Looking for unique party food ideas? Make an impressive owl meatloaf! This adorable project is not only delicious but is sure to impress!
I’ve been on an owl kick lately. Many years ago, we had an owl barn installed high up in our largest tree, a giant Sycamore tree. It’s had a nesting pair of owls living there for years, although sightings are rare. Here’s a photo of one of those rare sightings…
Several months ago, the guy who installed the original owl barn all those years ago, reached out to us and told us that we might want to consider installing a second owl barn. Made of wood, over time and inclement weather, the owl barns weaken and disintegrate and, sometimes, the bottoms fall out. So, he explained, having a second owl nesting box installed on your property is a backup plan, a Plan B, in case the older box failed. That way, if a failure occurred, the owls would have another home.
[convertkit form=5280507]So, we said ‘yes’ to a new owl box and this one came with a camera inside. Now, not only do we have a backup plan, but we have another owl and the ability to spy on that beautiful creature! Read the rest of the story here: The Remarkable Barn in the Sky + 42 Types of Owls.
Anyway, because of my owl kick of late, I’ve done a few owl-inspired projects. I’ve set the table in an owl-theme and I’ve made owl napkin rings to go on the owl-themed table. Here’s a picture:
As a result of all this owl inspiration, I decided to come up with owl-themed party food ideas to go with my beautiful owl tablescape and my adorable owl napkin rings. So, first up in the queue of owl-themed party food ideas was to create some kind of special dish that looked like an owl, but the problem was that I have no mad skills when it comes to cake and cookie decorating. So what to do, what to do, I pondered. Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning from the sky, it came to me – I’ll make an owl meatloaf!
Not only did I make an owl meatloaf, but I made it party-sized! This guy is so big, he is probably larger than any of our real-life owls (excluding wingspan, of course!). You will note that my adorable owl meatloaf is so hefty that he is placed catty-cornered on a large white platter that measures 19 1/4″ x 15 3/4″! Here’s the good news – this white ruffled party platter is plastic! So, he was easy to carry.
During the process of figuring this owl project out, I decided I wanted to make it look like a barn owl in honor of the barn owls living on our land. But, how to make that all work? Again, one of those lightning bolt moments occurred, and here’s what I figured out:
- I could make the owl’s mask from a slice of cheese
- Make it’s chest feathers from sliced cheese
- I could give it black olive eyes
- And a yellow pepper beak
- A red pepper bow tie
- Yellow pepper feet
- And bacon wings! I mean who doesn’t like bacon, right?
How to Make an Owl Meatloaf Step-by-Step
Making this owl meatloaf is actually pretty easy. Here’s how it all came together:
Step #1 – Make and form the meatloaf mixture
Using 6 pounds of ground turkey (it didn’t seem ‘right’ to make this owl meatloaf out of ground beef!), I made a delicious meatloaf recipe. I shaped the meatloaf mixture into two balls – one round and smaller and the other oval and larger – directly on my parchment-lined 12″ x 18″ baking sheet.
Step #2 – Bake the owl meatloaf
Bake the meatloaf in a preheated 350-degree oven. Set your timer for 40 minutes and if it appears to not quite be done, bake it for 10 more minutes. After a total baking time of 50 minutes, I removed my 6-pound meatloaf from the oven and allowed it to cool for about one hour.
Step #3 – Transfer the cooled meatloaf to a serving platter
Using two large spatula turners, I transferred the cooled meatloaf to my large white plastic platter, angling it catty-corner so that I had room to add feet. Because it was room-temperature cool, it did not crack during the transferring process. The photo below shows both the finished face and the bacon wings. In my excitement about my meatloaf not breaking apart, I forgot to take a photo of it before I started to decorate it.
An alternative idea is to leave the owl meatloaf on the baking sheet. But, you will need to clean up the muck and accumulated grease. Then you could carefully tear off the parchment paper using kitchen scissors or a kitchen knife to trim around the meatloaf and then clean the baking sheet again of any remaining muck. If you are concerned that you might break the meatloaf when transferring it, this is an option for you. If you decide to do this, make your meatloaf smaller so that you have room for the feet.
To be perfectly honest with you, I wasn’t sure transferring it to a platter wouldn’t result in the complete annihilation of my owl meatloaf thus making this project one for the trash heap, never to make it on the blog! But I took the chance and it worked out for me! Woohoo – even his head stayed attached!
Step #4 – Make the owl’s face mask
I worked on the face first. I placed a piece of Monterey Jack cheese on a paper plate and using a large heart-shaped cookie cutter (one that would fit on a slice of Monterey Jack cheese), I cut out the face. Because I didn’t want my owl’s face truly heart-shaped, I used a paring knife to trim the bottom of the heart into a slightly oval shape.
Before placing the slice of cheese on the owl’s head, I cut out two round eye sockets, again just using a paring knife (i.e., freehand). I couldn’t find anything in my stash of kitchen utensils that would work, although I think an apple corer might be perfect (but I didn’t have one!).
After you have trimmed the heart-shaped face and cut out the eye sockets, carefully lay your cheese mask on the meatloaf using a spatula turner to transfer it from the paper plate to the owl’s head. You may crack the slice of cheese between the trimming, the eye socket creation, and the transfer process, so have extra sliced cheese on hand in case you have to try again.
Step #5 – Insert the eyes and make the beak
Next, I cut a black olive in half and inserted one half in each cheesy eye socket. I used toothpicks in each eye to hold the olives on the meatloaf. Finally, using my trusty paring knife again, I free-formed a beak out of a mini yellow bell pepper (you’ll use the mini yellow bell pepper for the feet, too, so be careful how much of the mini yellow bell pepper you destroy in this process. In fact, cut the feet out first and then make a beak out of the leftovers.). Adhere the yellow pepper beak to the cheese face using a dab of cream cheese.
Step #6 – It’s Time for Bacon!
Next, I worked on the bacon wings. While the meatloaf was baking in the oven, I cooked a whole pound of thick-sliced bacon low and slow in a skillet. Because I didn’t know how many slices I would use for this project (10 slices), I decided to cook the whole pound. The good news is that by cooking a whole pound of bacon, you’ll have extras for breakfast to eat on the side or to add to a breakfast quiche or breakfast casserole or a pea salad or BLT sandwiches (if they last that long in your house)!
Initially, I just laid the bacon on the meatloaf. But any jostling made them slide off. So I had to think of something to adhere the bacon wings to the meatloaf. So, after searching through my refrigerator and pantry, I decided to use honey with honeycomb. Fair warning: even that melts a bit and if you are taking your owl meatloaf someplace to share, you might have to spend a few minutes getting the wings back into place.
Step #7 – Make the cheese feathers
Next, I decided to work on the owl’s chest feathers. Again, I forgot to take of photo of this step by itself without the feet and the bow tie! Anyway, I used a 3-leaf photo that I found online. Unfortunately, I didn’t save it! And, of course, I can’t find the photo anywhere (as you can imagine, I have tens of thousands of photos!).
But, I did create a little pattern book for you just in case you don’t feel confident in trying to recreate this owl freehand.
Download the free owl meatloaf inspiration pattern book here: How to Make an Owl Meatloaf Template.
After placing a piece of Monterey Jack cheese on a paper plate, I used my paring knife to cut out feathers from nine pieces of Monterey Jack cheese, transferring each to the owl meatloaf in a pleasing pattern until I was satisfied with the look.
Step #8 – Make the feet and bowtie
Finally, I was ready for the finishing touches – the yellow bell pepper feet and the red bell pepper bowtie! I like to buy those packages of mini bell peppers that come with red, yellow, and orange mini peppers in them. Then, I always have them on hand for cooking projects. So, the beak, feet, and bowtie were all made from mini bell peppers and I cut them all out freehand. I cut the peppers in half for the feet. I chose a mini yellow bell pepper that was somewhat flat-ish and large enough for the feet.
After seeding and deveining each half, I placed the halves on a cutting board and cut out the triangular points freehand representing the claws. I made the feet long enough so that I could insert them into the meatloaf. Each was about 1 1/2-inch wide by 2-inches long. Then, I cut slits in the meatloaf where I wanted the feet to be and slid the yellow cut-out clawed feet into the slits.
Next, I cut out the bowtie from one mini red bell pepper. Again, after cutting the red bell pepper in half, seeding, and deveining it, I cut points on one end of each half. And, I cut a little square for the bowtie’s ‘knot’. I ‘glued’ them in place with honeycomb.
Step #9 – Make it pretty with arugula
Make it pretty – surround your finished owl meatloaf with arugula to simulate a tree. If it is hours before your party, leave the arugula off the platter and cover the owl, platter and all, with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. At this point, the owl meatloaf will keep just fine in the refrigerator overnight.
How to Serve Your Owl Meatloaf
Here’s the ‘kicker’ – you can’t reheat this owl meatloaf in the oven once it is decorated. So, making this owl meatloaf is all about ‘the show’ and the ‘wow factor.’ Once you are ready to serve this owl meatloaf, remove it from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and add the arugula as the finishing touch. Once everyone has ooh’d and aah’d, have your little helpers disassemble the owl by removing the bacon wings and cheese feathers, then slice the meatloaf into serving sizes and either serve cold OR reheat the individual slices in the microwave.
If you are having a party and this owl meatloaf is the centerpiece, think about serving it cold and setting out various types of sandwich bread (white, wheat, multi-grain), alongside different condiments (mayo, ketchup, mustard), and other things and have everyone make their own meatloaf sandwich. An Owl Meatloaf Sandwich Station, if you will.
Party Food Ideas – How to Share this Adorable Owl Meatloaf with Friends, Family, and Colleagues
This adorable owl meatloaf is one of those great party food ideas on so many levels. Here are some of the ideas I’ve come up with ways to share this cute meatloaf (and, of course, you can share it on social media, too!):
- Owl-themed birthday party
- Harry Potter-themed birthday party
- Owl-themed baby shower
- Woodland-themed party
- Potluck with friends or family
- Church social
- Garden party
- Halloween party
- Replacement for Thanksgiving turkey
- Christmas Eve dinner
- Valentine’s Day (Whoo Loves You?)
- Father’s Day dinner
- Movie Night (choose owl-themed movies)
- Family Game Night
- or just a fun food idea for your family dinner on a Friday night!
What to do with leftovers? Meatloaf sandwiches, of course!
Behind the Scenes of the Owl Meatloaf Photoshoot
I thought I’d give you a peek into what it takes to do a food photography photoshoot. Above is the owl meatloaf on a white ruffled plastic handled platter, on top of a large cutting board (for contrast) on top of my white kitchen table. At the bottom of this photo, you can see my feet in tennis shoes standing on a ladder. To the left and at the top of the photo you can see two of my blue kitchen chairs and you can see part of my flowered rug underneath the table. In the upper left corner is a peek of my floor-length kitchen drapes dusting my dark wood kitchen floor (here’s a design tip: as tempting as it may be to have a beautiful dark floor in your kitchen or other rooms, know that you will see every.speck.of.dust!). And, you can see light streaming into this space on the left side washing out the colors of the rug, which is why I put this owl meatloaf at the end of this table (for the light).
Will you do me a favor? Would you share my post on social media? The pinnable images scattered throughout this post are for your Pinterest boards so that you can bookmark this post and come back to it later. Thanks for sharing!
Kitchen Tools, Equipment, and Supplies Needed to Make this Owl Meatloaf
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
The following links are to various products on Amazon, so that if you don’t have one or more of the things needed to make this cute owl meatloaf, you can easily find what you need.
Oven || Stovetop || Refrigerator || Freezer || 12″ Non-Stick Skillet || Wooden Spoon || Olive Oil || Ketchup || Panko Breadcrumbs || Salt || Pepper || Dried Parsley || Dried Basil || Black Olives || Honeycomb || Small Mixing Bowl || Extra-Large Mixing Bowl || 12″ x 18″ Baking Sheet || Parchment Paper || Two Large Spatula Turners || Chopping Board || Kitchen Knife || Paring Knife || Apple Corer || Whisk || Measuring Cups || Measuring Spoons || Liquid Measuring Cup || Kitchen Timer || Large Serving Platter || Large Heart-shaped Cookie Cutter || Paper Plates || Small Spatula Turner || Plastic Wrap || Aluminum Foil || Wax Paper Sheets || Microwave
Here’s the Recipe for this Adorable Owl Meatloaf
PrintParty Food Ideas: How to Make an Impressive Owl Meatloaf
Looking for unique party food ideas? Make an impressive owl meatloaf! This adorable project is not only delicious but is sure to impress! Making this owl meatloaf is actually pretty easy and a great idea on so many levels: owl-themed birthday party, Harry Potter-themed birthday party, owl-themed baby shower, potluck for friends, church social, garden party, or just a fun food idea for your family dinner on a Friday night! What to do with leftovers? Meatloaf sandwiches, of course!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 30 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
FOR THE MEATLOAF:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 6 pounds ground turkey
- 3 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (NOT grated)
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
FOR THE OWL DECORATIONS:
- 1 package sliced Monterey Jack cheese (at least 10 slices)
- 1 black olive, cut in half
- 1 mini yellow bell pepper (or two, to make the feet and beak)
- 1 mini red bell pepper
- 10 slices of thick-sliced bacon
- 1/2 teaspoon cream cheese
- 1/4 cup honeycomb
- 1 bag of baby arugula
Instructions
TO MAKE THE MEATLOAF:
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chopped red onion and the 3 large chopped peppers (red, yellow, and orange) and saute for a few minutes until onion is translucent and the peppers are softened.
- Add the minced garlic and continue to saute for a few minutes more.
- Break the eggs into a small mixing bowl and whisk until the yolks and whites are combined.
- Add the milk, ketchup, salt, pepper, dried parsley, and dried basil and whisk to combine; set aside.
- Place the ground turkey in an extra-large mixing bowl and add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and the cooked veggie mixture.
- Using clean hands, gently mix the turkey mixture until the ingredients are combined.
- Add the egg/milk mixture and mix again with your clean hands.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a large (12″ x 18″) baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the meatloaf mixture into thirds and scoop one third onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet at one end of the baking sheet and shape into the owl’s head using your hands.
- Add the remaining two-thirds of the meatloaf mixture to the parchment-lined baking sheet and shape it into an oval-shaped body using your hands, being sure to attach the head to the body.
- Once you are satisfied with the shape of your owl meatloaf, place in the oven and set a timer for 40 minutes.
- Check owl meatloaf at the 40-minute marker and if it needs more browning, bake for 10 minutes more.
- Remove owl meatloaf after 50 minutes and allow it to cool to room temperature (about an hour).
- Cook 10 slices of thick-sliced bacon low and slow in a skillet on your stovetop until nicely browned.
- Remove the bacon from the pan, drain on a paper towel-lined plate, and allow to cool.
TO DECORATE THE OWL MEATLOAF:
- Using two large spatula turners, carefully position them under the cooled meatloaf and transfer your owl meatloaf to a large serving platter.
- Place one slice of Monterey Jack cheese on a paper plate and using a large heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the owl’s face mask.
- Using a paring knife, trim around the heart-shaped face to soften the point of the heart into an oval.
- Use your paring knife to cut out two small ‘eyes’ in the cheese OR, if you have an apple corer, use that to cut out the eyes.
- Using a spatula turner, transfer the cheese face mask to the owl meatloaf and place it into position on the head.
- Place the two olive halves into the eye sockets and secure them by running a toothpick into each where the hole is in the olive halves.
- Using your paring knife, cut out a beak from one of the mini yellow peppers.
- Add a dab of cream cheese to the back of the yellow pepper beak and place it into position on top of the heart-shaped cheese face.
- Next, place the bacon into position on each side of the oval-shaped body, leaving a space for the cheese feathers.
- Once you are satisfied with the position of the bacon wings, lift each wing, one-by-one, and coat the top third of the backside of each piece of bacon with a piece of honeycomb.
- Carefully press the honeycomb side of the bacon back into position on the owl meatloaf’s body.
- Then, make the owl cheese feathers by placing a slice of Monterey Jack cheese on the paper plate and using the paring knife, cut out the feather shapes.
- Transfer each cheese feather to the owl’s meatloaf body, between the bacon wings, one-by-one in a pleasing pattern until you are satisfied with the way it looks.
- Next, cut a mini yellow bell pepper in half lengthwise to fashion the feet, seed it, and devein it.
- Then using the paring knife, trim the yellow bell pepper into feet by cutting triangular claws making sure to make the non-claw end long enough to slip into the meatloaf (instructions below).
- Cut two slits into the bottom of the owl meatloaf and insert the yellow bell pepper feet into the slit (no need to secure; they should hold into position).
- Next, cut the mini red bell pepper in half lengthwise, seed it, and devein it.
- Using the paring knife, cut each half into the shape of one end of a bow and cut a square for the center of the bow.
- Using more of the honeycomb, adhere the bowtie into position at the owl’s neckline.
- Finally, surround the owl meatloaf with arugula.
Notes
This meatloaf is meant to serve cold. If you wish to reheat it, remove all the decorations, slice it into serving sizes, and microwave each piece for 60 to 90 seconds.
This owl meatloaf can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve. Leave the arugula off, cover the decorated meatloaf on the serving platter with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to party. Once you are ready to present the owl meatloaf to your guests, remove from the refrigerator, uncover the plastic wrap, and place the arugula around the owl meatloaf.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. This makes great meatloaf sandwiches.
To Freeze: cut meatloaf into separate serving slices. Wrap each piece in wax paper and then either place all the slices into a plastic freezer bag OR wrap again in aluminum foil. Defrost in the refrigerator and then to reheat, microwave per instructions above.
Keywords: Meatloaf, Owl-Shaped Meatloaf
All-in-all, I think my owl meatloaf turned out pretty cute! Plus, it was a fun project on a slow afternoon. Here’s a video of the inspiration behind the meatloaf – Barney, one of our barn owls. In this video, Barney gets crazy busy with grooming every inch of his body! See flashes of his face and beak, watch him groom his feathers, hear him ruffle his feathers, and see him stretch his wings. Perched inside his owl nesting box, he accomplishes all his daily grooming goals while standing in front of the door (for a nice cooling breeze) and underneath the camera (so you only see the top of his head). Too cute!
For more Barney videos, check out my YouTube channel or these posts:
Barney Scratches an Itch in The Remarkable Barn in the Sky + 42 Types of Owls
Barney the Barn Owl Grooms His Feathers in Toilet Paper Roll Crafts: How to Make Adorable Owl Napkin Rings
Barney the Barn Owl Grooms His Talons in Carole Hears a Whoo (and Gets an Unexpected Shellacking)
Finally, don’t forget to sign up to receive my newsletter in your inbox. As a thank you, I’ll send you a freebie! Look for the owl-themed sign-up boxes near the top of this post and again at the bottom of this post. Plus, if owls aren’t your thing, you can choose the Messy House freebie instead. Thanks so much!
Tootles,
Related Posts from Toot Sweet 4 Two’s Archives:
The Remarkable Barn in the Sky + 42 Types of Owls
Carole Hears a Whoo (and gets an unexpected Shellacking)
Toilet Paper Roll Crafts: How to Make Adorable Owl Napkin Rings
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