I got the idea to put stuffing in the middle of a meatloaf from my friend Stacy. She made me oh so jealous when she brought the leftovers in to work one day - I thought it was a brilliant idea. I took my favorite turkey meatloaf recipe from The Joy of Cooking, and bought a good stuffing mix from TJ’s. I made sure it didn’t have lots of junk and chemicals in it, Whole Foods also has a good organic stuffing mix, but please avoid Stove Top. I was also able to bake a casserole dish of stuffing I didn’t need for the meatloaf, so Johnathan has plenty to eat for lunch, and beyond. The reddish color you see in the pic, is from the tomato paste, so don’t think the loaf is not cooked, or you could dry it out if you over cook it - the downside to working with white meat. This is also a great alternative to the traditional beef chuck meatloaf, less fatty and artery-clogging. I steamed the beans I got from the Farmer’s Market for a few minutes, finished with a tad of butter, salt and pepper. They were so fresh and crunchy, and probably the best beans I’ve had in a long time. This dish requires more time in the oven, than prep, so there’s plenty of time for a glass of wine, and time to catch up on the latest bailout/campaign news… if you don’t get enough already. Here’s the recipe:

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

1 large egg

1/4 cup grated parm

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1.5 teaspoons salt

black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 8×4inch loaf pan. Follow instructions on the stuffing packaging for either oven roasting or stuffing for a bird. Set stuffing aside.

2. In a medium skillet, heat oil and cook garlic and onions for about 5-7 minutes, until they’re translucent. Remove to a medium bowl, let cool and add the rest of the ingredients. With your hands, thoroughly combine, then pat half of the mixture into the loaf pan. Spread about 1-2 cups of the stuffing on top of the turkey mixture. Spread and pat down the rest of the turkey mixture on top of the stuffing. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the center feels firm when pressed. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.