Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe, which is in her first cookbook. The original recipe, which uses five pounds of ground turkey for an enormous meatloaf, can also be found at foodnetwork.com. I’ve modified to make a home-sized portion here.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 large)
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (scant 1/4 teaspoon dried)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast (93% lean)
- 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup ketchup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Set aside to cool.
- Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well (if you can get over the yuck factor, using hands is most efficient) and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan.
- Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.)
- Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.
Notes
- For a gluten-free version, use almond meal for flour. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is gluten free.
- For more excitement, try laying thin slices of bacon over the meatloaf before spreading the ketchup. Or if plain ketchup seems too boring on top, try Paula Deen’s topping (1/3 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon prepared mustard).
- If you like, a bit (1/4 cup) of parmesan cheese mixed in would be a nice addition.
Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.
