Comfort Food Meets Health Food: Turkey & Veggie Meatloaf

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I wasn't planning on posting a health conscious recipe so soon, but here one is!  In fact, I anticipated the recipe turning out poorly and needing several rounds of testing, but my palate was quite pleased with the results.

You might not like meatloaf and that's okay.  Not everyone does.  Some stomachs even turn at the name.  Not mine.  In fact, I think I'm one of the few people who even enjoy those frozen microwavable Salisbury steak entrees because I like meatloaf so much.  Perhaps my mom had the niche on making disgusting looking food taste good (wait until I post the recipe for "Barf Sandwiches"), and that's why I can handle some foods others can't, but until my dying day, meatloaf will be one of my absolute favorite meals.

I've been a little under the weather lately and have found myself in bed for the last 4 days with nothing but Harry Potter movies to keep me company.  My energy has been low and I've been craving carbs, but rather than give in, I've tried to keep my strength up with iron and protein.  When I spotted some ground turkey in my freezer last night, I knew I'd have to make something with it today.  Thus began my experimentation, and here is the recipe:

Turkey & Veggie Meatloaf

In a large bowl, combine:
16 ounces ground turkey
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 t. D'Lite Seasoning (blend of salt, pepper, yellow mustard, ginger, nutmace, chili powder, paprika, clove, oregano, allspice, bay laurel, and celery salt)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
4 tablespoons steel cut oats (if you don't have steel cut oats, shame on you!)

If you have a microplane, you'll need that, next.  If not, a box grater or grating attachment for a food processor will work just fine.  Finely grate:
1 medium sized carrot (don't peel it, just give it a good washing)
1/2 of an onion (any type will do)
1-2 cloves of garlic

I'm a broken record when it comes to preaching about my microplane, but I absolutely love it!  Nobody likes biting down on a big chunk of garlic, besides my mom and I, so the microplane comes in handy.

I prefer to mix my meatloaf by hand, as to not mush everything together and create a meatbrick.  If you don't want to get it all on your hands, use a rubber scraper and try to keep the mixture lightly mixed.

Place in an 8" loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  After 45 minutes, lightly spread 2 tablespoons of ketchup over the top and allow to bake for another 15-20 minutes.  If you don't like ketchup on your meatloaf, feel free to omit it, but I love the extra bit of flavor it adds.

Don't expect this meatloaf to taste like a regular ground beef meatloaf.  Turkey has a much lower fat content and this recipe omits other normal meatloaf additives that give it its stereotypical flavors.  But that's not to say that this lacks flavor.  The onion and carrots give it a sweetness, the parsley a bite of freshness, and all in all, I love it.

This recipe is flavorful, filling, and a great excuse to use up any vegetables you might have lying around.  Use zucchini or squash, celery, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, etc.  The combinations are endless.

Here's the healthy break-down for this exact recipe:
The entire meatloaf is only 897 calories.  Portion it out into 1" servings and each serving is only 112 calories. 

Should you make this with ground beef, the ground beef alone is 864 calories.  Each 1" serving would roughly be 185 calories. 

By choosing ground turkey, you saved 73 calories.  Choose a reduced calorie salad dressing, cut back on a heavy dessert and opt for fresh fruit, and your calorie deficit will increase.  That's good news!

Switch out your mashed potatoes for a baked sweet potato.  Serve with a fresh salad or steamed veggies, and you'll have a low calorie, low fat, healthy carb, protein laden meal.

Bake, eat, enjoy!