These Mexican Turkey Taco Meatloaf Muffins are packed with flavor and fun to eat. 136 calories/3 Freestyle points per muffin.
Disclosure: I was asked to participate in the McCormick Gluten-Free Recipe Mixes Launch as a member of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network. I received free samples of McCormick Gluten-Free Mixes from McCormick mentioned in this post. I was compensated for my time.
If you’ve been following my blog, you probably know that my youngest son has a thing for tacos and nachos. When I make nachos, I usually put some leftover taco meat on top. I think he likes not only the taco seasoning, but all the toppings.
Lately, I’ve noticed he’s been “too full” to finish his vegetables. Hmm…not sure if that’s true or if he’s just trying to avoid eating vegetables. This pre-teen stage is full of new challenges.
So, recently I resorted to my sneaky mom tricks and blended in lots of vegetables into these Mexican Turkey Taco Meatloaf Muffins. Not only are there carrots, celery and red bell pepper in these meatloaf muffins, but there’s also a whole pack of mushrooms. The trick is to chop these vegetables as finely as possible so they blend right into the meat mixture. I used my food processor which did this job easily. Not only do all these vegetables add more nutrition, but they pack extra flavor into these meatloaf muffins too.
The only seasoning I used was a pack of McCormick’s Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning Mix, a zesty blend of Mexican seasonings. I knew my son would gobble these meatloaf muffins up since he just adores anything that has the word “taco” in it. This taco seasoning is one of several gluten-free seasoning mixes McCormick recently came out with, which are certified by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. They’re made with the natural goodness of herbs and spices, and no MSG or artificial colors and flavors.
These meatloaf muffins are the perfect size for kids and reheat really nicely. I haven’t tried freezing them, but I bet they’d freeze well too.
Give these Mexican Turkey Taco Meatloaf Muffins a try – they’re moist and delicious, and full of flavor, plus your kids will be getting an extra serving of vegetables ;).
Mexican Turkey Taco Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 carrots peeled, trimmed, cut into chunks
- 1 celery stalk trimmed, cut into chunks
- 1 10- ounce pack mushrooms stems removed and cleaned
- 1 medium onion peeled, quartered
- 1 red bell pepper seeded, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ounce McCormick Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup gluten-free quick oats
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Turn food processor on and feed carrots, celery, mushrooms, onion, and pepper through feeding tube. Process until vegetables are finely chopped, scraping down sides as necessary. You may have to pulse the food processor a few times towards the end to chop the remaining vegetable pieces.
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Heat oil in large skillet and add chopped vegetables. Saute until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Mix in taco seasoning. Let cool.
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Place turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled vegetables, quick oats and egg. Mix well. Portion out into 12 muffin tins that have been lightly greased with oil. Spoon 2 teaspoons salsa on top of each meatloaf muffin and spread to cover tops.
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Bake 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese if desired; return to oven and bake another few minutes until cheese is melted.
Recipe Notes
3 Freestyle points per muffin
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I have grown to love meatloaf as an adult… but haven’t been able to get my kids inspired that way yet. I’m thinking these are the perfect choice to do the trick 🙂
Regan – these are almost like giant meatballs so maybe if you tell them that, it’ll do the trick 😉
So many vegetables in one recipe. I love it. I used to avoid taco seasoning packets but I noticed that this brand doesn’t contain any MSG (yippee) and that the sodium is quite reasonable. Thanks for sharing. Looks like a recipe my boys would gobble up in a second 🙂
Liz – lately, I’ve been having to sneak in veggies left and right to get my son to eat them. Yes, no MSG + the sodium isn’t too high, so a good choice for quick meals.
Love the sneaky mom tricks and blending in lots of vegetables!! and I will definitely look for the McCormick Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning Mix. . these look great!! Love that you added salsa on top and baked these in a muffin tin!
Alice – I’ve feel like the sneak chef lately, but it’s the only way for me to make sure my son eats his vegetables sometimes. These are kid-friendly and the mini size makes them fun to eat!
Pack in the veggies everywhere!
Yummy! Just pinned to my gluten-free and kid-friendly boards!
I adore meatloaf and making them into muffins is just a perfect idea! I can toss a couple in to my husband’s lunch. SO much easier than reheating a big piece 🙂
Becca, these individual portions are a great idea for lunch!
Actually making this on the weekend- perfect for food prep! Pinning!
Love that you can sneak in more veggies into these muffins. The taco seasoning sounds great too! My son would gobble these up in no time – they look delicious topped with the salsa and cheese!
Thanks Kelly – yes, I’ve been sneaky lately ;).
Can you make this in a loaf pan instead of as muffins? If so, how long would it take to cook?
Hali, you could certainly make it into a loaf. I don’t even use a loaf pan when I do it. I just shape into a loaf. I’m guessing it might take about 50 minutes to cook through.