Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Meatloaf??? Can we make it modern and easier?

Ahem.....It's been a while since I updated for just one reason...Lately...I have been absent from the kitchen other than eating Activia yogurt which I buy and drinking coffee. Alas last night I decided that it was time to get back in the swing of things.

As a kid growing up I remember my mom making meatloaf every now and then. Let me preface by saying that I DO NOT care for onions or an entire bottle of ketchup on top. Of course this was served with mashed potatoes which made it a little bit better to tolerate. After trying to figure out how I could make this taste better and without all the work of having a loaf of actual meat. So below I introduce my version of the traditional meatloaf which is much easier to make and kid friendly.

Enjoy


YIELD - About 10 "muffins"
Ingredients:
1 lb of Ground Turkey or Ground Beef
1 box of Stouffers or Store Brand Stuffing Mix - Cornbread Flavor is great!
Salt and Pepper to taste
Ketchup
1/4 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar or blended cheese)
1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning (this can be substituted with whatever herb blend you like)
1 cup of water

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease the insides of a muffin pan LIBERALLY if you are using ground beef as it creates it own grease. Apply a little bit more if using ground turkey as it has little to no fat at all. This will prevent the mini meatloaves from sticking to the insides.
  3. In a large bowl combine your ground beef/ground turkey, the dry stuffing mix, salt and pepper, seasoning blend, and water. Mix well until fully combined.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins leaving a small amount of room for them to grow.
  5. Once all of the mixture is in the pans put a dollop of ketchup on top and spread evenly.
  6. Place in the oven at 350 degrees. For the ground beef cook until done, about 20-25 minutes. For the ground turkey cook until done, about 15-20 minutes. The ground turkey will cook faster.
  7. During the last 5 minutes of cooking place the cheese on top and cook until melted and slightly bubbly.
  8. Once done let rest for about 5 minutes. They will be really hot.
POINTERS:
  • You can use any flavor of stuffing you like.
  • DO NOT add too much water. Eyeball it and use your best judgment. You want just enough to wet the stuffing mix.
  • Keep and eye on the muffins. The last thing anyone wants is dry meatloaf.
  • Feel free to add additional cheese both to the mixture and/or on top.
  • Serve with ketchup for the kiddies! They love that they are "muffins" and enjoy the dunking....you might too :)

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