In anticipation of “superstorm” Sandy several weeks ago it was time to consolidate the freezers so that only one would be needed to hook up to the generator. That’s when we discovered an abundance of ground turkey that I wrapped in individual packages. The generator kept the turkey and everything else in the freezer nice and cold for the four days we were without power but it was about time to use the turkey up.
A broken foot has put me in a cast and off my feet for now so Joe has ably taken over the cooking. When he asked for suggestions on how to use it, I immediately thought of turkey meatloaf. I was craving a little comfort food at that time. Not that I knew of a good recipe but I remembered another delicious meatloaf than included ground beef, pork and chopped prunes he made back in January at his mother’s request. My goal was to find a recipe that specifically called for ground turkey. A short search on Epicurious brought me to a recipe from Gourmet magazine from January 2003. Positive reviews from 92% of four hundred and seventy five reviewers couldn’t be wrong, obviously a recipe worth trying.
Ground turkey and a generous amount of vegetables combine to make this a flavorful meatloaf. The only time consuming part of the recipe is chopping the vegetables. Make sure you give yourself a little time in your preparation for the cooked vegetables to cool before adding in the ground turkey. We substituted Japanese-style panko bread crumbs for the white bread. Panko are flakes, not crumbs and they lend a light airiness to the mix. Cremini mushrooms also known as “baby bellas” add an extra depth of meaty flavor, texture and moistness to the meatloaf. Feel free to substitute other varieties of mushrooms. Instead of cooking it in a loaf pan, Joe formed the meatloaf in a long oval and baked it in a small roasting pan. The meatloaf reached the desired end temperature in less time than originally stated in the recipe. An instant read thermometer is key here. The top, painted with some ketchup and the flecks of orange from the carrot make this more colorful than your average meatloaf. We have enjoyed this meatloaf twice now in the past two weeks.
Turkey Meatloaf
Gourmet January 1993
- 1 1/2 c finely chopped onion
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 t olive oil
- 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/8-inch dice
- 3/4lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and very finely chopped in a food processor (feel free to experiment with other varieties)
- 1 t Kosher salt
- 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 c finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 c plus 1T ketchup
- 1 c Panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 c 1% milk
- 1 whole large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 lb ground turkey
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add carrot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and they are very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and 3 tablespoons ketchup, then transfer vegetables to a large bowl and cool.
- Stir together panko crumbs and milk in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white, then add to vegetables.
- Add turkey and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to vegetable mixture and mix well with your hands. (Mixture will be very moist.)
- Form into a 9- by 5-inch oval loaf and place in a lightly greased roasting pan and brush meatloaf evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup. Bake in middle of oven until thermometer inserted into meatloaf registers 170°F, 50 to 55 minutes.
- Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving.
Vegetable mis en place for the meatloaf. 
Saute the vegetables and allow them to cool before adding to the ground turkey. 
Joe chose a free-form oval in a small roasting pan rather than the loaf pan.