Ashley’s Vegetarian BBQ Meatloaf Muffin Recipe

A native of Maryland, Ashley graduated with a degree in Chemistry from Stevenson University and has focused on food science, regulatory and quality assurance throughout her career. When Ashley first began working at Fuchs almost a decade ago, she worked in our Microbiological lab. She eventually became a Quality Assistant Supervisor and is now our Regulatory Affairs Manager, specializing in domestic and international regulations. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking plant-based recipes, spoiling her three cats, and playing tennis with her husband.

One of the biggest trends to hit the food industry in the past couple of years has been the move towards plant-based proteins. This trend shows no signs of slowing down either; it has consistently topped trend reports looking forward to 2019 and beyond. Here, our regulatory guru, Ashley Brooks, shares one of her go-to plant-based recipes. 

I was a big fan of Rachel Ray’s Meatloaf Muffin recipe before I became a vegetarian, and so I was inspired to create this meatless version. This would make the perfect weeknight or lazy weekend dinner to feed the family. One batch makes six servings and it only takes 30 minutes to make! (It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.) This recipe is approved by my carnivore husband too!
Usually, I serve this alongside mashed potatoes and green beans or peas; it is the perfect spin to a classic dinner. Don’t forget to make some biscuits too!

Ingredients:
2-14 oz. cans or 3 1/3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped (optional)
1-2 cups plain breadcrumbs – make it gluten free by subbing in gluten free breadcrumbs!
1 large egg, plus splash of unflavored soy or almond milk, beaten – make it vegan by subbing the egg with 2 tbsp. ground flax seeds!
2 tbsp. Fuchs’ Grilled Steak Seasoning
1 cup smoky barbecue sauce
½ cup ketchup
1 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
Vegetable oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Put chickpeas into a food processor and pulse until chickpeas are broken up. Put chickpeas into a big bowl.
3. Put onion and celery into a food processor. Pulse until the vegetables are chopped into very small pieces then add them to the chickpea bowl.
4. Add egg, beaten with milk, bread crumbs and Fuchs’ Grilled Steak Seasoning to the bowl.
5. In a new small bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, the ketchup, and the Worcestershire sauce. Pour half the sauce mixture into the large bowl with the meatloaf mix. Save the other half of the sauce mixture to top each muffin before baking. Mix the meatloaf together. Add more breadcrumbs if too much liquid were added or make more sauce mixture if too dry.
6. Brush a 12-muffin tin with vegetable oil. Use an ice cream scoop to help you fill mixture into each tin.
7. Top each meat loaf with a spoonful of extra sauce. Bake about 20 minutes. Cut open 1 muffin to test that the middle is cooked through.