Tasty Turkey Meatloaf

The perfect HEALTHY comfort food!

“Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beatloaf. I hate meatloaf.” Name that flick! If you guessed A Christmas Story, you are correct! I love that movie. I watch it annually and keep it in the DVR list long past Christmas. This year I’ve really outdone myself…it’s actually still in the queue from 2011. Good thing it’s November and just about time to bust it out again.

Anyhoo, watching the poor frazzled mom desperately trying to coerce Randy to “Show mommy how the piggies eat!” has always cracked me up. And now that I have a super picky toddler on my hands, I can totally relate. Now I’m not promising your finicky eaters will gobble this up—my toddler wouldn’t touch it but the baby loved it. But I can say it’s yummy, healthy, and the perfect comfort food for these chilly fall evenings.

I found this basic recipe online and made a few modifications. I added bell pepper, tweaked the seasonings a bit, and tossed a little brown sugar into the glaze for the top. I also omitted the salt and the chicken broth and cut back on the suggested amount of bread crumbs. Here’s what I came up with.

Tasty Turkey Meatloaf
Serves  4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 pound lean ground turkey
½ teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground preferred)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup (divided use)
¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
Olive oil spray
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes (until onion turns slightly translucent and peppers soften).  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place thawed turkey meat in a large bowl. Add pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of ketchup (save the rest for the sauce on top!), bread crumbs, and egg to bowl. Transfer the cooked onions and bell pepper to the bowl as well.

Now for the messy part: Use your hands to fold the vegetables and seasonings into the ground meat. Be sure to really squish it around so it all mixes evenly.

Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with olive oil spray. Press the meatloaf mixture into the pan.

In a small bowl, mix remaining 2 tablespoons of ketchup with the brown sugar and spread over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165-170 degrees.

*You may want to drain off a little of the excess liquid during cooking. (The fat from the turkey along with the water from the vegetables can create a little too much moisture.) Just remove pan from oven at around the 30-minute mark and use a spoon to remove the extra liquid. Return to oven and cook for the remaining 10 minutes or so.

Results:
I was really happy with the way this dish turned out. It was really good and it was great to have a little comfort food—without the guilt of eating something unhealthy. I paired the meatloaf with sautéed green beans and GarlicMashed “Potatoes” and it was the perfect, balanced meal.

If you’re looking for a healthy, tasty twist on boring old meatloaf, give this recipe a try. Let me know what you—and your family—think!

Until next time,
Ryann

The Best Turkey Burgers EVER

No, seriously...the best turkey burgers EVER!!!

A lot of people tend to shy away from turkey burgers because they can be tasteless, dry, and cardboard-esque. And I get that. But with the right seasonings and a few ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and cupboard, you can kiss boring and bland goodbye and say hello to the Best Turkey Burgers EVER.

The Best Turkey Burgers EVER
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1-1.5 pounds lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Optional Condiments/Toppings:
Honey Wheat Buns
Tomato
Onion
Lettuce
Ketchup
Mustard
Cheese

Directions:
Place defrosted turkey meat in a large bowl. Add all ingredients and roll up your sleeves…it’s about to get messy. Use your hands to thoroughly combine ingredients and spread them evenly throughout the meat. Shape meat into patties. (The size and number is up to you.) Patties will shrink up on the grill so you’ll want to make them a little on the large side.

(I’ve mentioned before that I don’t even know how to turn our grill on, so I had to “borrow” these directions from Bobby Flay.) Heat gas grill to high or coals in a charcoal grill until they are glowing orange and are covered in ash. Cook burgers on one side until slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Flip burgers and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165. If you are going to add cheese, place it on the burger patties during the last minute of cooking and close the grill cover to melt. You can also toast your buns on the grill for the last minute or two if desired.

Remove patties from grill and add your favorite condiments and toppings. I used honey wheat buns, jalapeño yogurt cheese, lettuce, tomato, white onion, ketchup, and yellow mustard.

Awesome Health Fact:
Adding rosemary to meats grilled at high temperatures helps to reduce the amount of toxins called heterocyclic amines  (HCAs) that are created every time you BBQ. Here’s a great overview, along with a link to the studies, which ran in The New York Times a couple of years ago.

Results:
We serve these pretty much every time we have people over for a BBQ. And our friends and family are always surprised at just how flavorful they are. I feel good about eating turkey instead of red meat and everyone is happy. Give them a try the next time you grill out and let me know what you think!

Until next time,
Ryann