Love to Loaf
A shocking amount of people hate meatloaf. Why? I don't know. Danielle and I were discussing the other day that it's basically a giant meatball and you hardly ever hear people say they hate meatballs so what's the big idea? Is it because growing up their moms made it dry and tasteless. Is it because the idea of a loaf shaped piece of meat is off putting? I stand before today, a proud member of Team Meatloaf, to tell you it's okay to like meatloaf! Seriously. And if you don't like the way it tastes there is a lot you can do to change it. Add some Cajun spice. Mix in some bbq sauce. Or in my case, throw a salad in the mix!
The other day when I was going through the fridge, figuring out what we'd have for dinner this week - I was struck with inspiration. I had ground turkey that I had to use pretty soon. I had about 1/2 a ball of fresh mozzarella. I had some basil. I had one large, delicious looking tomato. What to do?
How about Caprese Turkey Meatloaf?
I decided to blend two of my favorite easy dishes: Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella salad and turkey meatloaf into one pretty easy and DELICIOUS meal. It came out better than I imagined and I learned a lesson - you don't really need an egg to make meatloaf. I didn't have any and it still held together beautifully. Check it out.
Caprese Turkey Meatloaf
1 package ground lean turkey (about 1.3 lbs)
½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 cup Tomato and Basil pasta sauce, divided
1 bunch basil leaves, chopped
6 oz mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, “spit” removed, chopped and drained (or 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained)
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 350
Combine the turkey, breadcrumbs and ¾ cup of the tomato sauce and a little salt and pepper until just mixed. If the mixture is to wet, sprinkle in some more breadcrumbs. If it’s too dry use a little more sauce. Fold in the chopped tomatoes.
Divide mixture into two equal mounds.
Pat 1 mound into a greased loaf pan and spread evenly.
Sprinkle basil on top and pat down.
Lay mozzarella slices on top.
Spread remaining meat on top, pressing. Run your fingers along the edges of the meatloaf to seal. Cover with remaining tomato sauce (1/4 cup)
Let sit in fridge for about 20 minutes.
Bake for 45minutes to an hour (until a meat thermometer registers 165/170).
Let sit for 5 minutes.
Slice and serve!
It’s delicious and gooey and maintains the fantastic taste combo of tomato, basil and mozzarella. It was a nice change from our usual turkey meat loaf. It was definitely a hit in our house! I think this would be equally good if you subbed out the basil and mozzarella for spinach and feta!
Posts
11 comments:
I am, and always have been, a huge fan of meatloaf. This sounds (and looks) delicious!!
this looks delicious. i love meatloaf and cheese and tomatoes so what a great combination. i will be trying this one out soon.
this sounds so yummy!!! I have to try it.
I was just talking to my husband the other day about how we hadn't had meatloaf in so long - yum! I'll have to give your version a try!
This is surprisingly close to the turkey meatloaf I make! Mine has frozen, drained spinach mixed into the meat and shreadded mozzarella in the middle. Yummy!
That looks so good! I usually put spinach in meatloaf and now I think next time I will add some mozzarella.
hmmm well...my mother's meatloaf only tasted good with ketchup....and even then it was a struggle to get down. However, this Turkey loaf looks amazing...I can smell it from here!!! Definitely on the "must try" list.
Step One. Buy Loaf Pan.
This sounds delish!
My mom's meatloaf is my fallback, but I recently found a Spicy Meatloaf recipe on WW.com. It's great!
I personally love meatloaf and don't get why it has such a stigma!
meatload!
What?!?!? There are people that don't like meatloaf? Surely you jest. I love, love, love meatloaf. I will say though, I don't cook it as much as I order it when dining out. Your caprese loaf looks yummy.
Yum! I used to hate all meatloaf until I realized it was really only my mother's meatloaf I hated. Can't wait to try this!
Post a Comment