Greek Style Meatloaf

Meatloaf brings up so many bad memories for people. Dry, dense slices of unflavored meat. Doesn't that sound appetizing?

I do not have bad memories of meatloaf. In fact, my mom makes great meatloaf. Her's is a traditional ground beef meatloaf with chopped onions, parsley, breadcrumbs and ketchup on top.

This meatloaf is a little different.

For starters, it's made out of turkey. Now before you run away thinking this will be dry let me assure you that it is anything but dry. I used half white meat ground turkey and half dark meat turkey making this the perfect blend of healthy and delicious.

This meatloaf can also serve double duty in two meals. One as sliced meatloaf, and the other dressed up in crunchy phyllo dough. Both are delicious and quick to make.

Unfortunately there are no pictures of the meatloaf itself due to icky lighting so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Fortunately there are photographs of Latte the cat. She helps take the pictures by sharing your chair.

Meatloaf Ingredients, inspired by April 2012 Everyday Food
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1 lb white meat ground turkey
- 1 lb dark meat ground turkey
- 1 medium egg
- 2 slices sandwich bread diced (I used whole wheat)
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 F
2.) In a medium skillet heat oil over medium heat and then add onion, celery and garlic cooking until soft. Then season with salt and pepper.
3.) In a large bowl mix all the ingredients until well combined.
4.) On a lightly oiled sheet pan, form the meat into a loaf (roughly 4" x 10") and bake 45-55 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
5.) Let rest about 10 minutes, slice and enjoy!

Spinach-Turkey Hand Pie Ingredients, inspired by April 2012 Everyday Food
- 1/3 turkey meatloaf crumbled
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
- 1 medium egg
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- 18 sheets phyllo dough
- 1/4 teaspoonful red pepper flakes
- nonstick cooking spray
- salt and pepper to taste

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 F
2.) In a large bowl mix the meatloaf, spinach, egg, feta, zest and juice and red pepper flakes until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3.) Each hand pie uses 3 sheets of phyllo dough. Spray each sheet with nonstick spray before stacking the next sheet on top. Cover the unused phyllo dough with a moist paper towel.
4.) Once you have 3 sheets of phyllo stacked, fold width wise and place a packed 1/2 cup meatloaf mixture in the center of the phyllo dough.
5.) Fold the long sides in first to cover the mixture, followed by the top and bottom. Place folded side down on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat.
6.) Spray the top with nonstick spray and then sprinkle with kosher salt.
7.) Repeat with the remaining mixture. I got 6 hand pies out of this recipe.
8.) Bake the pies for about 25 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.
9.) Let cool about 5 minutes and enjoy!