and baked until golden brown. These meatloaf muffins are perfect served with mashed potatoes, gravy, and, of course, more cranberry sauce. 

Add the butter to a large skillet and heat on high until melted.

Add in the chopped onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Add the dried seasonings, chicken broth, and eggs to a measuring cup and whisk to combine.

Stir the stuffing mix into a large bowl with the softened vegetables and the chicken broth mixture.

Place the ground turkey and chopped parsley in the bowl and mix to combine.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Grease the wells of a muffin tin with cooking spray or butter.

Evenly divide the turkey mixture between the 12 muffin wells.

Divide the cranberry sauce between the tops of the muffins.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Remove from the muffin tins and serve with your favorite sides.

One of this recipe's pros is how easy it is to freeze. Once the muffins have cooled, place them in a single layer in a plastic storage bag. Make sure not to crowd the bag too much so that the muffins are easy to separate once frozen. Freeze for up to six months. They reheat nicely in the microwave, but can also be reheated in the oven. Add a sprinkle of water to keep them from drying out. The turkey meatloaf muffins also store well in the refrigerator. Store these muffins in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. Just make sure to only reheat what you are going to eat immediately. Also, make sure the muffins have been cooled before storing. You can add more cranberry sauce when they're done reheating if you like them extra saucy. 

There are so many delicious sides that you can serve with turkey meatloaf muffins; the pairing possibilities are endless. While we used store-bought cranberry sauce for the top of the muffins, you can make homemade cranberry sauce. It's great for spreading on the muffins and also for serving on the side. A thinner one works best for topping the muffins, but any texture works great for the side. Mashed potatoes and gravy are an excellent and classic choice for a side. Turkey gravy also tastes delicious drenched over the meatloaf muffins. Add some vegetables on the side, such as candied carrots, green bean casserole, or crispy Brussels sprouts. We're partial to Parker House rolls if you're looking for an exceptional bread choice to add to this meal. You can dress up this meal as much as you like, or just serve the meatloaf muffins simply on their own.