Meatloaf is not glamourous or gorgeous, but it sure is good. I made mine with ground turkey, but you could easily use this recipe with ground beef or the traditional meatloaf mix of ground beef, pork and veal.
This loaf gains all of its flavor from the first part: Sauteeing onions, garlic, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Add this to your meat mixture and let it stand in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
While many recipes call for baking the loaf in an actual loaf pan, my recipe uses a good old baking sheet. There are two reasons. 1. I believe this leads to a juicier loaf. And 2. It is sooooo much easier to transfer to a serving dish.
I had turkey gravy in the freezer for my first go-around with this loaf earlier this year. But, this last time I made gravy from the meatloaf drippings. It’s very easy to make, and I included the instructions with the recipe below.
Turkey Meatloaf
Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings20
minutes45
minutes1
hourIngredients
3 lbs. ground turkey
1 medium onion, small diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Cooking spray
- Gravy
Meatloaf drippings
2 cups turkey broth or water
1 .87 oz. packet of McCormick turkey gravy mix
Optional: Flour for a thicker gravy
Directions
- In a medium pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion. Saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute for another minute. (I added some fresh oregano, too, when I had it in the garden, but this is totally optional.)
- Add tomato paste and blend into onions. Add Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add eggs. Beat lightly. Add ground turkey, bread crumbs, grated cheese, salt and pepper and cooled onion mixture. Mix well with your hands. Cover are refrigerate for at least an hour.
- When ready to bake, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Arrange meat mixture into one loaf, or two. (Two are easier to transfer from the baking sheet.) Bake for 40-45 minutes or until meat is cooked through, reaching 160 degrees.
- Using a spatula, transfer turkey meatloaf to a serving platter. Cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes
- Transfer the meatloaf drippings to a small saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat. Add gravy mix and flour (if using). Whisk until thick. Pour in broth or water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- When ready to serve, slice meatloaf and serve with gravy, mashed potatoes and fav veggies!
