Best Ever Turkey Meatloaf

Honest truth – I was thinking I wouldn’t have time to do a Turkey Tuesday post this week. I wasn’t prepared, I didn’t have a recipe in mind, I wasn’t even sure I had ingredients on hand. (And certainly creating the Best Ever Turkey Meatloaf wasn’t in the cards.)

In other words, welcome to Monday night at my house.

But then my blogger friend Katie over at Pinke Post happened to post a photo on her Facebook page of the bacon-wrapped meatloaf she was making, linking to a Pioneer Woman recipe. This got my wheels turning, and as I looked at that particular recipe, I decided I could do a bit of adapting with a turkey meatloaf recipe I’ve been wanting to try from Jennie-O Turkey Store. And praise be, I had all the ingredients in my kitchen!

Voila! The Best Ever Turkey Meatloaf was born.

I’m not sure if I was literally that hungry, or if the windy, cold weather today gave me a craving for comfort food, but this meatloaf was unbelievable. Tender, flavorful, wrapped in bacon … it’s just about the perfect meal on a cool, damp fall evening. I couldn’t wait until Teacher Man got home so I get his take – and as I suspected, he gave his hearty approval as well.

I actually don’t make meatloaf very often, which is weird since I am pretty much the queen of comfort food. I am about to change my tune, though, and put this into regular rotation this winter. It’s good stuff, I promise you.

Lara

Best Ever Turkey Meatloaf

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced (original recipe calls for 3 cloves but mine were big so I went with 2)
• 1 (20-ounce) package JENNIE-O® Lean Ground Turkey
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
• ½ cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon salt, if desired
• 6-8 slices of bacon (I used Hormel Black Label Bacon because that’s what I had in my fridge; you could definitely switch it up with turkey bacon, too)

Sauce:

• 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• Tabasco To Taste

Heat oven to 350ºF. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool 5 minutes.

Add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, ¼ cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt, if desired to turkey mixture; mix well.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow any excess fat from the bacon to drain. (Genius tip I learned from The Pioneer Woman: line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!) Then layer the slices of bacon over the top and tuck in the ends underneath. I find that 7 slices is just about perfect – but you can certainly add more or less to your liking.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of meatloaf is well-done, 165ºF as measured by a meat thermometer.

Slice and serve with remaining sauce, if desired.

Adapted from this Jennie-O Turkey Store Recipe

Sauce recipe (and bacon idea) adapted from this Pioneer Woman Recipe

I am part of Jennie-O’s Switch Circle of bloggers, but I do not get paid for my posts. I do receive some complimentary turkey products to try upon occasion. Opinions and topics are entirely my own.