Mini Meatloaves with Roasted Broccoli
Servings: 4 ish
Prep: 10 - 15 minutes Baking: ~20 minutes
Equipment:
Sheet pan x 2
Parchment sheets
Cutting board
Spatula (optional)
Measuring Spoons
Thermometer (optional)
Ingredients:
½ bunch parsley
1½ pounds uncooked Italian turkey sausage
⅔ cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup, divided
2 x 10 ounce bags broccoli florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 unsliced Italian loaf or baguette
4 tablespoons of butter
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
Strip the leaves from the parsley stems and coarsely chop. Set a few parsley leaves aside for your garlic bread.
Combine the parsley leaves with the turkey sausage, breadcrumbs, eggs, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of the pepper, and the soy sauce. Mix until ingredients are well combined (we find this easiest with your cleans hands, but a spatula or wooden spoon will work) - this is also a good job for kiddos if you’re comfortable with them touching raw meat.
Grab one of the lined sheet pans, and divide the mixture into eighths, shaping each portion into a mini loaf. Slather each with ½ tablespoon of ketchup, then pop the the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
While the mini meatloaves are baking, spread your broccoli florets on the other sheet pan. Break up any larger florets, then toss with the olive oil and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Pop the broccoli into the oven alongside the meatloaves, and roast for 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender and deeply browned in spots.
Finally, make the bread: melt the butter, grate a few cloves of garlic into it, and season with salt and pepper. Then, brush onto both sides of a halved loaf of bread, dust generously with grated parmesan, and sprinkle with some chopped parsley or chives, if you’d like. Pop into the oven alongside the broccoli and meatloves, and bake til crisp and warm, about 10 minutes.
You can tell your meatloaves are done when they feel firm and spring back to your touch, or have an internal temp (use an instant read thermometer for this) of 165°F. With some luck, your broccoli and meatloaf will be done at the same-ish time.
When ready, remove the meatloaves from the oven, and serve alongside broccoli. Garnish with more ketchup if you please.
Notes:
Don’t think of meatloaf as the failed meal of your childhood. Gone are the days of dry, hockey puck style microwave dinners. Here, we’ve updated this oldie but goodie with turkey sausage (the seasoning is done for you!) for a lighter and more flavorful dish, while keeping the nostalgia with a ketchup glaze. Soy sauce adds a pop of umani, while fresh parsley lends brightness and vitamins. We prefer a spicier sausage, but a mild version will work just fine. Just make sure to buy raw sausage (instead of the pre-cooked varieties), which is most often found at or near the butcher counter. If you can, opt for loose sausage but otherwise just remove the link casings at home.Pro tips:
Hot tips:
Per usual, we opted for the pre-cut broccoli florets, and you should, too! If you can’t find those, look for approximately the same weight of broccolini (we’re huge fans of Wegman’s broccoletti), or grab two heads of broccoli and have your young ones carefully chop it up while you assemble the meat loaves.
If you can’t find Italian turkey sausage, fret not: buy the regular ground turkey or chicken, then mix with two tablespoons of Italian seasoning or one tablespoon each of dried garlic, oregano, and basil.
You can also jazz up your ketchup with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
A handful of crispy onions or shallots (plenty of stores carry these year round - they’re not just for Thanksgiving!), and our preferred brands are TJ’s and Lar’s Own.
Feel free to swap cauliflower or Brussels sprouts for the broccoli.