Meatloaf sometimes gets a bad reputation, but I’m here to change that (or try to anyways)! My mom always made it for us growing up and then we’d bring it for lunch as cold sandwiches, so good – although I remember getting some looks at the school lunch table ha!

I made this recipe in my mini-loaf pan, but you could easily make it as a full loaf – I would simply add a bit of time when baking. I got this pan as a wedding present and am obsessed with it – it’s so fun to use and makes for easy  portions when divvying up for work lunches. If you are looking for baking pans, I’d highly recommend the Williams Sonoma GoldTouch line – it’s a little more expensive but holds up SO well and is absolutely non-stick so I never have to grease the pans!

I love turkey meatballs with marinara/pasta, so I thought a meatloaf version would be wonderful as well! If you make your own marinara, that is ideal – I used a store-bought version but hope to start making my own soon. Unfortunately, my current freezer is about the size of a shoe box so I’ll have to try making it and using it all that same week!

Here’s how you make it (8 mini-loaves or 1 big loaf):

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F
2. Saute 1.5 cups chopped white onion, 1 chopped bell pepper and 1 tbsp minced garlic in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes or until softened – set aside to cool
3. Beat 1 egg in a separate bowl – set aside
4. Once veggies have cooled, add in 2 lb ground turkey, 3 tbsp worcestershire, 1/2 cup marinara, 1 cup oats, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, heavy dash salt/pepper and the beaten egg – mix well with your hands
5. Throw into the mini-loaf pan and top with extra marinara sauce
6. Bake for about 45-50 minutes (1 hour if using large loaf pan)

I love eating these with extra marinara and a little parmesan cheese on top and broccoli on the side. I used oats as the “breadcrumb” alternative, because that was what I had on hand but feel free to use fresh or homemade breadcrumbs or even almond meal would be delicious as well!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups white onion, finely diced
• 1 bell pepper, finely diced (I prefer red or yellow in these but green would work too)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• dash olive oil for sauteing
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 lbs lean ground turkey
• 3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup marinara + more for topping
• 1 cup oats (substitute breadcrumbs or almond meal, if desired)
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• salt/pepper

Let me know what you think – these are so easy to make, hope you love them!

Cheers!

CHH