The one that started it all

Last year for Adam's birthday i decided to try out a new recipe. I had never made meatloaf before and honestly, most meatloafs don't excite me. But this one changed it all. It has chunks of fresh mozzarella in it and a ton of fresh basil and parsley. It's also made with ground turkey. We loved it, it was a huge success. What made Adam even happier is that i sent him home with basically half the loaf so that he could eat it for lunch during the week at work.

The next day i shared the recipe with some friends in our normal email chain. It sparked so much curiosity that a new found love of meatloaf was born. People talked for weeks about meatloaf, how to create the best one and what crazy ingredients should be added to make it the best. Soon we decided that we should have a meatloaf cook-off. Some of our friends baked a new meatloaf each week trying to perfect their recipe adding things like bacon, corn bread mix, different ground meats, different cheeses, and so on. It was talked about so much in the email chain that other people who were not interested in delicious loafs of ground meat asked that we talk about different things. It turns out that the competition never happened. It was set for the day after a large party and many, including myself, felt to hungover and tired to even think about making meatloaf. The date was never rescheduled, but maybe someday it will happen.

I've made this meatloaf about 4 times since then and i rarely ever change the original recipe. It's mostly perfect as is. Since the cold weather has been winding down i decided to make it as farewell to winter. The other week i also moved to my new apartment i have not tried out the oven. It's a little ancient looking doesn't even have a temperature gauge light or buzzer to tell you if the oven is hot enough. Turns out that it works great, but maybe get a little too hot based on what i set it at, so it was a learning experience. My side dishes were peas and brown rice to round out the dinner.

ITALIAN TURKEY MEATLOAF

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
salt& pepper to taste
chopped basil to taste
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients, except the mozzarella, in a large bowl and mix well. Divide the mixture in half.

Lightly spray loaf pan w/Pam. Fill pan halfway w/turkey mixture and pat down firmly. Press 1/2 of the mozzarella chunks randomly into the meat. Top w/remaining meat and press firmly. Top w/remaining mozzarella cheese, pressing pieces into the meat.

Bake for approx. 1 1/2 hrs. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.

My Review

Like i said above, i rarely ever change this recipe. I use either 93% fat free or 97% ground turkey or sometimes i use one container of each. This time i used all 93% because the other one was a dollar more! (this annoys me greatly when the healthier options are more expensive). The only way i see ground turkey is in pre-packaged containers of 1.3 pounds, so i use two of those and keep the amount of the other ingredients the same even though its a little more meat. I use fresh mozzarella and fresh herbs. I know this makes it more expensive but i feel it just wouldn't be as good with a more processed mozzarella and dried herbs. A new discovery i've found is whole wheat bread crumbs, so i always use those now in place of regular ones.

It's a good idea to use an instant read meat thermometer for this. Unlike beef where you can get away with eating it less done, i wouldnt gamble it with turkey. You also don't want to over cook it so that it's too dry. Your meatloaf is done when it has reached 160 degrees. Take it out and let it rest for 5 more minutes. (it will continue cooking slightly) Test the temperature a couple times towards the end of the cooking time. Since i was using an oven i've never used before i was very happy that i checked my meatloaf 20 minutes early. It was already at 180... So it turned out a bit dryer and crispier around the edges than normal, but it was still good.

I recommend the best way to mix all your ingredients together is by hand. I know, yuck. At least that's what i say in my head when i have to do it. Up until halfway through college i had really not even touched raw chicken, let alone any other types of raw meat. It's still a contention at my parents house that i've yet to come anywhere near the uncooked turkey at Thanksgiving. They're convinced i'm on the 12-step program and will someday (hopefully soon) make Thanksgiving dinner instead of my mom doing most of it. I've overcome dealing with most boneless, skinless raw meat and have mostly come to terms with ground meats. It's still not pleasant for me but i deal with it to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated with the turkey. You'll also get a feel if the mix is too dry or liquidy. If too dry add a little milk and if too moist add more bread crumbs, then remix.

I've thought about making a sauce to go with the meatloaf. Maybe a marinara sauce or even a reduced balsamic glaze. I've yet to do it, but maybe some day i will. Variations that you could also try is adding a couple cloves of minced garlic, some finely chopped onion, or even adding more herbs like thyme or herb de provence. One of my friends tried out this recipe and added bacon.

As you can probably guess, 2+ pounds of turkey meatloaf is a lot food. That plus 2 sides for dinner is very filling. It has fed Adam and I all week. So even with the fresh herbs, mozzarella cheese and ground turkey making it more expensive than a regular meatloaf, if it feeds us all week that's still a very cheap meal per serving. My total cost was about $13. I already had the parmesan cheese, the bread crumbs, milk and eggs. Most people have these on hand as part of keeping a well stocked kitchen so hopefully making this won't cost you too much. Even if you have to buy all the ingredients need to make this, i highly recommend it. It's one of our favorites and hopefully will soon become one of yours. Enjoy!