Ma! MEATLOAF!

MMMMAAAA! MEATLOAF...Quick - what movie is that from? Makes me laugh just thinking about it.

I've never really liked meatloaf. I actually have a story about my distaste for meatloaf. You've heard me talk about the SSCC - well it was our second meeting and we were talking about the upcoming months theme. We decided to write everyones favorite dish on a piece of paper and put them in a hat. Whatever dish you picked out, you had to make. No one wrote their names on the dish so you did not know who put what in. So my turn to pick, I open up the little piece of paper and it's MEATLOAF. Of course I make a face and say MEATLOAF....who the blankety blank's favorite dish is MEATLOAF? Now mind you this was our second meeting. I thought Jenn was going to kill me. Thank goodness they let me stick around long enough to find out I'm not a complete b. But seriously, whenever my mom made meatloaf as a kid, I thought of it more like a punishment. Just the word meatloaf grosses me out. Thank goodness, over the years, my taste buds and likes and dislikes have changed. So I made the loaf of meat for SSCC and it turns out, that it wasn't all that bad.

The recipe I'm sharing today though is different. This is Ina's (Barefoot Contessa)Turkey Meatloaf - and if you follow the recipes measuresments (5lbs of meat), it's enough to feed a small army. So I've tweaked the measurements just a tad, because ground turkey usually comes in 2lb packages. The leftovers are just as good - I usually just heat up a drop of oil in a skillet and add some salt and pepper to the sliced meatloaf.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 large onions)
1 tablespoons good olive oil
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 pounds ground turkey breast (two packages)
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.