I have to confess, I own all of Giada’s books. I think Giada at Home is her best book since her first, Everyday Italian. I’ve made about half a dozen of her dishes, and all have been really delicious.
Her turkey meatloaf is incredible! If you immediately get a flashback to something inedible from your childhood when you hear the word meatloaf, I understand. There’s a lot of bad meatloaf out there. When we add the word turkey, that might make you think dry, tasteless and inedible. I grew up with my mother making the best meatloaf, hands down. But now, as I look for more healthful options, I’ve found this turkey meatloaf from Giada at Home to be a fantastic alternative to the traditional beef version many of us grew up with. Full of amazing flavors from the feta and sun-dried tomatoes, it’s always super moist. I’ve made this many times and it’s always well received.
I use a glass Pyrex baking dish for this meatloaf, and just rub a little olive oil on the bottom of the pan. As the feta cheese oozes out of the meatloaf while it cooks, you’ll want a little of that delicious gooey stuff stuck on the bottom of the pan. Then you can pick it off and eat it when no one is looking.
Recipe adapted from Giada at Home
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
- 2 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pound ground turkey – 93% lean (most packages are 1.3lbs, which is fine)
- Kosher salt & pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub olive oil in a glass Pyrex baking dish, or you can use a loaf pan.
Combine the all the ingredients, except the turkey, in a bowl. Add a little salt and pepper. Remember the feta is salty, so don’t use too much salt.
Put the turkey in a large bowl and add the bread crumb mixture. Using a fork, or better yet, your hands – combine all the ingredients. Don’t overmix the meat. Transfer to the pan in a loaf form. Bake for about 45 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.
Enjoy!
* I know it’s not a surprise to hear that I double this recipe. In fact, I’ve never made it with only one pound of meat. It’s so good, we just eat it the next night for dinner, too. The leftovers are really good either reheated, or you can make meatloaf sandwiches on crusty bread. Yum!
I’ve also made her grilled asparagus and melon salad. So pretty. A light and refreshing complement to the turkey meatloaf. This was a good dinner!
* Giada has a new cookbook coming out on March 27th called Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner. Very exciting! I will definitely be back with a complete review.
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