Dashing Dish's Chicken Parmesan Muffins

This is another recipe from The Dashing Dish Cookbook by Katie Farrell.

Let's just say I checked this out at the library so much I finally broke down and said, clearly I need to buy this one.

I've loved every recipe I've tried out of her cookbook.

The only downside is that the points aren't already figured for you.

It's a small price to pay for really decadent, plan friendly recipes.  Ahhh.....


Ingredients

5 oz fresh spinach(or 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tsp minced garlic(or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)

1 lb lean ground chicken(or extra-lean ground turkey or beef)

1/2 cup liquid egg whites

1 cup canned diced tomatoes drained(She used one with basil, garlic, and oregano.  I didn't)

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided(I like using an Asiago & Romano blend from Target)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp salt

Pinch of black pepper

1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce(I used Classico brand Tomato & Basil)

Fresh or dried parsley for garnish(optional)


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with foil or silicone liners and spray with cooking spray.(You could also use a loaf pan if you prefer to make this recipe into a meatloaf.).
I used a non-stick muffin tin without any liners.  Man, I hope it doesn't stick! lol

In a small saute pan cook the spinach, onions, and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent.  Let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine the ground chicken, spinach mixture, egg whites, diced tomatoes, oats, only 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Don't over-mix this or the meat will be tough.

Divide the mixture among the muffin cups(about 1/4 cup per muffin cup) or put the mixture in a loaf pan.

Top each muffin with 2 Tbsp of the marinara sauce.  Divide the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan among the 12 muffins.

I like this Asiago & Romano Blend

Bake for 35-40 minutes(or 45-55 minutes for a loaf pan), or until each meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and is no longer pink in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Garnish with parsley if desired.

So..... mine was a big mess!  Look!  Marinara everywhere!  I'm not sure what I did wrong.

Her picture shows nice, neat little individual muffins and everything's perfect.

Not mine but I'm okay with that.  Sometimes life in this house is like an old Saturday Night Live skit, "Lower Your Standards!".  lol

Obviously this yields 12 muffins.  These come out to 2 points a piece.

You can decide how many you want to devour. ;)

The good news?  They slid out really easily.  Probably all that liquid!  har har

And, they tasted great!  Sometimes I think these lean, ground chicken recipes can be really dry and bland but this one isn't.

It's delish!

Another great recipe from The Dashing Dish to add to my repertoire.

Even if it's a little bit messy it's definitely worth a try.

Happy Cooking!!!