Spicy meatloaf burgers

I never thought I would be calling meatloaf cute, but these spicy meatloaf burgers are honestly quite adorable. Not only that, but they make it easy to portion out for meals, simple to reheat, and would even work well as a sandwich!

Know that the level of spice is up to you, and these would taste just as great as a classic meatloaf burger minus the spice (coming from crushed red pepper and a little bit of sriracha). If you do like a small kick, I think the spice adds an extra layer of flavor and creates a taste that's above your classic meatloaf.

I used to make a meatloaf recipe that I sliced after cooking, and I always found it difficult to reheat, tricky to identify the portions for insulin dosing, and that the sauce on top was unevenly spread and set. This recipe for me helped to solve all of that with a juicy texture that doesn't fall apart.

I made this recipe with beef, but I definitely plan to try it out with ground turkey, and I bet it would taste great with ground pork as the flavors are quite versatile!

Ingredients:

Patties:

• 1/2 diced and sautéed yellow onion

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 lb ground beef (or other meat)

• 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

• 1/4 cup milk (I used 2%)

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Crushed black pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon ketchup

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 1 teaspoon sriracha (I used a sriracha chili sauce)

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  

Cook time: About 45 minutes all in.

Cooking instructions:

Sauté your onion. Dice your yellow onion. Heat a pan on your stove top on medium to high heat. Add your olive oil and onion (note that you will only need half of the onion, but you can always save the other half or sauté it and use it for something else). Continue to cook until slightly transparent but not over cooked, it should only take a few minutes. Remove from the heat, and place your onions in a small container in the fridge.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, use a fork to fully combine your breadcrumbs, eggs, and milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, in a large bowl break up your ground beef. Sprinkle in your parsley, italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Add in your ketchup, slightly cooled onions, and breadcrumb mixture that has rested for 5 minutes. Use your hands to mix everything together, and be sure not to over mix. Your ingredients should be incorporated but not fully combined.

Out of your mixture, form four even patties and place onto a lined baking sheet. Place your patties into the oven for 15 minutes.

While your patties are in the oven, make your sauce. Combine your ketchup, sriracha, and brown sugar. Remove your patties from the oven. Use a spoon to add your sauce evenly between your four patties and spread your sauce out to form a thick layer. Place your patties back into the oven for 5-10 minutes. Optional, you can turn your broiler on for a few minutes to further set your sauce (if you do this watch your patties carefully!). Remove your patties from the oven and allow them to cool.

You can enjoy immediately, or once cooled place your patties into an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Carb and serving information

Servings: 4

Carbs per serving: 16.5

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.