Turkey Meatloaf with Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
PIN IT!Oh Monday. You snuck up too fast this week. How about you take that extra hour, sleep in and give me a few more weekend hours to enjoy? Although, can’t complain, it’s a short week for me! So, friends, how was your weekend? Fabulous? Relaxing? Wild? Mine was perfect. For one, the weather was AMAZNG. Secondly, I got to meet one of my favorite bloggers in the world and hang out with a really good friend (the one who got married in New Mexico!) at a local winery, Sunset Hills. The full recap will come tomorrow, I just have to share a few gorgeous photos from Saturday.
Oh and you may recognize the darling blonde next to me in the below photo…
It’s Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny! She’s as fabulous as she is on her blog (even more so in real life) and I’m so happy she lives so close!
Besides drinking a plethora of wine, I spent much of the weekend in the kitchen. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am a baking and cooking MACHINE. I cranked out 3 different kinds of pumpkin desserts and (perhaps what I’m most proud of) this delicious turkey meatloaf with a low sugar cranberry reduction.
I call it an “untraditional Thanksgiving dinner.” Who said you have to carve up a 12-20 pound turkey? Why not whip up a juicy, turkey meatloaf in half the time and effort?
The key to this meatloaf, my friends, isn’t in the meat. (har har har, he DIDN’T say that). It’s the low sugar cranberry sauce, reduction stuff! (That’s the scientific term). The tartness of the cranberries was exactly what the savory meatloaf needed. I got sweetness, saltiness and crunch in each unbelievable bite.
Plus, the cranberry sauce is so pretty paired next to the brown meatloaf, don’t you think? 🙂 I’m a huge fan of re-inventing traditional holiday favorites. The holidays are about bringing people you love together. What’s more synonomous with love, togetherness and good yule than good ol’ comfort food? Meatloaf is one of my favorite comfort foods too. This dish makes me feel good. Swapping in turkey for regular beef also makes my heart and waistline “feel” good too 🙂
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, I’m trying my very best to stay healthy where I can. Because Lord knows I can’t turn down a delicious Christmas cookie or slice of pecan pie.
Turkey Meatloaf with Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields: 8 (1/8 inch) slices and 8 1/2 cups of sauce
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 50-60 minutes
What You’ll Need:
For the meatloaf:
- 1 1/2 pounds of 98% fat free ground turkey, defrosted
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of ketchup
- 1/3 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper
- Liberal dashes of salt and pepper
- Cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon oregano
For the cranberry sauce:
- 4 cups of fresh cranberries
- 1 cup of no sugar added cranberry juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup raw cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of freshly grated orange peel
How to Make It:
- To make the meatloaf: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place enough aluminum foil into a loaf pan to cover it. Liberally grease foil with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix meat, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and broth with your hands (or spoon). Once mixture is combined, thoroughly mix in eggs. Once mixed, add in breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, crushed red pepper and oregano.
- Pour meat mixture into the greased loaf pan. Garnish with additional salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees. Let cool before removing from foil.
- To make cranberry sauce: While meatloaf is cooking, bring cranberries, sugar and cranberry juice to a boil in a medium sauce pan, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook an additional 5-8 minutes, or until cranberries have popped (they will literally make popping noises!) Add in cinnamon and additional sugar to taste. When done, add in orange zest and enjoy!
Paired with some parmesan & wine green beans and you have a fabulously healthy, delicous and perfectly un-traditional Thanksgiving feast!
Nutritional information per 1/8 slice of meatloaf and 1/3 cup of sauce: 270 calories, 8 grams of fat, 25 grams of protien, 29 grams of carbohydrates and 2.5 grams of fiber.
Claire
Tags:Eat Skinny Be Skinny, fall, healthy fall, healthy Thanksgiving recipes, low carb cranberry sauce, low carb meatloaf, low carb recipes, low fat, low fat thanksgiving, low sugar cranberry sauce, recipes, thanksgiving, thanksgiving recipes, Thanksgiving sides
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