Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
Meatloaf has been the cornerstone of a lot of home cooks and families since the great depression to help families stretch their budgets. Other ingredient along the way of leftover vegetables and cereal grains were also added to provide the meat with additional flavors.
Using turkey can help provide a great meal while cutting additional calories and fat from any meatloaf. Often cutting calories and fat can mean sacrificing flavor and having a dry meatloaf. it helps to add sautéd vegetables and bread soaked in milk or broth to remedy that problem. Adding moisture helps maintain the shape and provide that essential moisture needed for a juicy and flavorful loaf. Another way is to go with the addition of turkey sausage which is still lower in fat and calories than most other ground meats. But the additional binders in the sausage work in the same manner as the vegetables and bread while adding more flavor to the overall turkey meatloaf.
Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
Serves six to eight
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium red onion, medium dice
1 medium green pepper, medium dice
1 celery stalk, medium dice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 garlic cloves minced
2 eggs whipped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon a fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
1 pound of ground turkey
1 pound of turkey sausage
1 ½ cups of panko bread crumbs
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 360 degrees. Heat a medium non stick skillet. When heated add the oil. Add the diced onions, green peppers and the celery. Sauté over medium until translucent and soften about 5 minutes. Add the dried thyme and herbs and sauté until fragrant, for about two moments. Remove from the heat and set aside until cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, salt, cracked pepper and Worcestershire and mix together until well combined. Add the ground turkey and turkey sausage to the bowl with the egg mixture. Also add the cooked vegetables, panko bread crumbs and begin to mix the together lightly making sure not smash it together to keep the texture light. If it sticking to the side of the bowl add a tablespoon at a time to prevent this.
3. Turn the meat onto a lined foil baking sheet, with wet hands begin to form the meat into a 9 by 5 inch loaf shape. If using a loaf pan add the meat mixture to the pan and pat it down with wet hands.
4. Place the meatloaf in the in the middle rack of the oven and cook for about 45 to 55 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees. Once done remove from the oven and cover with a piece of tin foil. And let the meatloaf stand for 5 minutes.
Roasted Garlic jus
Ingredients
2 large head of garlic cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small shallot or half of a small onion minced
2 ½ cups of low sodium vegetable stock
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (1/2 teaspoons of dried)
1 tablespoon of chilled butter
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; add the chopped garlic heads to an ovenproof baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and olive oil. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for an hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Squeeze the garlic from the cut bulb and set aside.
2. Heat a medium non stick cooking pan; add the oil and sauté the shallots until translucent.
3. Add the vegetable broth, fresh rosemary and the roasted garlic and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the butter right before serving to add body and tighten up the jus.
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