Turkey Meatloaf Cups

So... I really love to cook. No, seriously. The other thing that I love? A great deal. And yesterday, both of those things collided. I was at Ralphs and saw Jennie-O brand ground turkey (extra lean!) on sale, buy one get one free. I froze one 1lb package for later and decided to experiment a little bit with the other one.

As a college student, I love quick and easy meals. My schedule is up and down, changing at any moment. And honestly, the majority of my time is spent in study. But it's always helpful to have something "ready" to eat, especially after I come home from the gym and am famished! So, I decided to try and add some lean meats to the equation. I never really bought ground meat of any kind before, especially because I had no idea what to do with it!

But like I said, I couldn't pass up a deal. So I stumbled upon this recipe today and decided to make some "meatloaf" cups for lunch, saving a few for dinners or breakfasts. And true to form, I substituted and omitted ingredients due to what I had in my pantry/fridge. I didn't add red pepper, couscous, or worcestershire sauce. Instead, I added about 1/2 cup of rolled oats, for texture and consistency. I also decided to make these "French" meatloaf cups by adding "Herbes de Provence" seasoning.

To serve, I'm planning on adding some dijon mustard to add the final kick of flavor! Here's the "real" recipe but don't feel afraid to mix it up and experiment. Maybe next time, I'll try making a Mexican version of this, with taco seasoning and cilantro. Yum! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions
• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, or as needed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray 20 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Place zucchini, onions, and red bell pepper into a food processor, and pulse several times until finely chopped but not liquefied. Place the vegetables into a bowl, and mix in ground turkey, couscous, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard until thoroughly combined. Fill each prepared muffin cup about 3/4 full. Top each cup with about 1 teaspoon of barbecue sauce.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until juices run clear, about 25 minutes. Internal temperature of a muffin measured by an instant-read meat thermometer should be at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.