Italian Meatless Meatloaf Muffins

I was on a muffin kick and made these for dinner after I made the Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins.  I can't remember if I saw these on Jen's blog or not.  I couldn't find them but I have had them bookmarked on Peas and Thank You for awhile now.  Finally made them and...WOW!  These will be made again and again...and again.  The flavor is awesome.  The texture is "meaty".  And they are even great warmed up for leftovers the next day.  In fact, my two school boys brought them for lunches and ate them cold and said they were great!  Yeah!  New lunch option!  I made a double batch and it made 28 or so.  These would be even more economical if you use your own cooked pinto beans from scratch.  Cheaper than using canned beans.  I had to use 4 cans of beans for my double recipe.  So good though!

Italian Meatless Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup marinara sauce, jarred or homemade, divided

1/4 c. flax seed, ground

Two 14 oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 of a large onion, chopped

3/4 c. oats

1 t. minced garlic

1T. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. olive oil

2 T. nutritional yeast

1/2 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried parsley

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. cracked black pepper

One 5 oz. can of sliced olives (optional)

Instructions

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-In a small bowl, combine 1/4 c. of the marinara sauce and the ground flax. Stir to combine and set aside to thicken.

-In a large bowl, mash pinto beans with a fork or potato masher.  Do not over mash, we aren’t looking for refried beans, but a nice chunky texture.

-Add onion, oats, garlic, Worcestershire, olive oil, nutritional yeast, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.

-Add in marinara flax mixture and stir until fully incorporated.

-Scoop bean mixture into a muffin tin that has been lightly greased or sprayed with cooking spray.

-Bake for 15-17 minutes, until edges are starting to brown. Top each muffin with a spoonful of marinara and a few sliced olives.

-Return to oven for another 10-12 minutes, until muffins are firm and set.

-Allow muffins to cool for several minutes, as they will firm up even more, before serving.

12 Muffins - Serves 4