Barefoot Contessa's Turkey Meatloaf

In case you were wondering what I served that Cream of Roasted Tomato & Rice Soup with, this is it. I discovered Ina Garten's fabulous Turkey Meatloaf recipe many years ago in her first book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and it immediately became a family favorite.

There are a lot of things that I love about this recipe, the first being that is absolutely delicious. The onions in it are sauteed to release their sweetness and then mixed with the other seasonings before being added to the ground turkey. This yields an end product that is incredibly moist and flavorful. I also love the fact that this recipe makes a huge meatloaf. Sure, five pounds of meat is a lot, but you end up with enough for several meals, plus enough to share. Leftover meatloaf is very versatile. You can do just about anything with it. Plus, it's really nice to have in the fridge for those busy weeknights when you don't have a lot of time to spare.

The first day I made this, we ate it straight up with mashed potatoes and some zucchini. The next day, I served it in big, fat, grilled sandwiches topped with melted mozzarella along with my tomato soup. After that, I chopped some up and stuffed some baked potatoes with it. (I wish I had thought to take some pictures of that!) Finally, I crumbled the last of it up in some mac & cheese. (Yes, it was from a box. And no, I don't feel a bit guilty about it!)

So, if your life often gets a little hectic and crazy like mine does, make Ina's big, honkin' Turkey Meatloaf on a Sunday afternoon. Your family will eat like kings for the rest of the week, and you might even find a little time to sit back and put your feet up!

Turkey Meatloaf
from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large onions)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
5 pounds ground turkey breast
1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
3 extra-large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy these from the SGCC archives:

Picadillo & Picadillo Pizza

Stuffed Eggplants with Meat

Easy Peasy Meatball Ziti

Stuffed Jacket Potatoes with Shepherd's Pie Filling

Meatloaf Involtini

And, here are some other great meatloaf recipes from around the blogs:

Moroccan Meatloaf from Simply Recipes

Gluten-free Maple-Apricot Glazed Meatloaf from Karina's Kitchen

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting from Fine Furious Life

Kalyn's Best Meatloaf from Kalyn's Kitchen

Turkey Meatloaf with Fig Gravy from The Perfect Pantry