Meatloaf ain’t pretty but a good one is so tasty, moist, and comforting. It fills in those spaces left by the winter blues and it can be all that without being a heavy and fatty meal. This meatloaf is so tender, you could eat it after your wisdom teeth are pulled. It’s so moist, you won’t be reaching for your glass of water. Yet, I only used turkey meat, a lean protein, and besides one egg for the whole loaf, no fat is added.

As we ate it, Lon asked me, what’s making this meatloaf so moist? I listed ingredients and he kept saying, and…and…Well, that was it. No mystery gob of lard. This comfort food is healthy!

Rosemary Meatloaf

I know I’ve been a little slow on posts lately and I do apologize. At first I thought I was short on time yet I’m making food almost daily. It’s really just that I’ve been so pre-occupied with baby preparations that I’m not over-flowing with ideas, ones worthy of posting. I’ve been going through old recipes a lot, mostly because there are ones that are comforting and re-assuring.

If you’ve been following FoodMayhem for a while, this meatloaf may look familiar. It’s actually a tweaked version of one I made in March of 2008. When my cousin Olivia brought me some fresh Rosemary, my mind immediately wondered back to this recipe from almost 3 years ago! That tells you something doesn’t it? I made a few changes and now, 100% turkey, I consider this to be an improvement (besides how embarrassing my photos were back then).

Rosemary Meatloaf 3

Rosemary Turkey Meatloaf
~makes one 9×5 loaf pan

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 1/4 cup canned tomato puree, divided
  • 1 cup plain bread crumbs
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons prepared whole grain mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. Combine turkey, 1/2 cup tomato puree, bread crumbs, onion, egg, rosemary, salt and pepper.
3. Press into the loaf pan. Make an indent along the center, like the shape of a perfect pound cake. Set aside.

Rosemary Meatloaf indentation

4. Stir together 3/4 cup tomato puree, brown sugar, vinegar, and mustard. Pour evenly onto the meatloaf.

Rosemary Meatloaf before baking

5. Bake for 55 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Meatloaf whole

*Left-overs should be covered and stored in the refrigerator. You can re-heat in the microwave.

posted by jessica at 12:09 PM Filed under American, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.