Turkey Meatloaf

This is Teri's recipe for turkey meatloaf. The first time I had it, I was blown away by how it melted in my mouth--also the smell it gave off while it cooked made my stomach growl sumpthin' fierce.

Here's what you'll need to get your mouth watering:

• One and three-quarter pounds of lean ground turkey (with at least 7% fat content)
• A quarter-pound of lean ground beef (or lean ground pork) for just a little bit of fat to prevent the meatloaf from drying out while cooking
• Two eggs
• Two cloves of garlic
• A cup-and-a-half of oatmeal (make sure it's whole oat)
• Two tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
• Half-a-cup of ketchup (keep the worcestershire and ketchup out because you'll need to use it again later)
  
• Optional: half an onion (chopped)
• The final most important ingredient is LOVE. I'm serious. If you can't do this with love in your heart, then your meatloaf has failed before you even crack that first egg. =(

After you've got all the ingredients ready, pre-heat your oven to 325.

Now take all those ingredients and mix 'em all up really well in a big bowl (make sure all the meat gets kneaded and all the egg gets mixed in). What you're after is a really moist consistency. If it feels a little dry, add a little more worcestershire and ketchup.


Next, break out a big casserole dish to form your meatloaf on. I know what you're thinking...why not use a meatloaf pan? Because this is how we do it. NO MEATLOAF PAN.

There was an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay where Bobby had to go against some meatloaf expert brothers--and none of those guys used a meatloaf pan. Forming it yourself kept the loaf from getting too dense. So if those MEATLOAF EXPERTS didn't use a pan, we're not using a pan. Got that?

So take your big casserole dish and either dab the bottom with vegetable oil or spray it with PAM. Next form the loaf in the middle of the dish...


After you form the loaf, splash a little more worcestershire on the meat and then break out the ketchup again and spread a layer of it on the entire loaf (this will help create the crust).


Place the meatloaf in an oven for 45 to 50 minutes. One way to tell if it's done is to poke the loaf with a knife, and if the juices run clear, it's done!


Let the meatloaf rest for about ten minutes and then it'll be all ready for you to cut up and chow down. Honestly, if I didn't have to take a picture of it, I probably would have just taken a fork and eaten it straight out of the casserole dish. Also, I really didn't eat this with bread and carrot sticks -- I had it filipino-style over rice.