Meatloaf used 3 ways

This week Meijer is having a sale on ground turkey....buy 2 pounds for $5. Pretty stinkin' good deal if you ask me. So I took them up on their offer and scoured my pantry for what I could whip up. Then it came to me! Meatloaf! I hadn't made meatloaf in I don't know how long, and plus this is a healthier version because of the lean ground turkey.
Serve a salad on the side like we did and you've got a healthy, WAY inexpensive meal for you and your family.

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes*
Ingredients:
-Vegetable cooking spray
-1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
-1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
-1/4 cup chopped garlic and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes
-2 cloves garlic, minced, optional
-2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
-2 tablespoons whole milk
-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
-1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
Directions:
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, if using, eggs, milk, feta, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve.

This recipe is delicious, but I didn't have chopped garlic and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes. So I added garlic to the meat and made up my own concoction of roasted tomatoes and sweet onion.

Roasted Tomatoes and Sweet Onion
Ingredients:
-1 fresh garden tomato finely chopped
-1/4 cup of sweet onion finely chopped
-A drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 pinch of sea salt
-fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
Turn oven on to broil. Spread out the onion and tomato on a baking sheet. Drizzle on olive oil; add salt and pepper. Broil for about 7 minutes or until a the vegetables get a bit browned. Remove from oven and take off any browned skin on the vegetables

I also didn't have plain bread crumbs, so I used Panko bread crumbs from my pantry instead. And I didn't have feta cheese on hand so I left that out, but I know adding the cheese would make it even yummier.

This meatloaf was fresh, simple and delicious without the exact ingredients it called for, so basically this is my take. Don't be afraid to try out different recipes even if you don't have the exact ingredients; you could miss out on a fun, creative spark that may come about as you make a meal, and you never know, yours may turn out even better then the original!

The other great thing about this particular meatloaf is it made a an amazing sandwich for lunch today on whole grain bread with mayonnaise, and even better then that is I already have a completely different dinner made for tonight using the leftover meatloaf!

Meatloaf to Spaghetti
-1/4 or 1/2 of leftover meatloaf, finely chopped (recipe above)
-1 large can of tomato puree
-1/4 cup sweet onion, finely diced
-Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 tbsp chopped garlic
-1 tsp of fresh sage, chopped
-1 sprig of fresh thyme
-1 tbsp of fresh basil, chopped
-1 bay leaf
-1 pinch of red pepper flakes
-sea salt
-fresh ground black pepper
-5 roasted tomatoes, diced (see recipe Roasted Tomatoes and Sweet Onion above-just leave off onion of course)
-1 pound of whole grain spaghetti, cooked
Directions:
On medium heat add olive oil so it covers the bottom of a large sauce pan. Add garlic and onion, saute till tender. Add can of tomato puree and leftover meatloaf that has been finely chopped. Simmer for 5 minutes and continue to stir; then add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer on low heat for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better as the flavors will combine. Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve over spaghetti! Add some more more fresh herbs on top. Ciao!




*Recipe courtesy of www.foodtv.com Giada De Laurentiis