This recipe makes a moist and juicy turkey meatloaf, blended with ground turkey, sun-dried tomatoes and basil for lots of flavor. Serve with roasted green beans and mashed potatoes for best comfort food dish!
Pulse the dried tomatoes, basil (or pesto), olive oil, garlic and parsley in a food processor until it forms a chunky paste.
Put the turkey in a large mixing bowl with the tomato mixture, grated onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Mix until everything is combined evenly.
Pack the mixture into a loaf pan. Or, make a freeform loaf: Dump the mixture onto a parchment-lined (or nonstick) rimmed baking sheet. Pat into a loaf shape.
Bake 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, and spread the ketchup over the top of the meatloaf. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes, until the top of the meatloaf is well browned.
Cool the meatloaf about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Notes
To determine when the turkey is cooked through, you can use an instant read thermometer. The interior should read 160 degrees. Remember the meatloaf will continue to cook for a few minutes as it cools.
If using pesto instead of fresh basil, use only 1 tablespoon olive oil in the sun dried tomato puree.
Meatloaf can be frozen up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, covered.
The meatloaf mix makes delicious turkey meatballs!