Turkey Meatloaf

Meatloaf is not the most glamorous of meals, but it’s so good who cares? I like to make turkey meatloaf, as I think it is a bit healthier than red meat, and because I honestly think it tastes better. This is Ina Garten’s turkey meatloaf. I love her and her recipes, but her biggest downfall is that she forgets normal people don’t spend $30.00+ per meal. Her recipe calls for 5 pounds of ground turkey. If you do the math, that’s about $25.00 in just the turkey. I experimented and tweaked her measurements and came up with an equally delicious meatloaf that uses 3 pounds. I know you may be thinking, 3 pounds is still a lot, but trust me, you may end up cursing me wishing for the full 5 pounds. I always wait until ground turkey is on sale at the grocery store (which it often is) and stock up, which makes this meatloaf much more affordable.

Ingredients:

·      ½ red bell pepper, chopped

·      1 large onion, chopped

·      2 Tbsp olive oil

·      ½ tsp salt

·      ½ tsp pepper

·      ½ tsp dried thyme, or 1 tsp fresh thyme

·      2 ½-3 tsp Worcestershire sauce

·      ½ cup chicken stock

·      1 tsp ketchup

·      2 large eggs, beaten

·      1 cup Italian dried bread crumbs

·      1 tsp salt

·      ½ tsp pepper

·      3 pounds ground turkey (if using frozen, make sure it is completely defrosted)

·      ½ cup ketchup

If you’re going to bake the meatloaf immediately, preheat oven to 325°. On the bottom shelf, add a 9x13” pan of water to ensure even cooking time for the meatloaf.

Preheat a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add olive oil, onions, pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute over medium low heat until onions and peppers are tender and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes.

 Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and ketchup. Stir in the onion mixture and set aside to cool to room temperature. 

In a large bowl, add the ground turkey. Add the cooled onion mixture, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently stir the mixture until just combined. Do not over mix! 

On a large greased cookie sheet, dump the meatloaf mix out and gently shape into an oval, about 4 inches high. Spread ketchup evenly over the meatloaf.

At this point, you can either bake it or refrigerate it and bake it off later. If you’re going to bake the meatloaf later in the day, do not add the ketchup yet. Just cover tightly with plastic wrap and add the ketchup just before you bake it.

If you’re baking it immediately, place the meatloaf on the shelf above the water bath. Bake, covered loosely with foil, for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake another 25-30 minutes uncovered. Let rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy with mashed potatoes.