Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins with Cranberry Glaze

This is the ultimate November recipe if you ask me - turkey, pumpkin, and cranberries?! I spoke before about my desire to incorporate more pumpkin into heathy dishes, and this recipe does just that. The ground turkey is combined with chopped and sauteed mushrooms and onions, and then with rolled oats, egg whites, and of course pumpkin. Just like the Turkey-Pumpkin Chili, the pumpkin flavor isn't prominent here, if you can distinguish it at all, but rather it adds some moisture. The simple cranberry glaze is a nice addition - a bit of sweet and sour baked on top. I may try playing around with the herbs next time. This time I added thyme and rosemary and may swap the rosemary for sage or another seasoning commonly used with turkey.

I love meatloaf muffins because they are already divided into individual portions, and it's super easy to pack up a couple for lunches. Bob and I were both excited that there was enough leftover for both of us to have a lunch the next day, and then some. I served these with Smashed Sweet Potatoes and roasted asparagus. With how busy we've been lately, I haven't had much time to focus on make truly balanced dinners, so it felt really good to get back to it. This dinner really got us pumped for Thanksgiving!

Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins with Cranberry Glaze

Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 8-ounce package mushrooms, chopped finely
2 cloves minced garlic (or pressed through a garlic press)
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg white
1/3 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, broken into smaller pieces (or sage)

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I just guessed an amount and thought it could use more salt, so you may want to up this to 3/4 teaspoon)

freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

1. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender.

2. Add veggies to a bowl with the turkey, pumpkin, egg white, oats, Worcestershire, herbs, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin tin. Place in the oven, bake for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine cranberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Spoon onto the meatloaf muffins, and bake for another 15 minutes. Make sure to test the internal temperature of the meatloaves to make sure it registers at a safe temperature for poultry (165F being the absolute lowest, although mine were considerably above and still very moist). Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from Cara's Cravings