Recipe for a Leaner Meatloaf

Greetings, poor neglected bloglet! Its been a very busy week in Divaland, hence I'm woefully behind in posting, reading, commenting and email. Le sigh.

I expect things will finally ease up towards the end of the week - though I will be out of pocket for most of today and tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've made you some meatloaf! And not just any meatloaf either - a leaner, meaner, thoroughly delicious version that I know you'll return to again and again. With its combination of ground turkey breast and lean ground beef, you'll have all the satisfaction of a traditional loaf - minus some of the saturated fat. Bonus!

Basic Meatloaf Recipe:

• 1 pound of ground turkey breast
• 1/2 pound of lean ground sirloin beef
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, leaves only
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of seasoned dry breadcrumbs

• an additional 1/4 cup of ketchup and some chopped fresh parsley for coating the loaf

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey and ground beef. Mix with a fork, or clean hands, until the meats are incorporated. Add the onions, parsley, thyme, ketchup, Dijon Mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, Kosher salt and black pepper, and mix thoroughly with a fork, wooden spoon, or clean hands, until fully incorporated. Add the beaten egg and 1/4 cup of seasoned dried bread crumbs and mix to combine. If desired you may add up to another 1/4 cup of bread crumbs to bind the mixture, but don't over-do it! You want the mixture to just hold together, it should not be dry to the touch.

Turn the mixture out into an oven-safe 9 x 13 inch baking dish and shape into a loaf, compacting the mixture with your hands. Place the formed loaf in the middle of the baking dish (as seen above) and slather the top with some additional ketchup. Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley or thyme and bake in the middle of a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from pan, slice, serve and enjoy!

As written this recipe will serve 6 to 8 depending on appetite.

While you could certainly choose to bake the mixture in a loaf pan, I prefer this method. Baking the loaf in a larger dish allows the fat to drain away from the meatloaf, and when its finished you can simply lift it out and leave all that nasty fat behind.

It goes without saying that any leftovers should be sliced and turned into sandwiches ... isn't that the whole reason we make meatloaf in the first place? It is in here in Divaland, just ask the husband!

Eaten fresh out of the oven, or cold on a sandwich, this hearty, healthier version is sure to please. I hope you'll try it!

We'll return to my culinary tour of Germany later in the week ... stay tuned.

Bon appetit!