Chipotle Glazed Turkey Meatloaf Muffins: The Cutest Way To Serve Everyone’s Favorite Retro Meal

A lot of great things come in small packages:

 

• Cinnamon rolls
• Teacup pigs
• Dustin Hoffman (he’s 5’9”)

 

Oh, and did you know you can also stuff meatloaf into muffin tins, top with a sweet and spicy glaze, and you get to have cupcakes for dinner? It’s a really great thing I discovered when I started doing meal prep. Not only are they a more attractive way to serve meatloaf, but you can take them to go. They’re really the perfect thing for meal prepping dishes to take to the gym or office. However, meatloaf has a little bit of a bad rap. As a member of Team Meatloaf, I feel a responsibility to debunk the myths that have been attached to it over the years. 

 

Meatloaf Myths:

 

1. It’s colorless and unattractive.
2. It’s flavorless.
3. It’s unhealthy.
4. It’s dry and spongey.

 

The Truth About Meatloaf:

 

1. While meatloaf certainly can be unattractive, there are ways to combat this. For one, adding texture to your meatloaves, like fresh and healthy vegetables or chopped nuts to the ground meat mix, not only adds vibrant colors to the dish but also different textures, so everything isn’t so uniform. The second pro tip is to top the meatloaf with a colorful glaze. For a lot of people, this is simply ketchup, but I like to add spicy adobo sauce and brown sugar for sweetness, acidity, and heat. Make sure to add the glaze towards the end of the cooking time. The sugar tends to burn, so adding it towards the end gives everything a subtle caramelized sheen, without going too far.
2. Now, I’ve had my fair share of bad meatloaves. I think where people go wrong is forgetting to add flavor to the mix. Yes, meatloaf is supposed to be humble and straightforward, but in its most basic state: ground meat, egg, and breadcrumbs, it lacks any defining flavor. Again, fresh and healthy vegetables like chiles, onions, and garlic are essential. I also like to add things like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to enhance the meaty flavors.
3. Meatloaf is actually a great source of protein, and can even be used in light and healthy meal prep! Lean meats like turkey and bison are high for meatloaf, because adding moisture like egg, tomato sauce, and vegetables helps lubricate the meat, keeping it from drying out. I actually prefer these over things like ground chuck, because chuck can be too greasy. I also use oats instead of breadcrumbs in my recipe, which add fiber, and are a great way to make meatloaf gluten-free. If you follow a gluten-free diet, keep in mind that soy sauce is not gluten-free, so use tamari. 
4. If you’ve ever had dry meatloaf, it probably means it was overcooked. I know cooking meat can be tricky for some people, so that’s why I highly suggest investing in a good instant-read thermometer. They’re inexpensive, and they’re worth it if you cook a lot of meat. The only surefire way to prevent overcooking meat is by taking the internal temperature. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 160° F for meatloaf. To avoid a spongey texture, use your hands to mix the meatloaf and don’t over mix. It’s way more comfortable than any other utensil, and you’ll also be able to feel whether your meatloaf is mixed thoroughly before you go overboard.

 

I really like this muffin format for serving meatloaf, because it elevates the presentation, and you can meal prep them for on the go sustenance. These days, turkey meatloaf is really popular, and in this post, I also include a recipe for mashed sweet potatoes. For those of you who are using meal prep for weight loss, this is a great post-workout combo because of the protein-packed meatloaf and complex carbs in the sweet potatoes. Fresh and healthy meals can be challenging to make if you’re always on the go, so I like to turn to dishes like this in those situations.

 

 

 

 

 

Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf Muffins with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 

Serves 6-8 (makes 12 muffins)

 

For the meatloaf muffins:

 

2 pounds ground turkey breast

1 4-ounce can green chiles

1 small onion, grated

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 canned chipotles in adobo sauce, minced

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamarin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Zest of 2 limes

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

1 large egg, beaten

 

For the glaze:

 

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons adobo sauce from can of chipotles

2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

 

For the sweet potatoes:

 

4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into rough chunks

1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) salt, divided

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

 

Make the glaze:

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, adobo sauce, and brown sugar until thoroughly combined. Set aside until ready to use.

 

For the meatloaf muffins:

 

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or brush with olive oil, and set it inside a sheet pan lined with foil. This will help with easy cleanup, in case of any juices from the meatloaf overflow. You can also line the muffin tin with cupcake papers if desired.

 

In a large mixing bowl, use clean hands to combine all the ingredients for the meatloaf muffins. Be careful not to over mix the meatloaf, as this can lead to tough and spongey meatloaf. 

 

Divide the meatloaf mixture between the muffin cups, and bake on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes. 

 

After the initial 15 minutes, use a brush or spoon to divide the glaze between the tops of the meatloaf muffins. Return to the oven, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the muffins reaches 160° F. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

 

Use an offset spatula or butter knife to run help release the meatloaf muffins from the muffin tins. If using for meal prep, store in resealable containers, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

 

For the sweet potatoes:

 

Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough water to reach an inch above the sweet potatoes. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt to the water and bring to a boil over high heat. 

 

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very tender. Piercing a sweet potato chunk with a fork is an excellent way to tell if it’s tender.

 

Drain the sweet potatoes through a colander, and return to the pot, but turn the heat off. This help helps the excess water evaporate. Add the remaining teaspoon salt, garlic powder, butter, sour cream, and milk, and mash everything with a potato masher, until the sweet potatoes are smooth and creamy. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.

 

These Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf Muffins are the perfect answer to portion-controlled, fresh and healthy meal prep. If you live in Southern California and want more portion-controlled meals like this delivered to your door, My Healthy Penguin is a delivery service that takes the guesswork out of meal prep and healthy eating. Delicious, wholesome meals are delivered to you every week, making your journey to a healthier lifestyle a lot smoother and more consistent. Check out this week’s menu to get started and jump on the healthy meal prep bandwagon.

 

• Will Todd @hangrywhitemale