A cross between classic meatloaf, beef bourguignon and chicken marsala, these Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves epitomize nostalgic comfort food. I fell in love with cooking with dry marsala wine back in culinary school. the flavor, when cooked down in a sauce or gravy, is unparalleled in adding savory dimension to a dish. 

I use dry marsala twice in this recipe- once to deglaze my mirepoix vegetables, and again to form the base of the mushroom marsala gravy. The alcohol cooks off and leaves concentrated flavor making this a family friendly and a toddler approved meal, as well. my husband, who is definitely not a mushroom fan, also gobbled them down. Win-win-win. 

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Serve meatloaves right out of your large skillet or cast iron pan.

marsala mushroom meatloaf ingredients:

  • ground beef: we are using 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef to keep Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves moist and light. 
  • mirepoix: sautéed onions, celery & carrots begin this flavorful meatloaf filling or skip the chopping with this frozen shortcut!
  • aromatics: fresh garlic, fresh sage and fresh rosemary are essential for this autumn comfort food flavor profile. 
  • Gluten-free binders: soaking your bread of choice in half and half makes this meatloaf filling light and tender. I use our favorite Paleo Bread from Unrefined Bakery but you can use whatever bread you like. 
  • tomato paste: this helps add depth of flavor to our meatloaf filling.
  • marsala: make sure to find a dry marsala wine- sweet will be too sweet. 
  • wild mushrooms: use what you like! I used sliced cremini mushrooms but these will be fabulous with your favorites- hen of the woods, beech, shiitake or white buttons. 
  • grain-free thickener: to thicken this marsala sauce into a gravy consistency, I use tapioca flour to keep it gluten and grain-free.
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Chicken or beef broth, wild mushrooms and dry marsala wine make up the gravy later thickened with tapioca flour.
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Tomato paste, sautéed veggies & herbs add texture and dimension.
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Add in half & half soaked bread of choice and lightly mix, careful not to compact or over-mix.
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Crispy fried sage starts the mushroom gravy and later garnishes the meatloaves.

serving inspiration:

you could go in so many directions with these Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves. They can be sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party with fancy sides, yet laid-back enough to serve at a casual Sunday supper while watching football. here is some meal inspiration to mix it up:

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Bake your meatloaves then nestle into your Marsala Mushroom Gravy.
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Ready to garnish with crispy fried sage!
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Bon Appetit!

Marsala Mushroom Mini Meatloaves

Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Mini Meatloaves:

  • 1.5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onions diced small
  • 1/4 cup carrots diced small
  • 1/4 cup celery diced small
  • 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms minced finely
  • 3 garlic cloves grated on the microplane
  • 1 T fresh sage minced
  • 1 T fresh rosemary minced
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 Tablespoons dry marsala wine
  • 1 egg whisked
  • 1/2 cup cubed bread (I used Unrefined Bakery Paleo Bread)
  • 1/4 cup half & half
  • 1/2 Tablespoon pink Himalayan salt
  • 20 turns freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1.25 pounds ground beef 85/15 or 80/20

Marsala Mushroom Gravy:

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 20 sage leaves with stems removed
  • 2 cups cremini mushrooms sliced thinly
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic cloves sliced thinly
  • 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/2 cup dry marsala wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  • 10 turns freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a large saute pan, heat pan over medium high heat and add olive oil, carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms. Saute until vegetables are tender and lightly browning, approximately 5 minutes.
  • While veggies are sautéing, stir together your cubed bread with half and half in a small bowl to absorb the liquid.
  • Next, to your veggies, stir in garlic, sage, rosemary and tomato paste and sauté 1-2 minutes further.
  • Deglaze pan with two tablespoons dry marsala wine, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Set veggies aside off the heat to cool, about 5-10 minutes.
  • With a fork, press down your softened bread cubes into the half & half to get a paste-like consistency. Add to a large bowl, discarding any unabsorbed half & half.
  • Also to the large bowl, add in cooled vegetables, ground beef, egg, salt and pepper.
  • Use your hands to lightly and minimally mix ingredients until all have just come together, very careful not to overmix.
  • With your hand, score meat mixture in half, then in fourths. Handling 1/4 at a time, split each into two and form into football-shaped mini meatloaves yielding 8 meatloaves total.
  • Add to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees, for 20 minutes total, rotating 180 degrees midway through. Set aside while preparing gravy.
  • In your same large saute pan from earlier, add butter and olive oil over medium-high heat and let melt and warm up, 1-2 minutes. Uniformly disperse your sage leaves and let pan fry, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel and turn heat down.
  • To the sage-scented oil mixture, add your sliced mushrooms and garlic. Saute until lightly browned about 5-6 minutes.
  • Slowly sprinkle your tapioca flour atop mushrooms and stir to absorb. Pour atop beef broth, marsala, salt and pepper and let mixture come to a simmer, while whisking constantly.
  • When mixture comes to a simmer and begins thickening, add your meatloaves to the pan, spooning your gravy atop.
  • Serve right out of the pan garnished with crispy sage leaves.
Keyword comfort food, high protein, marsala mushroom meatloaves, marsala wine, meatloaf
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