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Moist Turkey Meatloaf with Rosemary

This is NOT the crumbly gross 1950’s turkey meatloaf.  This is moist, succulent and savory meatloaf that melts in your mouth and leaves with feeling of nostalgia and comfort.  This is my Turkey Meatloaf and it will be your new favorite after I show you how a few easy techniques and flavors can make this the superstar of your dinner.

This is NOT the crumbly gross 1950's meatloaf. This is moist, succulent and savory meatloaf that melts in your mouth and leaves with feeling of nostalgia and comfort. This is my Turkey Meatloaf and it will be your new favorite after I show you how a few easy techniques and flavors can make this the superstar of your dinner.

Meatloaf.  A quintessential American comfort food.  Unfortunately, it is typically a dry, rock like loaf, served up for dinner as a last minute and almost a need for nostalgia.  Sadly it is typically chewed up quickly and washed down with a glass of milk.

This is NOT that meatloaf.

This meatloaf…is awesome.  Really…

This is NOT the crumbly gross 1950's meatloaf. This is moist, succulent and savory meatloaf that melts in your mouth and leaves with feeling of nostalgia and comfort. This is my Turkey Meatloaf and it will be your new favorite after I show you how a few easy techniques and flavors can make this the superstar of your dinner.

Technique

My turkey meatloaf was born during my personal American nostalgia period.  I attempted to recreate all of the American favorite food classics.  Turkey meatloaf, chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie etc.  And I succeeded with all of them!   However, for some reason… meatloaf took me the longest.  It either crumbled too much.  Or it was too dry or too moist (yes that’s possible).

I finally learned a few techniques from a catering chef who made meatloaf the way his mama taught him to perfect both the flavor and the texture.

  1. Texture: I got the texture down by using a unique combination of ketchup, sour cream and bread crumbs.  The sour cream acts similarly to milk in most other turkey meatloaf recipes…BUT it gives it a savory and tangy flavor component that milk just will not give you.
  2. Eggs: He always left out the eggs because the sour cream and vegetable mixture bound the meat and veggies so good that no eggs were necessary.
  3. Combining: I used a KitchenAid stand mixer with a paddle attachment to JUST combine the meat mixture.  Just like dough or meatballs you do not want to overwork the meat.  This will only tighten up the proteins in the meat.  Keep it quick.  Which is why the KitchenAid is so perfect for this.  It combines everything very quickly and efficiently.  Of course you can use your hands, but just make sure you do not over mix.
  4. Flavor:  I kept it simple with the classic French holy trinity of mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery). I snuck in some rosemary in there for good measure…which happened to pretty much MAKE the dish.  That earthy taste of rosemary paired up with the mild tanginess of sour cream makes for a meatloaf that  is truly unforgettable.
  5. Glaze: I kept the glaze pretty traditional with the ketchup.  But I added in a BBQ sauce in there as well.  It was the perfect combo of sweet, tangy and savory.

This is NOT the crumbly gross 1950's meatloaf. This is moist, succulent and savory meatloaf that melts in your mouth and leaves with feeling of nostalgia and comfort. This is my Turkey Meatloaf and it will be your new favorite after I show you how a few easy techniques and flavors can make this the superstar of your dinner.

The best part is how pretty this turkey meatloaf is when it come out of the oven.  My hubs always stands by the loaf and tears off the crusty little pieces of meat.  Those are his faves.  Crispy, crusty, savory goodness.

It’s a modern twist to a classic that should not be forgotten.  And what better pairing to go with this than creamy mashed potatoes and my super simple 5 minute garlic green beans.

This is NOT the crumbly gross 1950's meatloaf. This is moist, succulent and savory meatloaf that melts in your mouth and leaves with feeling of nostalgia and comfort. This is my Turkey Meatloaf and it will be your new favorite after I show you how a few easy techniques and flavors can make this the superstar of your dinner.

Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

We start with throwing our carrots, onions and celery into a vitamix or a food processor.  If you are using a vitamix, you are going to want to throw all your veggies in there (slice your onions and carrots in half lengthwise) and fill the container up with water until all the veggies are covered.  Then pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped.  You want this mixture to be fine because you do not want large chunks of vegetables in your meat loaf.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Strain the liquid out of the veggies and place to sweat in a large sautee pan, with 1 tbsp olive oil, over medium heat.  You do not want caramalization, you want them to be nice and translucent.  Don’t forget to season them with some salt and pepper.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

In the meantime. take your rosemary and remove the leaves from the stems and chop up finely.  Add to veggies.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

While the veggies are getting fragrant lets get the meat going.  Add in the bread crumbs to the ground turkey.   By the way, add this to your stand mixer mixing bowl, because later we will be combining all the ingredients in there.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Oh and don’t forget to oil your loaf pan!

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

After about 15 minutes of the veggies total cooking time, go ahead and measure out your sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Add it to the pan with the veggies.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Mix thoroughly to combine.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Taste and season accordingly.  Remember you are also using this as the main source of seasoning and flavoring for your meat.

Add the meat and bread crumb mixture to a stand mixer along with the veggies.  Mix with paddle attachment until well combined.  You can also do this by hand but I find this is way easier.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Mix only enough to combine.  Do NOT over mix.  Take a small piece and fry it up to taste for seasoning.  Season the meat as necessary.

In another bowl, combine, 1/2 a cup of ketchup and 1/3 a cup of BBQ sauce.  Mix to combine.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Place your meat mixture into the loaf pan and slather the top with the BBQ and ketchup mixture.  You can do so with a pastry brush.  I actually had some meat leftover so I made little mini meatloafs as well 🙂

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Place loaf pan onto a sheet pan covered with foil in case the meatloaf decides to bubble out a bit.  Fill ANOTHER pan with high sides (a foil pan is perfectly fine) with warm water and place on the oven rack directly BELOW the rack that you will be placing the meatloaf pan onto.  This ensures that your top of the meatloaf will not crack.

I always place a probe thermometer into my meatloaf so that I know when it is done.  When it reaches 165-degrees your meatloaf is done…and glorious.

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf-002

Here’s another tip.  Let. It. Rest.  Covered with foil.  And if you can, cool it in the fridge and THEN slice it.  You will get perfect even slices that will not fall apart when cutting.  Either way, use a serrated knife to get better slices.  Want to know how restaurants get such beautiful, perfect slices of everything?  Sharp knives and cutting while cool.  Trust me on this one…it’s kind of fool proof.This is NOT the crumbly gross 1950's meatloaf. This is moist, succulent and savory meatloaf that melts in your mouth and leaves with feeling of nostalgia and comfort. This is my Turkey Meatloaf and it will be your new favorite after I show you how a few easy techniques and flavors can make this the superstar of your dinner.

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Moist Turkey Meatloaf with Rosemary

Moist Turkey Meatloaf with Rosemary


  • Author: Mila Furman
  • Total Time: 70 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x

Description

This is NOT the crumbly gross 1950’s meatloaf. This is moist, succulent and savory meatloaf that melts in your mouth and leaves with feeling of nostalgia and comfort. This is my Turkey Meatloaf and it will be your new favorite after I show you how a few easy techniques and flavors can make this the superstar of your dinner.


Ingredients

Scale

Meatloaf

  • 2 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 large yellow onion (placed through the Vitamix)
  • 5 ribs of celery (placed through the Vitamix)
  • 3 medium sized carrots (placed through the Vitamix)
  • 3 tablespoons rosemary (chopped finely)
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (I prefer Panko)
  • 1 cup ketchup-divided
  • 1/3 cup BBQ Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil to sauté

Green Beans

  • 1 whole bag of FROZEN green beans.
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 7 cloves of garlic (minced on the microplane)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Meatloaf

  1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
  2. We start with throwing our carrots, onions and celery into a vitamix or a food processor. If you are using a vitamix, you are going to want to throw all your veggies in there (slice your onions and carrots in half lengthwise) and fill the container up with water until all the veggies are covered. Then pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped. You want this mixture to be fine because you do not want large chunks of vegetables in your meat loaf.
  3. Strain the liquid out of the veggies and place to sweat in a large sautee pan, with 1 tbsp olive oil, over medium heat. You do not want caramalization, you want them to be nice and translucent. Don’t forget to season them with some salt and pepper.
  4. In the meantime. take your rosemary and remove the leaves from the stems and chop up finely. Add to veggies.
  5. While the veggies are getting fragrant lets get the meat going. Add in the bread crumbs to the ground turkey. By the way, add this to your stand mixer mixing bowl, because later we will be combining all the ingredients in there.
  6. Oh and don’t forget to oil your loaf pan!
  7. After about 15 minutes of the veggies total cooking time, go ahead and measure out your sour cream, Worcstershire sauce and ketchup.
  8. Add it to the pan with the veggies.
  9. Mix thoroughly to combine.
  10. Taste and season accordingly. Remember you are also using this as the main source of seasoning and flavoring for your meat.
  11. Add the meat and bread crumb mixture to a stand mixer along with the veggies. Mix with paddle attachment until well combined. You can also do this by hand but I find this is way easier.
  12. Mix only enough to combine. Do NOT over mix. Take a small piece and fry it up to taste for seasoning. Season the meat as necessary.
  13. In another bowl, combine, 1/2 a cup of ketchup and 1/3 a cup of BBQ sauce. Mix to combine.
  14. Place your meat mixture into the loaf pan and slather the top with the BBQ and ketchup mixture. You can do so with a pastry brush. I actually had some meat leftover so I made little mini meatloafs as well 🙂
  15. Place loaf pan onto a sheet pan covered with foil in case the meatloaf decides to bubble out a bit. Fill ANOTHER pan with high sides (a foil pan is perfectly fine) with warm water and place on the oven rack directly BELOW the rack that you will be placing the meatloaf pan onto. This ensures that your top of the meatloaf will not crack.
  16. I always place a probe thermometer into my meatloaf so that I know when it is done. When it reaches 165-degrees your meatloaf is done…and glorious.
  17. Here’s another tip. Let. It. Rest. Covered with foil. And if you can, cool it in the fridge and THEN slice it. You will get perfect even slices that will not fall apart when cutting. Either way, use a serrated knife to get better slices. Want to know how restaurants get such beautiful, perfect slices of everything? Sharp knives and cutting while cool. Trust me on this one…it’s kind of fool proof.

Green Beans

  1. Pour oil into a large pan or pot over LOW heat.
  2. Add in minced garlic and chili flakes and allow to sweat. You do not want color. Continue this for about 2-3 minutes until garlic is wonderfully fragrant.
  3. Add in the FROZEN beans and toss to coat with the olive oil and garlic mixture.
  4. Increase the heat to medium.
  5. Add in salt and pepper. Once the beans have cooked through, remove and enjoy.

Notes

1. This very same recipe can be made with lean beef, bison or buffalo. I have made it with all of them…and they are ALWAYS amazing.
2. Trader Joe’s has the best French green beans (haircoverts as the French call them) in the frozen area. Otherwise just try and use the frozen green beans that are not cut in pieces. They just look prettier on the plate.
3. You want low heat because otherwise the garlic and chili flakes will burn.
4.Did you guys know that this is SUPER freezer friendly?! Make a double batch.  Freeze it up then reheat it in the oven when you are ready to have it for dinner.  Done and done!

5.  The nutritional information is to be used for information purposes only.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Main Course, Meat
  • Cuisine: American Nostalgia











 

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10 Comments

  1. Meatloaf turned out great! And the mixture was enough to make 2 loaf pans. I was able to freeze one to enjoy later.

  2. Perhaps the most interesting recipe for meatloaf I’ve seen since those 1950’s offerings that I remember so well… While my recipes have improved since mom used to make meatloaf, I do believe that your version will be a true winner.. All I have to do now is figure out how to reduce the ingredients to a recipe which will suit the 2 of us and go for it… Oh… And I will be using beef, of course…

    Thank you for another great recipe and method…. :O)

    1. Awww thanks Ross!!! So just make the recipe and then freeze it 🙂
      Or make half and just free form it on the foil then put it in the oven 😉 it makes a killer leftover meatloaf and cheese panini

  3. A couple of quick questions!
    – What size loaf pan do you use? Does it all fit in 1 or 2?
    – After cooling & cutting, how do you heat up again to serve hot with mash & Beans? In the microwave?
    Thanks for a yummy looking recipe, can’t wait to try it!

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