Mini Turkey Meatloaf Dinner

I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for a sheet pan meal.  I like putting everything together and throwing it into the oven, having it come out all at the same time and only one pan to scrub.  Any time I come across a recipe like that I feel compelled to try it and I am usually happy with the results.

This recipe came from Cooking Light magazine.  It looked interesting and simple enough.  I like to try recipes with ground turkey, ever hopeful that I will cook it and it won’t end up too dry, which is easy to do.  This particular recipe called for instant oats, something that I wouldn’t normally associate with meatloaf of any kind, and unfortunately, not something I keep on hand either.  A quick google search revealed that putting traditional oats into a food processor and pulsing 5-6 long pulses will turn traditional oats into instant oats.  Game on!

This sheet pan meal cooks pretty hot at 450 degrees so preheating prior to assembly is important for time management.  My oven takes about ten minutes to get to that temperature – that is almost enough time to have everything ready to go in and get cooking.

The first step involves creating the mini meatloaves by combining the ground turkey, oats, half of the ketchup, diced onion, an egg, marjoram and half of the kosher salt in a bowl.  The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of dried marjoram but I only had ground marjoram so I used half of the amount instead.  My thinking was that ground spices would be more concentrated flavor-wise and I didn’t want it to be overpowering. 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, divide into four portions and shape into mini meatloaf shapes.  Mine kind of looked like footballs when I was done with them but the important thing is to have them all similarly sized.  Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and spread the mini meatloaves out evenly on the sheet pan.  Set aside for now.

Combine the remaining ketchup with Worchestershire sauce in a small bowl.  This makes a sweet-savory glaze that serves to add flavor.  Pretty good tasting, actually.  If you don’t care for Worchestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar mixed with the ketchup is a delicious glaze as well.  Apply generously to the meatloaves.

In a large bowl combine the green beans and the baby carrots.  Add olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Scatter the vegetables around the loaves on the sheet pan.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.  Take the pan out, stir the vegetables and return to oven for another 12-15 minutes until loaves are no longer pink in the center.  Serve immediately.

One thing I may do next time is to not add the veggies to the sheet pan until after the first 12 minutes.  My family likes veggies more on the crispy side and these veggies are really more roasted.  It was totally delicious made this way but just something to think about.  Enjoy!

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Mini Turkey Meatloaf Dinner

Servings 4

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats or traditional oats pulsed in the food processor 5-6 times
• 6 tbsp ketchup divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp ground marjoram
• 1 tsp kosher salt divided
• 2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
• 1 lb fresh green beans trimmed
• 8 ounces baby carrots 1/2 bag
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a large rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray.
• Combine turkey, oats, 3 tablespoons ketchup, onion, egg, marjoram and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Divide into 4 loaves and place onto sheet pan, evenly spaced.
• Combine Worchestershire sauce and remaining ketchup and brush generously over loaves.
• Combine green beans, carrots, olive oil, garlic remaining salt and pepper in a large bowl.Toss until well coated and scatter vegetables around loaves on sheet pan.
• Bake at 450 degrees F for 12 minutes. Stir veggies and return to oven for an additional 12-15 minutes until loaves are no longer pink in center.