For the past several weeks I've been steering away from ground beef at the grocery store. The price of beef is skyrocketing, and it's not the healthiest thing to be eating, either. Ground turkey meat is leaner and less expensive than ground beef. I can purchase the 93% lean ground turkey in bulk packages for less than $2 a pound. Most people who do not care for ground turkey usually complain about about its texture or that it's bland. I've found the key to cooking with ground turkey is to use a variety of spices and seasonings in the recipes. Even my pickier eaters haven't seemed to mind the switch to turkey one bit. In fact, I don't think they've even noticed!
I made turkey meatloaf on Sunday, and it was a huge hit with the whole family. This is a very low-fat, high-protein dish, so it's actually good for you! You can substitute bread crumbs for the barley or use regular or reduced-fat milk, but it tastes great just the way I prepared it. It didn't dry out in the oven, and it had a lot of flavor. We used the leftovers to make sandwiches for lunch today. Several of you requested the recipe after I posted my weekly menu, so here it is; enjoy!
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground skinless turkey
1/2 C. barley
1/2 C. skim milk
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3 Tbs. ketchup
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a loafpan with non-stick cooking spray, such as Pam. In a small skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion until tender.
2) In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and blend well. Shape the mixture into the loaf pan. Bake until browned and cooked through, 50-60 minutes. Allow the meat to stand 10 minutes before slicing.Labels: In the Kitchen, Recipes