Herbed Turkey Loaf with Honey Mustard Glaze

2tbsp Olive oil
3 medium size yellow onions, finely chopped (about 2.5 cups)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz baby spinach (about 6 cups)
5 oz baby arugula (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/4 cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tbsp ketchup
1tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
2.5 lbs ground turkey breast
1 cup bread crumbs (fresh or dry)
2tbsp honey mustard, or 4.5tsp Dijon mustard mixed with 1.5 tsp honey

Preheat to 375f/190c
Heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until soft, about 5 min. Add the salt and pepper and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a small bowl to cool.
Add the baby spinach and arugula and 1 tsp of water to the skillet (if all the greens don’t fit in the skillet at first, add more greens by the handful as they wilt). Cook the greens until all of the wilt, 2-3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the greens cool for 5 minutes, then add the basil and parsley and stir to combine.
Place the eggs, ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and stock in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the ground turkey, bread crumbs, and cooked onion and blend thoroughly using your hands.
Place half of the turkey mixture in a 10-inch loaf pan, or in 2 eight inch loaf pans. Spread the wilted greens evenly on top. Spread the remaining turkey mixture over the greens. Smooth the surface of the turkey loaf and brush It with the honey mustard.
Bake the turkey loaf until an instant read thermometer reads 160f about 1.5 hours for a 10 cup pan, or about 50 minutes for the 2 smaller pans.
Let the turkey loaf rest in the pan for about 15 minutes. To serve, turn the turkey loaf out of the pan, slice it and arrange the slices on a serving platter. If you are not planning to serve the turkey loaf at this time, let it cool in the pan and then wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap. It can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. For longer storage, wrap a layer of kitchen foil over the plastic wrap and freeze the turkey loaf in the pan. It will keep for up to 2 months. Let the loaf thaw overnight in the refrigerator and unwrap it before reheating in a 375f oven for 20 –30 minutes.

I don’t make a lot of meatloaf, and I also don’t really cook with turkey too much, so I thought I’d try this one. It’s from a book called Food to Live By, which has been a really consistently wonderful book. I turn to it a lot when I have guests, as I do now. It’s hard sometimes to cook a brand new recipe when you have guests, because you want something that you can be sure about, when you are going to be serving it to other people. This is one of the books that I have total faith in.

This recipe takes a while to cook, but there is no part of it that is difficult or complicated. I really liked making it, partly because it has that layer of green in the middle, and I’m a sucker for food with layers (I don’t know why, but I am).

The end result was really good. It was really tasty, and the layers added a nice touch. Also, I feel like it’s a little better for you because it’s made with turkey, which is leaner than your average beef mince.

I made one large one instead of two small, because we have people over, but in the future when I make it, I would make the two small ones and freeze one of them for later. I love when they give freezing and reheating directions in a recipe.

This was an all around winner, though the boys picked out the green bits from theirs.