Mini BBQ Meat Loaves & Smashed Blue Cheese Potatoes

If you're looking for an easy and delicious weeknight meal, I've got you covered. And a confession for you on this Tuesday afternoon: I like the flavor of meatloaf, but I'm turned off by the loaf part of it...the word and the appearance. With that said, these mini meat loaves were a winner. They cook up beautifully, and I just love how they look plated. And the blue cheese potatoes were divine. I added a side of Ina Garten's Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli (a recipe I've shared before), and we had a fabulous meal. This is definitely being added to the rotation.

 

 Mini BBQ Meat Loaves & Smashed Blue Cheese Potatoes

{Cooking Light magazine}

 

1 pound small red potatoes, halved

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ounce blue cheese, crumbled (I probably used 3 times this much, but I love blue cheese)  

Cooking spray

8 ounces mild turkey Italian sausage, casings removed (I couldn't find turkey Italian sausage, so I used regular Italian sausage in its place)   

8 ounces 90% lean ground sirloin

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup lower-sodium barbecue sauce (I used regular BBQ sauce....life is too short for low sodium!)

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 350°.

 

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan filled with water. Bring to a boil; cook 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return potatoes to pan. Add buttermilk, salt, and cheese; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Keep warm.

 

Coat 8 muffin cups with cooking spray. Combine sausage, sirloin, carrot, green onions, panko, black pepper, and egg in a large bowl, stirring just until combined. Divide sausage mixture evenly among prepared cups. Make a (1/2-inch-deep) indentation in the center of each meat loaf. Top each meat loaf with about 2 teaspoons barbecue sauce. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 160°.

Enjoy!

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Hope everyone is having a happy day!