Turkey adds twist to traditional loaf

LITTLE ROCK — When I was testing recipes for last week’s story on burgers, I decided to turn the extra ground turkey into a loaf.

By combining it with almost all of the flavors of a classic meatloaf,the ground poultry was a fine stand-in for the customary beef and pork. And it offered a new twist on the familiar favorite.

Earlier this year I shared a recipe for chicken loaf. This one is very similar to that, but without the potato and onion. Instead, this loaf gets a flavor boost from diced tomatoes and green chiles. I liked both loaves equally well, but this turkey loaf gets a higher thumbs up from my beef-loving husband.

To keep the menu warm weather-friendly, I skipped the traditional mashed potatoes and paired the loaf with steamed green beans and sauteed yellow squash.

Turkey Loaf

1 slice sandwich bread, crusts

removed, torn into small

pieces 2 tablespoons milk 1 pound ground turkey (see

notes) 2 tablespoons Worcestershire

sauce1/2 (10-ounce) can diced

tomatoes and green chiles,

undrained and pureed (see

notes) 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 egg 1/4 to 1/2 cup old-fashioned

oats 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black

pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine bread and milk and mix until pasty. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly using your hands. Transfer mixture to a standard loaf pan or small rectangular baking dish.

Bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size and shape of the pan.

Makes about 4 servings.

Notes: I used 93 percent lean.

I like to use a combination of Hot and Mexican Ro-Tel.