There are a few dishes that feel specifically American.
Meatloaf is one of those, despite it also being the butt of many sitcom jokes over the years.
According to an article by Erica Martinez for “Food Republic,” meatloaf has been on recipe cards since the 1870s, but it may be even older than that.
“[F]ood historians believe that the concept of meatloaf has been in existence since the fifth century, when medieval Europeans would dine on a dish made of diced meat scraps combined with fruit, nuts, and spices,” she writes.
Regardless of its origins, I still think we can claim it as our own here.
Unfortunately, it needs to be a “sometimes food” for most of us, considering its higher fat content, which is why this week’s recipe, which subs in ground turkey, is a great meatloaf to try.
This comes from the blog “Recipes by Lucy.” You can find the original at https://www.recipesbylucy.com/turkey-meatloaf-2/. I added extra garlic and seasonings in my version. I also rounded up the amount of ground turkey to two pounds, since I thought that made more sense.
Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 rounded teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 rounded teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 rounded teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (hang some over the edges for easier removal), and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, pepper and salt.
- In a small bowl, beat the milk and egg together with a fork or whisk until they are well combined, and pour those into the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix with a large spoon or your hands until everything is just incorporated. (Don’t over mix, or you could end up with a less-than-awesome texture.)
- Add the meat mixture into the prepared loaf pan, and spread it out evenly.
- Prepare the glaze in a small bowl by adding the ketchup, tomato paste, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until it is well combined.
- Spread about half of the glaze mixture over the top of the meatloaf, and put it in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.
- Spread the rest of the glaze on top, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches at least 165 degrees.
- Let the meatloaf sit for five to 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the pan, slicing and serving.
This was pretty darn good. I felt like I could have thrown even more herbs in there, if I wanted to, but this meatloaf certainly didn’t lack flavor. The glaze was especially good.
It was also the perfect companion to some homemade mashed potatoes. It was definitely a great nostalgia meal. And, if you’ve ever been accused, as Rodney Dangerfield’s wife was, of making a meatloaf that was so bad that it glowed in the dark, then it’s time to try a new recipe.
Honestly, I think Dangerfield should have been happy his wife was making him such a time-honored recipe. No wonder that guy didn’t get any respect.
This piece first appeared in print June 26, 2025.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
