Turkey Meatloaf

Updated Oct. 29, 2024

Turkey Meatloaf
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
4(1,411)
Comments
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This is a recipe that helps explain the Twitter-era term "humblebrag." I made it for the celebrated writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron after a different recipe resulted in a disaster and I had to discard the result with only a few hours before my dinner with -- did I mention? -- Nora Ephron. It derives from a meatball dish once cooked by the chef Mark Ladner at the restaurant Lupa in Manhattan, and published as a recipe in Details magazine in the early years of the century. I scaled it up over the years, increasing some spices here and there, lessening others, until I had what I thought to be a pretty terrific meatloaf. But don't take my word for it. “This is remarkable,” Ms. Ephron told me. I'm bragging about it still. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: The Cheat: Potlucky

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 8cloves garlic, minced
  • 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • ¼teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1cup fresh bread crumbs of any provenance
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼cup whole milk
  • 1pound ground turkey
  • 1pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed, crumbled
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4ounces bacon, chopped
  • 1medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 128-ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, seeds removed
  • 1cup red wine
  • ¼bunch mint
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

418 calories; 31 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 587 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine ⅔ of the garlic, the rosemary, pepper flakes, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add the milk and mix. Add the turkey and sausage and mix once more to combine; don’t overmix. Transfer onto a board and shape into a fine meatloaf, about 9 inches long and 4 inches wide.

  2. Step 2

    Place in a baking pan with high sides (a 9 x12 pan with 2-inch sides works well), drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway through to brown evenly. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, fry the bacon in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until it starts to curl and its fat is rendered. Add the onions and remaining garlic, cooking until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the sauce over the meatloaf, cover tightly with foil and bake until a meat thermometer inserted at the center reads 150 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer the meatloaf to a platter and let stand, tented with foil, for 10 to 20 minutes; its internal temperature will rise to 160 to 165. Cut into thick slices, spoon tomato sauce over the top and scatter with torn mint leaves.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,411 user ratings
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Comments

Came out well. Made it exactly as directed, except that I did not remove the seeds from the canned tomatoes (are you kidding me?). Might reduce the oil to 2 Tbsp. given the bacon fat.

I liked this meatloaf a lot. I used dark ground turkey and sweet Italian chicken sausage (which I pulsed in a food processor to break up). The meatloaf plus sauce seemed a little less heavy than regular meatloaves that use beef. The bacon is a nice touch, but I might reduce the amount of bacon next time to make the sauce a little less smoky.

Great dish. Don't skip the mint; whatever it does, it's magic.

Drain the fat from the bacon garlic onions, to much fat. The sauce is good but cut amount in half. Next time I will substitute the pork sausage with chicken sausage.

Can you make the day before and reheat? Will the flavors be the same?

It's hard to call this a turkey meatloaf when more than 50% of the meat content is pork. I found it overpowering to the dish, I would not make it again.

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Credits

Adapted from Mark Ladner

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