Hey, Mini you’re so fine. You’re so fine you blow my mind. Hey, Mini!
You know me; I love minifying things. Especially when there are 35 pounds of melted cheese inside a minified thing. The cheese doesn’t have to be mini, but everything else does!
This works. Don’t ask me how, but it does.
Anyway, today I’ve minified some meatloaf. Chicken Parmesan meatloaf, to be exact. Stuffed with mozzarella cheese. 35 pounds of it.
-Grab some chicken, some diced red bells, onions, garlic, panko, parmesan, mozzarella, oregano, an egg, and some Muir Glen marinara.
-First of all, make your crunchy topping. Mix together the panko, half the parm, and a little bit of olive oil. Mmmmm.
-Then, in a bigger bowl, lightly beat the egg, and then add pretty much everything else! (sans the marinara)
-Mix her all up up up.
-Then, this is fun. Spoon a few tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a lightly coated muffin tin. Then nestle those little cheese cubes down in the center of the mixture!
-Press the meat on top to cover the cheese, then sprinkle your crunchy panko topping on the tops of all the “cupcakes.”
-Then seriously, you bake it for about 30, and this is what you giiiiiiiit, boyyyyyy. Serve it with warmed marinara, and holy babies look at that cheese. 35 pounds
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup panko
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 pound ground chicken breast (or dark meat)
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 16 small mozzarella cubes, cut from a block
- 2 cups Muir Glen marinara sauce
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a small bowl, combine the panko, half of the Parmesan cheese, and the olive oil. Using your fingers, combine the mixture until it's evenly coated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then add the chicken, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, the remaining Parmesan, basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.
- Lightly coat a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each well. Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture. Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it.
- Sprinkle the panko/Parmesan mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. If needed, you may broil the panko to further brown it.
- Let rest 5 minutes. Then using a knife, lightly loosen each cupcake from the muffin tin.
- In the meantime, warm the marinara sauce in a small saucepan.
- Serve meatloaf cupcakes with warmed marinara.
