This rich, spicy turkey meatloaf, adapted from Cory Obenour of Blue Plate restaurant in San Francisco.

This recipe is featured on our Summer of Clean Eating channel.

For more, see our How to Smoke a Turkey guide.

  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 40 mins 
  • Active: 30 mins 

Ingredients (19)

For the meatloaf:

  • 2 teaspoons bacon fat or butter
  • 1 medium onion, small dice
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
  • Pinch of dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
  • 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 6 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Tabasco sauce to taste
  • 2 pounds ground dark-meat turkey

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Melt the bacon fat in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Take care to not caramelize the onions. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except the turkey. Let sit for 5 minutes, to allow the crumbs to absorb the wet ingredients and soften.
  4. Add the meat and the onion mixture to the bowl and mix by hand until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the greased loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking. Let cool before unmolding.