Turkey Meatloaf

Keeping it real on the blog today.  Nothing makes me feel more like a failure as a wife and mother than when I'm scrolling through my Facebook page or my Instagram feed looking at pictures of families sitting around the dinner table happily eating kale and Brussels sprouts.  Even though I'm convinced that there are bribes behind those cheery vegetable smiles, it still stings a little when I see families willingly consuming healthy food.  

Don't get me wrong, my family is pretty good about trying new foods.  Let's face it - they're forced to act as my culinary guinea pigs A LOT!  The only thing that they absolutely refuse to eat are beets.   

Chances are, I will not be posting pictures of my family blissfully consuming their evening meal - trust me - I've tried to photograph them while they eat and they HATE it.  (Casualty of living with a food blogger I guess.)  Just a warning: If there's food in the vicinity - chances are, I WILL photograph it - and the probably the people eating it as well. ​

The fact is that as wives and mothers, our desire is to provide healthy, nutritious meals to our loved ones.  We all would like to have our family sit down to healthy, social media worthy meals on a daily basis but let's face it - that rarely happens.  Heck, I write a food blog and I still struggle to get nutritious meals on the table.  

We need to encourage each other in our struggle to create balanced, nutrient rich foods for our families instead of being discouraged over glamorized photographs of meals that may or may not have even been edible.  That is precisely why I choose to share my recipes with all of you and why I ask for your ideas and recipes in return.  

Today, I'm sharing a healthier version of my daughter's favorite: meatloaf.  Turkey meatloaf is a little risky because she's such a fan of beef.  The goal was to create a meatloaf that contains less fat but that she will love just as much as traditional ketchup covered beef meatloaf.

Turkey Meatloaf 
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons quick oats
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
​
Glaze
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
​

Melt butter in skillet.  Stir in baking soda. 

Add onion and salt and cook 4 minutes.  

Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute.

Stir in Worcestershire and cook 1 minute. 

Remove from heat and let cool.  Stir egg yolks and mustard into cooled onion mixture.  ​

Combine oats and pepper.  

Whisk together glaze ingredients in saucepan.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook 5 minutes.  

Add turkey, Parmesan, parsley and oats.  

Combine with hands. ​

Shape into a 9x5" loaf and place on a foil lined baking rack over a cookie sheet. ​Spread half of glaze over loaf.  ​

Bake 40 minutes at 350.  

Brush remaining glaze over loaf.  Bake 35-40 minutes longer.  Until internal temperature reaches 160.  Let cool 20 minutes before serving. 

Serve.

Verdict is in - my carnivorous daughter LOVED this meatloaf.  There was no keeping the fact that it was a turkey loaf instead of a beef loaf a secret either - because she helped me make this delicious meatloaf.   

Meatloaf is not one of my favorite foods but this turkey meatloaf has changed my mind about meatloaf.  I'm not a beef eater but this turkey meatloaf was a game changer. 

​Ciao!

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