Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf

Don't let the fact that this meatloaf contains ground turkey scare you.  I know ground turkey is so lean that it can be dry, but this recipe contains a high concentration of vegetables, which not only adds incredibly flavor, but a great deal of moisture too.  I hope you'll give it a try.

To begin you'll need some roughly chopped carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms, and a few cloves of garlic.

Pulse in a food processor, in batches, until finely ground.

Tip: to keep the processor lid clean, drape a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl before placing the lid on. 

Like this.  Click the lid in place and pulse away.

When done, all the little bits that would have normally splashed up on the lid will now be on the plastic wrap instead.

And the lid will stay perfectly clean!  

Obviously, you wouldn't use this trick if you need to use the feed tube.  

Back to the veggies - process them until they look like this.   

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the ground vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.  Don't be alarmed if you see some liquid releasing from the vegetables.

Oh, and don't forget to add the kosher salt and pepper to the vegetables as they cook.

After 10 minutes pass, the liquid will have evaporated and the color of the vegetables will have darkened a bit. 

Stir in the Italian seasoning and remove from the heat.

Allow the vegetables to cool a bit.  To speed up the process, spread them out on a sheet pan.

Time to mix everything together.  In a very large bowl, place the turkey, panko breadcrumbs, beaten egg, and worcestershire sauce.

..... and don't forget to add the cooled cooked vegetables. 

Mix everything together very well.  You don't want any unmixed clumps to remain. 

Place the meat mixture on the prepared sheet pan and shape into a loaf like this. 

In a small bowl, place ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard.

Whisk together well. 

Brush the ketchup mixture evenly over the top of the meatloaf and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165F is reached.  Rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• nonstick foil https://amzn.to/3bq7c11

• silicone pastry brush https://amzn.to/2WNM5R8

• instant read digital thermometer https://amzn.to/35TcgKd

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Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 large carrots, chopped

• 2 ribs celery, chopped

• 6 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 pounds ground turkey

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a half sheet pan with nonstick foil.

2. Place onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely ground, processing in batches as needed.

3. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook ground vegetables, salt, and pepper in oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until excess liquid evaporates and the color of the vegetables darken slightly.

4. Remove the vegetables from the heat, stir in the Italian seasoning, and allow the mixture to cool before proceeding.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled vegetable mixture, ground turkey, panko breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, and worcestershire sauce; mix very well until they are evenly distributed.

6. Place the turkey mixture on the prepared half sheet pan and shape into a loaf.

7. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard; pour evenly over meatloaf.

8. Bake in center of preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until it reaches an internat temperature of 165F; rest for 10 minutes before serving.

adapted from laurainthekitchen.com 

Skinny Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Question - if you lighten up traditional potato soup, you can add extra toppings, right?  Right! And the fact that this recipe is fast and easy to make means you can sit down to a piping hot bowl of homemade soup in less than an hour.

Start by cooking chopped cauliflower in chicken stock until it's tender.  The smaller you chop the cauliflower, the faster it will cook.  

The cauliflower does not need to be completely covered with chicken stock - we're going to cover the pan and take full advantage of the power of hot steam.  Total cooking time should be about 10 minutes.

Add leftover cooked Idaho potatoes and ground black pepper (hold off on adding any salt at this time).  The potatoes can be boiled, steamed, mashed, baked - just be sure to peel them so the finished color of the soup stays light and bright (you know, for optimal eye appeal).  

I know some people think you should use white pepper in light colored soups, but I'm not fond of the flavor and I really like to see the specks of black pepper in my soup.  That's just me.  You do you.  

Add milk and plain Greek yogurt.  You can substitute sour cream or creme fraiche, but Greek yogurt adds a ton of protein.  

Turn off the heat and grab your handy-dandy immersion blender, aka stick blender.  You could use a food processor or traditional blender as well, but you have to be careful not to over-process the mixture to prevent the potatoes from developing a glue-like texture. 

Blend until smooth-ish - I like my soup to retain a little texture, and actually, a lump or two doesn't bother me at all.  Turn the heat back on and heat the soup for a few more minutes until hot.  Important, taste at this point and add salt if necessary, being mindful of the salt content of whatever toppings you plan to add.

Now for the fun part, garnish with plenty of traditional baked potato toppings like, chives, bacon, cheese - whatever floats your boat.  Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• immersion blender https://amzn.to/33EyFtE

• chicken base https://amzn.to/2WKgmSe

• nakiri knife https://amzn.to/2vGiyPE

• rondeau https://amzn.to/2xiWNWM

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Skinny Loaded Baked Potato Soup

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds chopped cauliflower

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 1/4 pounds leftover peeled and cooked Idaho potatoes, cubed

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream or creme fraiche)

• Kosher salt to taste

• garnish: chopped chives, shredded cheddar, cooked bacon, etc

Directions

1. In a 5 or 6-quart casserole over medium heat, cook cauliflower in chicken stock, covered, until the cauliflower is tender.

2. Add cooked potatoes, black pepper, milk, and Greek yogurt.

3. Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

4. Turn heat back on and heat soup for a few minutes until hot.

5. Taste soup and add salt if necessary, being mindful of the salt content of the toppings you plan to garnish with.

6. Garnish and serve.