A month or so ago, I made my favorite meatloaf recipe live on Instagram. It’s a love child of Bon Appetit’s Best Beef-and-Bacon Meatloaf and Food52’s Gluten-Free Turkey Meatloaf. I have been thinking of it since so grabbed all the requisite ingredients at the market this week. Alas, when dinnertime rolled around, I realized I didn’t have the full 80 minutes called for to make it in loaf form. (Have you ever dealt with a hungry toddler?)
So I translated the recipe into meatballs and love both versions so much, I wanted to make sure to document the recipes here.
It feels a little disingenuous to call it “my favorite” because my foray into meatloaf-making did not begin until sometime early in the pandemic. Maybe it was my vegetarian upbringing or the whole meat-in-loaf-form thing that led me to believe that meatloaf was not for me. Or maybe it is the fact that it felt a little…dated. But I have made up for lost time, first by enjoying the two recipes above, then by marrying (and I strongly think improving upon) both.
My turkey meatloaf definitely relies more heavily on Bon Appetit’s version, with ground turkey swapped in for the ground beef, prosciutto in place of the bacon, crushed Ritz-type crackers (the bottom of Georgia’s box) instead of breadcrumbs, and a few other adjustments. But I can’t resist the flavor profile of Food52’s – a heavy helping of celery seed and just enough cumin to gently spice things up.
These recipes make a huge amount but you will be grateful for leftovers. They reheat beautifully and could certainly be frozen for later. You can also prep the loaf or meatballs a day in advance, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate before cooking the next day.
If you don’t have the patience (or appetite) for meatloaf, see below for the recipe for The-Last-Turkey-Meatloaf-Recipe-You’ll-Ever-Need MEATBALLS. There are a few ingredient adjustments but the results give you the exact same amazing flavor.
Get cookin!
The Last Turkey Meatloaf Recipe You’ll Ever Need
Meatloaf Ingredients
- 1 c ketchup
- 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 packed tbsp dark brown sugar
- Small pinch cayenne pepper (optional – I leave out for the kiddos)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion (or 1 small/medium), finely minced
- 4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup crushed Ritz crackers
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 ½ tsp celery seed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 ½ tsp Morton’s brand)
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds ground turkey (any kind will do, dark or light meat)
- ~6 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
Meatloaf Method
- Bring ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and optional cayenne to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Cool.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a second skillet. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350° and line sheet tray with foil, then parchment paper.
- Add 3 tbsp of the ketchup mixture to the cooled onion and garlic. Set aside ~1/4 cup more to serve with the finished loaf. Add broth, minced parsley, eggs, crushed Ritz crackers, grated Parmesan, celery seed, ground cumin, granulated garlic, kosher salt, black pepper and ground turkey. Using clean hands, work all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. It will be a little wet.
- Make a bed out of half of the prosciutto on the sheet tray then transfer the meatloaf mixture onto the bed into a long log (about 12″x7″), smoothing the surface. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over the top and drape over the remaining prosciutto. If you can, use the bottom and top prosciutto pieces to seal the meatloaf.
- Bake for 80 minutes, until 165 degrees. I’ve never had it be undercooked at this point so don’t worry if you don’t have a thermometer. Rest for at least 10 minutes, preferably more like 20-30 minutes, before slicing. Serve with last bit of reserved sauce.
Meatloaf can be assembled up to two days before baking. Some liquid might leak out of the meatloaf mixture but it won’t affect your finished product. Cooked, it reheats beautifully. I suggest 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Serves 6-8 hungry eaters
The-Last-Meatloaf-Recipe-You’ll-Ever-Need MEATBALLS
Meatball Ingredients
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 packed tbsp dark brown sugar
- Small pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion (or 1 small/medium), finely minced
- 4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 ½ tsp celery seed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 tsp Morton’s brand)
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds ground turkey (any kind will do, dark or light meat)
- ~4 oz prosciutto or pancetta, chopped finely
Meatball Method
- Bring ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and cayenne to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Cool.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a second skillet. Cook onion, garlic and prosciutto (or pancetta) until very soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl to cool.
- Preheat oven to 425° and line sheet tray parchment paper.
- Add ¼ cup of the ketchup mixture to the cooled onion and garlic. Set aside the rest. Add minced parsley, eggs, crushed Ritz crackers, grated Parmesan, celery seed, ground cumin, granulated garlic, kosher salt, black pepper and ground turkey. Using clean hands, work all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. It will be a little wet.
- Using wet hands (they make it easier to form balls), form mixture 18-20 golf ball sized meatballs and space evenly on sheet tray. Split remaining ketchup mixture into two small bowls. Paint the meatballs with one of the bowls of ketchup mixture using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon (or your fingers).
- Bake for 25 minutes, until 165 degrees. Serve with last bit of reserved sauce.
Meatballs can be assembled up to two days before baking. You can even assemble them and freeze them on the sheet tray raw before transferring them to a Ziploc bag. You can bake them straight from the freezer; just add an extra 5-8 minutes to the cooking time. Cooked, they reheat beautifully. I suggest 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Serves 6-8 hungry eaters