Skinny Mini Meat Loaves with Zucchini and Carrots

I made my first ever meatloaf this past winter. It was never really appealing to me. I mean what a terrible name! Aside from bread, I haven’t found too many enticing foods that end in the word loaf. To me it was always a big ole slab of meat swimming in its own grease. Basically, I thought of it as a greasy, nasty mass.

When I moved in with the hubby, he frequently requested meatloaf.  If you know my husband, this isn’t much of a surprise. The guy would be happy with an Oscar Meyer hotdog a reduced priced bun. I shouldn’t be so harsh, he lets me cook whatever I want and he never ever complains what a trooper.

So after a plea or two, I finally caved to his meatloaf request. I may have cringed on my first attempt at meatloaf.  Wait, I know I was cringing.

As I embarked on my meatloaf journey, I decided to put my own spin on it.  I didn’t want it to be that greasy, nasty mass I envisioned. Plus, I wanted it to be little more nutritious. In addition to the traditional ground beef and breadcrumbs, I added a ton of veggies like zucchini, carrots, and onion to ramp up the nutrient content and add a little extra fiber.  The best part being they don’t over power the dish, they just complement the flavor of the meat.

Not only did I have one happy hubby, I was pleasantly surprised myself. The flavor was savory and the mini loaves provided a bit of portion control. I also felt better that I boosted by vegetable intake for the day, mini win for me. What once grossed me out has now become the epitome of comfort food.

When making this recipe, the hardest part is the prep work of the whole thing. I recommend prepping the vegetables first.  The zucchini, onion, carrots, and garlic should be finely chopped. I prefer to use a hand chopper to get better, faster results. Once that’s out of the way, the veggies can be tossed in a large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

To mix, I find it easiest to just get your hands in there. You could use a spatula or large spoon, but it won’t be as easy or efficient, so just get your hands dirty. When you have it all mixed, keep using those hands and form into mini “loaves.”  I usually make them a little larger than I want them as they will shrink down a bit as they cook.  Keep in mind, the leaner the meat, the less they will shrink.

Then you can place these mini meatloaves on a large pan covered in parchment paper and pop in the oven. If topping with ketchup, I usually wait for the last few minutes of cooking to brush on a thin layer.  That way the ketchup has few minutes to bake and get nice and bubbly. (If you’re looking for a fantastic organic, unsweetened ketchup, check out Primal Kitchen. It even comes in a spicy version.)

Now that this recipe is a staple in our kitchen, I usually make this recipe in bulk and freeze the extra loaves. All I do is layer them between parchment paper and store in a freezer bag. Then I can pull them out one by one for weekday lunches and toss in the microwave when ready to eat.