My Mother's Turkey Meatloaf

I thought all meatloaf was like this until I had some elsewhere, and was totally turned off by the sausage-like texture and ketchup flavor. This is more delicate, almost like a meaty mousse. It's also very easy (the entire thing can be made in the cuisinart) and pretty low-fat (turkey!). My mom uses crushed cornmeal stuffing for the topping; I used panko but will probably try it again with cornmeal stuffing since the panko didn't brown very much. It did stay crispy, which was wonderful. You can surround the meatloaf as it cooks with roughly chopped onion, carrot, and celery; these will cook in the meat juices and turn delicious.

You'll need:

1lb ground turkey

2 slices bread or 1c fresh bread crumbs

1 bunch parsley

1 very large onion

2 eggs

salt & pepper

1/2c panko or cornmeal stuffing

optional:

1 onion

2 carrots

2 ribs celery

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor, grind the bread into crumbs. You'll have about a cup. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Clean and dry parsley well. Add to food processor and chop. Add onion and process until chopped. Add turkey, eggs, fresh breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and pulse gently until just combined. Turn out onto baking dish and form gently into a loaf shape. Cover with panko crumbs (press gently so they adhere).

Surround with chopped veggies and bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 25 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Check for doneness by inserting a thin knife into middle of loaf; it should come out clean.

We served this with Alton Brown's Mac N Cheese (above).