Bacon Topped Meatloaf Muffins

I've recently found that besides shopping, one of the only other things that makes me feel better is cooking. I love the feeling of sharing something delicious with other people, especially when it gets everyone sharing and talking about their memories. My boyfriend has been asking for meatloaf for a while now, but the only meatloaf I have memories of is from a microwave TV dinner. Not very appetizing or healthy!

I adapted this recipe from Skinnytaste, where I make most of my meals from. This recipe is kind of a hybrid of several meatloaf recipes, and the result was a hit. My boyfriend even asked me to make it again for a tailgate, where 3 dozen of these muffins were gone in about 15 minutes. I used lean ground turkey, plus zucchini and oatmeal as healthy fillers. And the muffin tin provides portion control!  The bacon kept the meatloaf moist, but provided a little indulgence. Add some sambal or other hot sauce to the glaze for an extra kick.

Ingredients:
1.3 lbs of 99% ground turkey
2/3 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed and drained
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 onion, diced or grated
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as sriracha or sambal oelek (optional)
4 slices of center cut bacon
Olive oil for cooking, salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent and garlic is golden brown (put onions in first for 3-5 minutes, then add garlic so it doesn't burn)

3. Remove garlic and onions from heat. Mix them in a bowl with  the first 4 ingredients and the 1/4 cup of ketchup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Mix the remaining 2 tbsp of ketchup, worcestershire, and hot sauce (if using) and set aside.

5. Fill greased muffin tin with ground turkey mixture. You can fill the muffin cups to the top, but don't pack it in.

6. Cut bacon into 2-3" strips (big enough to cover the muffins) and top each meatloaf muffin with 1-2 pieces.

7. Brush ketchup/worcestershire/hot sauce gaze over bacon. Bake for 25 minutes or until bacon is brown and glaze looks caramelized.

Makes 10 medium-sized muffins. Adapted from Skinnytaste.com