When I was young, my mom never made meatloaf, because that’s not what the Dutch do, she made meatballs; I guess in essence its the same, just a smaller round version. Needless to say; my mom’s meatballs were the best and she made a killer gravy with it; I know I am bias, but they were absolutely delicious. We were a family of 6; mom, dad, my 3 brothers and I, so when meatballs were on the menu, my mom made 6, one for each of us and they were all gone in one evening. Over the years, I never really tried to make meatballs myself; I should, especially if I can get my hand on my moms recipe. I did make quite a number of meatloaves and my favorites are the ones made from ground turkey. Today I share this Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf with Mango Glaze with you.
You know I prefer to eat meatloaf the days after it’s made, with a salad or on a sandwich and I prefer it cold. I always have the feeling that the flavors come out better the next day, that a warm meatloaf is milder in flavor than a cold one. I don’t know whether there is any science to it or it is just my imagination, but this particular Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf with Mango Glaze is in the fridge right now and waiting to be devoured next week with a salad or a slice of crusty whole grain bread.
My reason to make a turkey meatloaf instead of beef is the lightness; ground turkey makes a lightly meatloaf than ground beef or beef and pork and I always make it in a loaf pan because a turkey meat loaf does not stay in free-form as easy as a traditional meat loaf. OK, I better rephrase that, my turkey meatloaf does not keep shape very well and a loaf pan just does the trick.
In this Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf with Mango Glaze you will find vegetables and mango and just a little bit of breadcrumbs and cheese to hold it together. The vegetables make this meatloaf pretty moist, and you will see that, once it is done cooking that the meat will be loose from the side of the loaf pan and that it is surrounded by moisture; this moisture comes mostly from the vegetables. Just pour it out of the pan as soon as you can handle the heat.
How was this Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf with Mango Glaze put together? Rather easily my friends.
Cut all the vegetables in cubes and cook them so they become soft and are easier to work into the ground turkey than when they are raw. The cooking will also release some of their moisture. Add salt and pepper and allow the vegetables to cool. Peel and cut the mango and pulse it in the food processor until it is smooth.
Now the mixing starts. Whisk eggs in a bowl and add all your ingredients in the bowl. Keep 1/2 cup of mango mousse for the glazing. There are 3 tips regarding turkey meatloaf that are important in my opinion:
- Do not over-handle the turkey, as it may become a very dense meatloaf if you do.
- Season it enough, to avoid a bland end result.
- Cook it well, no raw center; ground turkey should have temperature in the center of 160 degrees.
When everything is mixed, transfer the meat mixture to the loaf pan, push down a little bit to get all the air pockets out and then smear the mango mousse over the top and slide the pan into the oven. It takes about 1.5 hours to cook, but check the internal temperature earlier; it may already be done after 1 1/4 hours.
This Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf with Mango Glaze is all done and one slice is going on my sandwich tomorrow; can’t wait.
Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf with Mango Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 small zucchini
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper
- 1 whole small shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 whole mango
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper paste
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 whole egg beaten
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Peel the zucchini, wash the bell pepper and dice all of it. Clean the shallot and mince it, as well as the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables become soft. Cool
- Peel the mango and cut the meat away from the core. Pulse mango in a food processor until smooth.
- Chop cilantro and parsley.
- Whisk egg in large bowl, add ground turkey, cooled vegetables, half of mango mousse, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, cilantro, parsley, chili pepper paste, salt and pepper.
- Transfer meat mixture into a loaf (9x5 inches) and press down on it gently to get the air pockets out of it.
- Brush the remaining 1/2 cup of mango mousse over the loaf.
- Bake loaf for approx. 1.5 hours. Internal temperature should read 160 degrees.
- Rest for approx. 10 minutes before slicing.
- Serve cold or warm.
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