Thanksgiving Meat Loaf

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

09 Apr 2007 12:19 PM

Want something yummy? You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving for this great meatloaf recipe.

Thanksgiving meat loaf is one of my family's favorite meals. In fact, it is the favorite meal of my five-year-old. He always gets so excited when I make it.

This is a very frugal meal, especially if you buy the ground turkey when it is on sale. The stuffing stretches out the meal and keeps the meat loaf moist, at the same time. Plus the ground turkey is much leaner than beef. Of course, adding the cheddar cheese may very well cancel that benefit right out! But it is yummy.

Another great thing about this meal is that is freezes really well. To save time, I often make two loaves at a time. I mix and prepare the loaves and then cook both of them up. Then it is simply a matter of slicing the meat loaf and put the extra slices on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes. Then, I pop the frozen slices into a freezer bag and put them, bag and all, back in the freezer. Later, when we want a quick meal, I just take out the number of slices I need for that night's dinner and microwave them right on a plate.

Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 1-1/2 cups of seasoned stuffing mix (I buy large bags of Pepperidge Farm from a warehouse store)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• Shredded cheese
• Ketchup

DIRECTIONS:

Combine stuffing mix, eggs and milk. Add ground turkey and mix well.

Add half of the mixture to a loaf pan (I use glass)

Put a layer of cheddar cheese on top, as thin or thick as you like.

Add remaining turkey combo on top.

Add ketchup and spread over top of loaf with the back of a spoon.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 50-65 minutes.

Mary Ann Romans writes about her family's money saving secrets in the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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jonesx6 (1605) 13 Apr 2007 06:49 AM

This sounds yummy! I am wondering if you can use tomato sauce instead of the ketchup. My family does not like ketchup on their meatloaf. lol Blessings, Laura

Mary Ann Romans (25652) 09 Oct 2007 04:12 PM

Sure, try the tomato sauce, or leave it off completely.

Tashi (1007) 03 Nov 2008 05:04 PM

Mmmm!!! :-D I LOVE meatloaf, so I think I'll try this one. I wonder if using a reduced fat cheese would still work. I love ketchup, so using it on the meatloaf sounds great to me. My mom has always used crushed Saltine cracker crumbs in her meatloaf. I'll have to see what stuffing instead would taste like. Thanks for the recipe!