I have been on a mini hiatus from blogging because we have had some work done in our house, including a brand spanky new back splash in my kitchen! The stove was pulled out and my counters were covered in drop cloths – but I did manage to make some basic meals for my family – and ordered Jimmy Johns on more than one occasion in the past 12 days – don’t judge me, JJ is delicious! I’ve been itching to get back into the kitchen and even though our contractor has one more trip to finish things up, I made do.
Turkey meatloaf sounds pretty boring, I know. Like come on, if I’m going to eat a loaf made of meat, can’t I at least enjoy all it’s greasy meaty goodness?! My answer is yes, you certainly could, but I think my loaf of meat tastes pretty awesome and happens to be pretty good for you. This recipe was a request put in by my dear friend, Andrea. She has been asking me to write down how I make turkey meatloaf, and so I finally did!
Bonus: This is a two for one recipe. That means you will make two meatloaves and freeze one for dinner another night!
Necessities:
3 # ground turkey (93% lean) *no you can’t use ground turkey breast, it will be too dry
1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups finely chopped zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 teaspoon pressed garlic (2-3 cloves)
¾ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (I always use Lea & Perrins)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
The first thing you may notice about my recipe is that there are no breadcrumbs – so yes, this is a gluten free meatloaf. In lieu of breadcrumbs, I use old fashioned rolled oats.
In a food processor add in 1.5 cups of old fashioned oats and pulse until you get a rough flour texture.
Add the oats to a large bowl. Using either your food processor or a chef’s knife finely chop 1 medium yellow onion and add to the bowl with the oats. Next finely chop the zucchini – I do recommend a food processor for this because you want to get the pieces pretty small. The next step is very, very important. If you skip it your meatloaf will be soggy and have an unpleasant texture. Place the chopped zucchini on a microwave safe plate lined with paper towel.
Cover with more paper towel and microwave on high for 3 minutes. You are cooking the excess moisture out of the zucchini. Transfer the cooked zucchini to a colander and squeeze out as much excess water as you can. You will end up with half as much zucchini as you started with – crazy, right?! There is A LOT of water in it. It will look like this. Add the cooked zucchini to the large bowl.
In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic and brown sugar. Add this to the large bowl along with 3 pounds of ground turkey and get to mixing with your (clean) hands. If you’re not a use your hands kind of a person you can attempt to use a spoon, but it will probably be difficult and awkward – just saying. Next, evenly divide the meat mixture into two loaf pans lined with aluminum foil.
If you are feeding a big crowd you may need two meatloaves, but for most families one loaf will be more than enough with leftovers! I always make two and freeze one. It just makes sense to me that if I have the ingredients and I’m making it why not make two and have one on hand for a rainy day? Remove the aluminum foil and lay your loaf on a baking sheet. 
You used the loaf pan to make the loaf shape, but will cook your meatloaf on a baking sheet to get a better crust on the outside and a more even cook. Often cooking a loaf in a loaf pan results in a greasy or wet end product, which does not make for good eats. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of a 350 degree preheated oven and cook for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
I served mine with steamed asparagus and my deliciously dairy free mashed potatoes and to make it classic there is always ketchup on the table 😉 and let me tell you it was so, so good! This is one of my husband’s favorite meals – (he has been asking me to make it for a few weeks now!) and is also a hit with my almost two year old daughter.
But wait, we can’t forget about the other loaf!!! Cover it with plastic wrap and pop the whole pan in the freezer over night. The next day, pull the frozen loaf out of the pan, wrap it up tightly and put in a Ziploc freezer bag for up to two months. Make sure to label it with these instructions:
Thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator, cook in 350 degree preheated oven for 40 minutes.
And just like that you a dinner waiting for you in your freezer! I hope you try out my recipe next time meatloaf lands on your weekly menu. Until next time!
[recipe id=”1019″]