If you haven’t noticed, lately I’ve been bringing some of my favorite older recipes back to life by retesting and improving them, then updating the photography. If you’re new to Ambitious Kitchen then this recipe is most likely new to you, as it was originally published in 2014.
SAY HELLO to these gorgeous MEATLOAF MUFFINS!
YOU GUYS these meatloaf muffins are basically packed healthy little flavor bombs. And obviously, if I’m going to make a traditional dish (like meatloaf), it’s obvious that a few things are going to happen:
1. It’s going to be stuffed in muffin tins so they turn out super cute
2. You know it’s going to be healthy.
3. Bring on the Hispanic flavors!
I love these muffins because they are perfectly portioned and great for re-heating and enjoying with a salad or fresh veggies. They’re also great as a midnight snack. I mean, I would know.
How you make them is fairly simple, too: Just saute garlic, onions, and peppers, then cook up some quinoa. Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl with some spices and place into muffin cups to bake! Who wouldn’t love these?
Oh and don’t worry, these babies aren’t dry like some of the meats on the internets. Instead they’re perfectly flavored, moist, and topped with cheesy LOVE plus a spoonful of your favorite enchilada sauce.
My favorite part of these mini meat loaves (besides being cute) is that 2 muffins are low in carbs (which means you can also fill up on a side of sweet potato fries).
TIPS: You can definitely use either ground chicken breast or ground turkey breast in this recipe, both will taste amazing. If you have trouble finding ground chicken, you can always ask your local butcher. I asked the butchers at Whole Foods if they would grind up a pound of chicken breast for me and they were more than happy to.
I hope you love these meal-prep meatloaf muffins. They’re perfect for snacking, making ahead for meal prep or just doing something a little different for your dinner.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and then rate the recipe below! Enjoy! xo
Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
- For the quinoa:
- 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2/3 cup water
- For the muffins:
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 red or orange pepper, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
- few dashes red pepper flakes, if desired
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- freshly ground salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup red enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 pound ground chicken or lean ground turkey breast
- 2 egg whites (or 1 egg)
- 2/3 cup reduced fat shredded colby jack or mexican cheese
Instructions
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To cook quinoa: In a small saucepan, bring water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. While the quinoa cooks you can move on to the next step.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin generously with cooking spray.
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Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes or until the onions have softened. Transfer to a large bowl to cool for a few minutes.
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Add cooked quinoa, cumin, oregano, chili powder, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, cilantro, salt and pepper and half of enchilada sauce (you'll reserve the rest for topping the muffins later).
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Next stir in ground chicken (or turkey) and egg whites and 1/4 cup of the cheese. You may need to use your hands to ensure all ingredients are well combined.
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Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to add meatloaf mixture evenly to muffin cups.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon remaining enchilada sauce and cheese over the tops of muffins.
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Place back in oven and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts and muffins are cooked.
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Let cool for a few minutes then serve with fresh vegetables for a full meal. Makes 6 servings, 2 meatloaf muffins each
Recipe Notes
To make meatloaf less spicy and kid-friendly, omit red pepper flakes and hot sauce.
If you can't find ground chicken breast, you can ask the butcher to grind it for you at the grocery store - they always do this for me at whole foods. Another option is extra lean ground turkey!
Feel free to use 1 egg instead of 2 egg whites.
126 comments
If this winter doesn’t convince you to leave Minnesota, nothing will 😉 In all seriousness, I know what you mean. 9 years ago my husband and I took a risk and moved to Wisconsin where we didn’t know anyone and I didn’t have a job. It ended up being a great decision and well worth the risk. Whatever it is you are thinking of, go for it!!
The mini meatloves look amazing. I will have to try them 🙂
I’ve lived in Wisconsin too. I thought it was just as cold.. lol
Love this recipe! Definitely going to try this one out with my husband. I never would hav ethuogh to make meatloaf into muffin tins but it makes more sense than a whole loaf that we try to eat for leftovers and then eventually end up tossing.
Can these be frozen?
I think so! I would just individually wrap them in plastic wrap!
Would these work with TVP?
Wow – what an ingenious combination of flavors!! I can’t wait to try these.
Good luck with figuring out what’s leaving the unfulfilled side of you unfulfilled, and with identifying what changes you want to make – far easier said than done 🙂
Love this idea!! These look great for my toddler and my husband.
Dive in and go anywhere your heart desires! It’s scary but so worth it. You’ll open yourself to adventures you haven’t even dreamed of yet! I picked up and left the midwest in my early twenties to NYC and then again in my early thirties to Austin, Tx. Both choices were and are beyond rewarding! Also, this recipe is just what I’ve been thinking about lately. Savory Dinner Muffins. Thanks for sharing, I enjoy your recipes 🙂
Love these flavors, this is right up my alley!
I’m in love with these!
Had these last night – awesome just as written! One request: Could you please make the photos smaller? They overwhelm the website!
This looks like an amazing recipe! I would like to make it this week. I am curious what enchilada sauce you use?
I love the Hatch brand from Whole Foods! It’s so amazing!
Could you possibly make this using a green enchilada sauce?
Can you use green enchilada sauce instead.?
That should be fine!
I made the recipe and it came out amazing!!! Very fresh flavor and super satisfying. I served it with roasted green beans. Even the BF loved it. Leftovers keep well in the fridge. You rock =)
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
OK, I feel like an idiot for asking this, but I don’t know that much about baking and I was wondering if when I stir in the ground chicken (or turkey) and egg whites and 1/4 cup of the cheese, is the ground meat completely raw at this time? No pre cooking required?
Yep, it’s completely raw!
I made two batches of these this week. With the first batch I followed the recipe as written and they came out really great, but I missed the amazing flavours of your spicy pumpkin sour cream enchilada sauce which has become my favourite go-to enchilada sauce, so for the second batch I used that instead and they were fantastic!
Awww I do love those enchiladas!
We made this tonight using ground turkey and amaranth and loved it!! Next time I think we’ll just use the whole egg rather than bother with separating the egg whites, and maybe use closer to 1/2 cup of the amaranth, just to make the texture a little more full. We’ll definitely be making this again and again, though–thanks for sharing the recipe!! 🙂
These were really delicious, easy to make and certainly fun to present. I used ground chicken and egg beaters for the egg whites. The leftover muffins froze great so I could pull one or two out at a time for a quick lunch or dinner. This recipe is another keeper!
I made these today during my “meal prep sunday” madness that I started on. And let me say: these are the bomb dot com. I am an enchilada junky. Like could go to the Mexican place and order them for lunch and dinner seven days a week kind of junky. So when I searched for “healthy enchiladas” last week and these popped up I figured what the heck. I made them to your suggestion this time, but next time will probably try venturing out with some verde sauce. 😉 THANK YOU SO MUCH. I owe you big time for this lifesaver! You’re also my new favorite blog.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! The verde sauce sounds spectacular!
Yummy! Very tasty! Thank you! Just made and ate these for my dinner. I used lean ground turkey and the Go Veggie cheddar shreds I discovered in your mac n cheese recipe. I haven’t made the mac n cheese yet, but I will. Love the low calorie, healthy meal this is. Thanks again.
Just made these for dinner and they were FANTASTIC!! I used lean ground turkey breast and one egg instead of egg whites. They were definitely a hit! I’ll be making them again for sure!
This was killer!! The only thing I did differently was, used spicy chicarron’s (pork rinds) about 1/4 cup crushed instead of quinoa because I’m doing low-carb, used 1 whole egg and did a mix of both a verde and red enchilada sauce. I also did it in a loaf pan and used ground turkey. This is a WOW!! Super moist, great flavor!! Already have it in my recipe book. Thanks a million!!
I am officially obsessed with these!!!! They took me much longer to cook through (like double the time) but they were definitely worth the wait!! Already looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!! Thanks for the great recipe!!!!
Should the ground turkey be cooked when you are in step 3?
Nope! It will cook in the oven.
What can i use in replace of the enchilada sauce? Salsa? Tomato Paste? Have everything at home but that!!
If I wanted to make this as actual meatloaf and not muffins how long would the cooking time be?
Great question. I would start at 45 minutes. I think it’s important to have a meat thermometer so you can make sure it cooks completely.
What could I use in place of enchilada sauce?
We do not have that here in Canada . I so want to make these!
You can make your own! 🙂 http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2016/11/how-to-make-homemade-enchilada-sauce/
Nice recipe, which I’m looking forward to trying. Hope it’s not out-of-scope to comment that fatty meat isn’t a problem re: health. The fat is actually necessary and helpful in absorbing the nutrients from meat and other foods. And crucial for our bodies to run well, including maintaining a healthy weight. If anything should be cut out of this recipe or others, it’s added sugar (such as in the enchilada sauce). There’s lots to be read on how fat became the dietary demon based on plain falsifying of data, if you’re interested. I only add this because you’re clearly committed to giving people good, healthy advice! I’ll be trying this recipe with dark meat ground turkey because it’s so flavorful. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! I’ve actually read up a fair amount on healthy fats – completely agree that the diet industry painted a false picture of fat as all “bad.” I personally prefer leaner cuts of meat in my recipes to keep them a bit lighter. As far as added sugars go, I use my homemade enchilada sauce (here) that is very low in sugar – I try to be very mindful of sugar content and opt for all-natural sources wherever possible! In this recipe, and others, I give people the option to use their own enchilada sauce for ease 🙂 Thanks for your thoughtful comments!
Too much good!
So, so good!
Hi there, I can’t wait to make this but what do you do with the garlic? Mince it?
Yes I used bottled minced garlic from Safeway and it turned out delicious
I am so happy that I stumbled on to this recipe.
Thank you!
Delicious, healthy, easy and not in need of any tweaking!
Will definitely be making again using beef instead of turkey♥️
I’m so glad you found this one! Beef will work here too. Enjoy!
If I use frozen quinoa
After I cook it in the microwave how much would I use in the recipe? Yours call for 1/3
cup uncooked
Thank you
OK, I feel like an idiot for asking this, but I don’t know that much about baking and I was wondering if when I stir in the ground chicken (or turkey) and egg whites and 1/4 cup of the cheese, is the ground meat completely raw at this time? No pre cooking required?
Correct, it is completely raw, then it all bakes together.
This was the first AK recipe I ever made years ago, and it is still one of my favorites!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that. Gave them a little makeover 🙂
This looks perfect for meal-prep! Love the Mexican flavor twist 🙂
Absolutely! One of my go-to’s during a busy week 🙂
We are all about enchiladas at our house!! These are adorable and look AMAZING!
SAME! These ones are perfect for meal prepping (and so cute!)
This Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Meatloaf Muffins recipe adds a little Mexican flair to a classic dish! The delicious mini-meatloaves are flavorful, moist. thanks for sharing dear
Yes, absolutely! Glad you like them!
They are as delicious as they are cute!!!
Right?! Cutest meal prep meatloaves!
I enjoyed these a lot! I skipped the first step of cooking the garlic/onions/peppers because I like some texture, and they turned out great.
Thank you for the fun, easy, healthy and satisfying recipes!
I’m so glad you loved these! Perfect weekday meal 🙂
I just made this recipe and they are delicious. A question – do you think these will freeze well?
I’m so glad you like them! And yes these freeze well 🙂
Looking forward to trying these! We are trying to move towards a plant-based diet. Any suggestions on replacing the meat with black beans or other plant based protein?
I made these with veggie ground round and they were great! Given veggie ground has the texture of cooked meat, pack them extra tight so they don’t fall apart. Lentils may work best if you want to stick with beans.
These were delicious, nutritious and the presentation was perfect.
Great! Glad you loved them 🙂
I am a regular visitor to your website and have always liked the kind of work that you do. I genuinely get new ideas and thoughts that help me a lot in my personal work as well.
This was delicious!! Used your 10 min enchilada sauce too!
Love it! Happy to hear that Kate 🙂
This recipe is delicious. Our family loves it. The presentation is perfect!
I want to try a non spicy variation to this recipe. I have guest who are not keen on chili, spicy, taste. What variation Sauce would you recommend with ground turkey?
So happy to hear that! To make this less spicy I would just omit the hot sauce + chili flakes, and then choose a mild enchilada sauce (feel free to taste beforehand). This is my go-to homemade sauce, which is pretty mild as long as your chili powder is also mild 🙂
I am so excited to try these. I have had this recipe on my list for awhile. I thought I had ground turkey and it turns out I don’t would it be a major faux pas to use lean ground beef or canned chicken?
Lean ground beef should be just fine!
This was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
I would LOVE to use this recipe as a base to make Italian style meatloaf muffins for the following week! Do you think it would work out if I replaced the enchilada sauce for my favorite Italian tomato sauce, and the cheddar for mozzarella cheese? I would obviously swap out all the spices for a more Italian style dish (ie. fresh basil, oregano, instead of cilantro, cumin etc.)
So glad you liked it! And yes I think that would be great – let me know how it turns out 🙂
Any chance of substituting meatless crumbles for the ground chicken/turkey?
Sure, that would probably work!
So sorry to bother you all, but are the calories , 208 for one mini meatloaf or for 2 of them? Thank you!
No problem at all! The nutrition info is for 2 mini meatloaf muffins 🙂
Yet another great recipe from Ambitious Kitchen!
Glad you enjoyed!
I am iffy with quinoa dishes so I wasn’t sure about this but gave it a try because of the other ingredients and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! I really really liked it and will be making again and again. The only thing I did different was use shredded chicken breast in place of the ground chicken because it was what I had on hand. Loved this, thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad you tried this one! The quinoa gives it a great texture 🙂 Thanks for your note, Lori!
NICE ARTICLE! YOUR ARTICLE WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME.
Very tasty. My four kids enjoyed them! Good flavor. Thought they might be dry, but not at all. Great week night meal or for school lunch.
Absolutely! Such a great easy dinner or on-the-go lunch.
My family enjoyed the twist on meatloaf! I also subbed spaghetti squash for quinoa but loved the simplicity of this recipe and appreciated the mid-week dinner boost!
I used ground turkey and these turnedout super delicious! Would defhmake again.
This was really good! Love these types of meals that make it easy to control portions. Super tasty!
These are perfect for meal prep! So happy you liked them!
I made these with ground turkey and a little extra spice (extra red pepper, chili powder, hot sauce), and a little extra cheese (3/4c instead if 2/3c) and they were delicious!!! I am excited to heat up the leftovers for a yummy lunch!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
I made it hot the first time, and it was delicious. The other two times I drank it cold. Both were delicious! Oh, and I added brown rice protein powder to it so I could consider it post-workout treat
Delicious, healthy recipe! I love how the quinoa is incorporated. It adds nutritional value without the texture that some people don’t like. I topped with light sour cream, pico and sliced avocado and the family loooooooved it!! Will definitely make again.
Absolutely! It’s a great way to sneak in some extra fiber and protein. Glad everyone loved these!
I am a huge chicken lover, I would rather say that all viewers of this page are chicken lovers. I like to cook a lot and this recipe is simply remarkable as I have just tried it. I’m definitely gonna share this with all my friends. Thanks a ton.. Kudos!
Perfect! So glad you loved it!
Love these delicious little enchilada quinoa muffins.
I’m so glad!
This was amazing! My boyfriend asked me to make this every week!
Perfect dinner! Glad you both enjoyed!
Really lovely recpie looks so yummy. Thanks for sharing.
Enjoy!
One of my all-time favorite meal prep recipes! Easy, flavorful, and heats up beautifully in the microwave with some fresh veggies. We make these all the time. 🙂
Absolutely! Glad you love these 🙂
I am a huge chicken lover,I think all those who came to this recipe are all chicken lovers . I did try this recipe step by step and I want to personally congratulate you for this amazing recipe cuz this taste so good. I quickly shared with my friends and family groups. Thanks a ton..
It really feels amazing trying some different cuisine at home usually we spent outdoors for that. Kudos!
So glad you loved this one!
Do these freeze well?
SO GOOD. Wow! I was worried the texture of these would be mushy and bleh, but that wasn’t the case. I baked the muffins as a loaf for convenience, and it came out well. I used the Trader Joe’s bottled enchilada, TJ’s lite shredded mexican cheese blend, and 99% lean ground turkey, Top it off with Cholula hot sauce and bam! Delicious.
I made these with turkey instead of chicken and left out the hot sauce and red pepper flakes because I knew the enchilada sauce I was using had plenty of flavor already. I love that these help with portion control, store easily for meal prep, and have a great nutrition profile with plenty of flavor.
Perfecdt! This one’s great for customizing. Glad you love these!
Absolutely delicious!!!!
Glad you loved these!!
Really Amazing Dish would love to try it. Thanks for sharing
Enjoy!
Can you make this using regular white rice?
Hi, Jessica! I think it would work just fine to use rice 🙂 Enjoy!
Is there another grain you recommend using in these besides quinoa? We (sadly) have a quinoa allergy in our household. Looks delicious and can’t wait to try these with another grain option if you have recommendations!
Sorry to hear that! I think any small grain like brown rice or barley would be great in here 🙂
Soooo good! I’ve made it twice now – the first time I forgot the enchilada sauce in the meat mixture 🤦♀️…don’t forget this step! Way better the second time! These will definitely be in our meal rotation
Made these after seeing the toddler friendly meal on Insta! So easy and delish- my 21 month old gobbled them up, as did the rest of us! Definitely going into our rotation!
Forgot to add- made your enchilada sauce and used ground turkey!
So glad to hear that!! Yay!
My whole family loved these!! Made without the hot sauce because my kids won’t eat too much spice, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. (Husband and I just added some heat to ours once plated). My 6 year old said this meal is now tied with spaghetti for his favorite dinner haha – that’s a win!!
GREAT RECIPE, QUICK AND EASY TO MAKE. TODDLER EVEN LOVED IT.