I know, I know...I'm on a meatloaf kick lately. First, I only tolerated meatloaf and now I'm making it all the time. This recipe is so different than any of the other meatloaf recipes I've done. First of all, it uses ground turkey instead of beef. Sometimes, I'm not a big fan of ground beef, so I wanted to write a meatloaf recipe using something else. Plus, I didn't want to overpower the other ingredients with the ground beef. This is a great meatloaf, full of veggies and great flavor! Here's what I did...
-1/2 lb of ground turkey (I used 85/15 to keep the meatloaf moist. Also, this amount would feed 3-4 people, so if adjust accordingly.)
-a generous handful of sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted (to reconstitute the tomatoes, bring a small pot of water to a boil, drop in the tomatoes and remove the pan from the heat. Let stand 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened.)
-2 handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped (the spinach will shrink as it cooks, so use more than you think you want.)
-1/2 of a 15oz can of artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
-6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (the store didn't have fresh basil so I had to use dried, which is perfectly fine. If you use dried, you'll need about 2 tsp and rub it in your palm before adding it to the meatloaf.)
-a small handful of flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
-1 tsp of dried oregano
-a sprinkling of red pepper flake
-1/2 cup of Italian cheese blend (I feel that you can't have enough cheese, so feel free to add more.)
-1/2 to 3/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs (start with less, you can always add more. You want the meatloaf just to come together.)
-1 egg, beaten
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Marinara sauce (optional, but highly recommended!)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, saving the breadcrumbs for last. Add about 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs to begin with and mix until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout. If the mixture is still sticky or not holding together well, add the remaining breadcrumbs and mix again. Form into one large loaf or into individual loaves. Place meatloaf into a 9x5 inch loaf pan or place individual loaves on to a cookie sheet. Spoon marinara sauce over the meatloaf and bake in the oven for about 1 hour for a large meatloaf or 30-40 minutes for individual loaves. Be sure to check the internal temperature to ensure that the meatloaf is cooked all the way through. The thermometer should read 165 degrees. Let the meatloaf stand 5-10 minutes. Garnish with some shredded parmesan cheese if desired. Slice and serve!
*Note: If you like the crusty top of meatloaf, don't cook it with the marinara sauce on top. Cook the meatloaf, then add the sauce when it comes out.
We had this with a caprese style pasta salad. For that, I just cooked up some whole wheat short cut pasta (penne or rotini), cut up some English cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and chopped parsley. I also added feta cheese (Matt's favorite), but you can also use mozzarella. For the dressing, I did equal parts balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, whisking until combined. Once the noodles are cooked (8-10 minutes), drain them and add them to the bowl of chopped veggies, pour the dressing over the noodles and stir to combine.
This was a great meal. It was filling without being heavy. The lean ground turkey mixed with so many veggies makes this meatloaf pretty healthy, too. The spinach and artichokes is a classic combination, but the sun-dried tomatoes really punched up the flavor. I enjoyed having something besides potatoes as a side. The dressing was tangy, which was a great contrast to the rich tomato sauce on the meatloaf. This was a delicious meal and I really hope you try it!
*Note: If you need a recipe to use up the remaining artichokes and spinach, check out my Tuna Sandwich recipe which you can find under August 2010! It's so good!!
