Spicy Mini Meatloaves

Did you despise meatloaf as a child?  I know I did.  I have recently reached that final milestone to becoming an adult (wait – I still don’t like coffee – darn!) and have started to like and cook meatloaf.  Last time I made meatloaf, I cut it into small bits and told my 3 year old it was meatballs (one of his favorites).  He was not convinced, most likely because meatloaf is inherently gross to children.

This time, in an effort to make meatloaf more appealing to him, I made mini meatloaves (they were really just giant meatballs but work with me here).  And, because of the new shape, my 3 year old did indeed eat my meatloaf.  As an added bonus, the meatloaf didn’t sit in its own grease in a loaf pan.  Because I spaced the meatloaves out by a couple inches in a large casserole dish, a lot of the grease was able to drain away from the meatloaves without soaking back into the meat!  Note: normally, I would put some cheese on top of these while baking, but omitted that step because of the whole dairy free thing.

Spicy Mini Meatloaves

An Amy Original

1 lb ground beef

1 lb Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1 egg

2/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

¼ cup wheat germ

2/3 cup orange puree

4 tbsp onions, finely diced

½ tsp fennel

½ tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish or cake pan.

Mix all ingredients by hand in a large bowl until evenly blended.

Form into about 12 large meat balls (mini meatloaves) and place the prepared baking dish, spaced apart by a couple inches.  Bake for 30-45 minutes or until cooked completely through and browned.

Enjoy!

Amy