Cranberry, Pecan, and Mushroom Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients

The starting formula for how to make meatloaf and meatballs is a pound of ground meat plus one egg plus one half cup of breadcrumbs or equivalent. It’s the spices and fillings that give your meatloaf its character. This turkey meatloaf has:

• Ground turkey – pick the least lean option you can. This will give you more flavor in this turkey meatloaf or turkey meatball Stroganoff recipes.
• Mushrooms – cremini or white button mushrooms are best.

Meatloaf pans

The best meatloaf pans are 9 inch by 5 inch pans with an insert with holes that allows the fat to drip away from the meatloaf. This is the pan that I have used for years. It isn’t critical to use a meatloaf pan, especially with a turkey meatloaf, but I would recommend buying one if you make a lot of meatloaf.

Variations and substitutions

• Use ground chicken in place of ground turkey.
• Use gluten-free panko or other breadcrumbs.
• Make a spicy cranberry sauce with jalapeño.

Recipe tips and tricks

Making the cranberry glaze

There is nothing complicated about making this turkey meatloaf recipe. It starts off with some basic homemade cranberry sauce. I combine fresh cranberries, the zest and juice of an orange, and a small amount of sugar to create the cranberry glaze for this recipe. You only need to add water if your juice doesn’t cover the bottom of the pan.

Note: if you can’t find fresh cranberries, you can still make cranberry sauce. Check out my recipe for making cranberry sauce from dried cranberriesj.

When I make cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, I often add a bit more sugar and some cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Here, I’ve kept the ingredients for the glaze simple. You’ll just want to make sure to mash the cooked berries.

After glazing this meatloaf, I’d recommend serving this cranberry glaze thinned and warmed with a tablespoon or more of balsamic vinegar. That makes it more ketchup than jam.

Making the turkey meatloaf

While some meatloaves can be thrown together and baked immediately, this recipe requires a bit of pre-cooking. Cooking the onions and mushrooms gets rid of the raw onion taste and reduces the water in the mushrooms so the meatloaf holds together better. You can roast and then chop the garlic separately if you prefer.

Add the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients, all chopped small, to a large bowl. Don’t skip the step of toasting the nuts, which really brings out their flavor. I promise that once you start toasting nuts before using them in recipes, you won’t go back.

Mix everything together except for the egg and turkey. And then incorporate those with your hands. There’s no need to knead. Your goal is just to make sure that everything is mixed together.

Form the turkey meatloaf in your meatloaf pan or shape it into a loaf in a cast iron pan. Bake for about 40 minutes until the internal temperature of the meatloaf is 160°F.

Add about ¼ cup of the cranberry glaze to the top of the meatloaf and continue cooking for about 5 to 10 more minutes, until the turkey is cooked to 165°F. Remove the turkey meatloaf from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes for easier slicing.

What to serve with this turkey meatloaf

I would take my cues from Thanksgiving for meatloaf sides for this recipe. Think mashed potatoes and gravy. Maybe some green beans. Or:

• Mashed purple sweet potatoes or white potatoes.
• Maple roasted Brussels sprouts.
• A fall salad like this feta kale salad.
• If we’re keeping to the Thanksgiving theme, I’d pick a light-bodied red like Beaujolais or an inexpensive Pinot Noir.

Recipe FAQs

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