Sugar Bowl Mix: Delicious Turkey Meatloaf

I'm a sucker for meatloaf. It's one of those old-fashioned comfort foods that tastes so good on a cool, rainy night when thunder is rumbling low overhead.

I've been experimenting with meatloaf for several years now. I've made it with ground beef, with turkey, with zuchini, without zuchini, with garlic, without garlic but always with the ketchup sauce inside. There were some pretty good meatloafs along the way, but none were exactly right.

Then, a few weeks ago I saw a meatloaf recipe on The Pioneer Woman. And, hello! I found my answer: Don't add the ketchup sauce to the meat mixture! I made my multi-tested meatloaf recipe with its secret ingredient but I spooned the sauce on the outside only. And voila. Delicious Turkey Meatloaf that the girls love.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1/3 Cup chopped celery
4 or 5 slices whole wheat bread
1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
1 to 1.5 lbs ground turkey (I use 1.25 lb Jenny-O Lean Ground Turkey)
2 eggs, beaten (you can substitute egg whites)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh basil (the secret ingredient!) (I use Gourmet Garden but you can chop up fresh)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons worcester sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

Sauté the chopped onions and celery in the olive oil until they're soft. About five minutes.

While the onions and celery are getting soft make your own bread crumbs. Put the bread in the toaster until it's lightly toasted. Rip up the toast and throw it in the blender. (Or use purchased - about 1 cup)

Soak the bread crumbs in the milk. Set aside.

Put the ground turkey in a big bowl. Add the parmesan cheese, salt, basil, onions and celery.

Using a fork, mix it all together.

Throw in the bread crumbs and pour in the beaten eggs.

Mix everything together. Shape it into a meatloaf shape (you'll have to use your hands for this). Place it on a lightly oiled pan. I like to use a broiler pan.