Mediterranean Olive & Spinach Turkey Meatloaf

I’m a sucker for meatloaf.  It’s one of those comfort foods that I just grew up with.  My Mom used to make what we called “cheesy loaf”.  As if her meatloaf that I grew up on as a kid wasn’t already good enough, when I was in college she started tucking big chunks of cheese in the center of it before baking it.  Could you guess what my favorite kind of cheesy loaf was?  Pepper jack of course! I’m obsessed with spicy foods.  My college friend Kristy used to beg my mom to make her cheesy loaf all the time.  It was super delicious.

Of course variety is the spice of life, so I stated playing around with variations of meatloaf and the meat types.  It’s such an easy basic recipe that you can alter/flavor with any veggies and spices to kick it up to flavor town and boost the nutritional value.  It never gets old and I love creating new versions with an ethnic flare.   

I’ve been hooked on fresh olives from the olive bar at the grocery store lately.  I find a way to put them into everything from my scrambled eggs, salads, and well now meatloaf.  So here it is… my Mediterranean influenced olive & spinach turkey meatloaf.  It’s what came together when I opened my fridge and saw what I had on hand.

 

Mediterranean Olive & Spinach Turkey Meatloaf

 

Ingredients:

1-lb organic ground turkey

1-red or green bell pepper diced (I used half a red and half a green because I like the colors and flavors)

1-yellow onion diced

1-teaspoon chopped garlic

2-tablespoons olive oil

2-slices whole grain bread (I use Ezekiel 4:9 Organic Sprouted Grain Whole Grain Bread)*

1-egg

¼ cup organic ketchup

½ cup pitted kalamata olives chopped

2-big handfuls of fresh baby spinach

Sea Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Crushed Red Pepper to taste

 

*Processed in a food processer/blender to make into healthy breadcrumbs.

 

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a baking sheet greased with a little olive oil.  (I use tin foil for easy clean-up).

 

Sautee diced bell peppers and onions in olive oil over medium heat until softened.  Season with S&P to taste.  Add in chopped garlic and fresh spinach when almost done and cook just until the spinach wilts.  Remove from the heat and let it cool a bit.   

 

In a large mixing bowl combine the sautéed onions, peppers and spinach with the chopped olives, egg, ketchup and breadcrumbs.  Mix well with a fork and then add the ground turkey and mix with a fork again to combine (don’t over mix as meatloaf can become tough).

 

Mold meatloaf onto the greased baking sheet.  I like making it into a big rectangle about 1.5 inches thick. 

 

Bake for about 45-minutes or until cooked through.  I like mine a little crispy on the outside.  Let it cool for a few minutes slice and enjoy.

I save the leftovers and either chop it up into big chunks to top a salad for lunch the next day (great cold too) or even use it in my scrambled eggs in the morning.  It’s my way of making one meal work its way into others easily and creatively.

 

Warning, I’m not a professional photographer nor is my day job editing.  Combine my selective ADD with my impatience and the result may just mean grammatical mistakes.  Don’t judge.  Just enjoy.