Turkey Meatloaf Stuffed with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Parmesan Cheese

 

Here in the Midwest we are having another Polar Vortex swooping in with more snow and brutally cold temps.  That means more comfort food. Meatloaf has always been comfort food for me.  One of the best things that my Mom made was meatloaf. (I was a picky eater as a kid).  Believe it or not, the first thing that my hubby and I had an argument about was how we made  meatloaf.  He made his meatloaf with bread and milk, and I had always made mine with tomato sauce and oatmeal, along with the ground meat, egg, and spices.  How do you make your meatloaf?

I made the meatloaf pictured above, which  is low sodium and low fat. Over the years, I have modified my recipe to be healthier. I used  ground turkey, egg, low sodium tomato sauce, oatmeal, and chopped onion. Then, I wanted to add a layer of chopped  mushrooms, and fresh spinach. My hubby grew up eating spinach from a can, so he never wanted fresh cooked spinach,  Now, he's converting to a fresh spinach lover, Yay!  I also used basil and, fresh herbs are better, but in the dead of winter I used the dried herbs.  The herbs, spinach and mushrooms  add so much flavor and color, and I added no salt. I accidentally didn't add all of the tomato sauce to the ground turkey mix, so I just poured the rest of the can over the top of the meatloaf, before I baked it.  We love this meatloaf which makes a wonderful dinner with green beans and a salad. My hubby takes meatloaf sandwiches for lunch, but have I have never liked meatloaf sandwiches. My Meatloaf has to be warm.

Turkey Meatloaf Stuffed with Mushroom, Spinach, and  Herbs

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground turkey,  I used 93/7

1 egg

1 small onion, chopped

1 8 oz can low sodium tomato sauce

1/2-1 cup oatmeal, uncooked  I used rolled oats

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup fresh or frozen spinach, chopped  I used fresh spinach 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp, divided,  fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp, dried

2 Tbsp divided, fresh oregano, chopped or 1 tsp dried

Directions:

1. Combine ground turkey egg and onion in large bowl, and  1 tbsp of basil and oregano, and  mix until well combined. 

2. Add 6 oz tomato sauce until well mixed

3. Stir in oatmeal until desired consistency.

4. Pat half of meatloaf mixture into a 9 x 5 baking pan**, sprayed with cooking spray.

5. Add the layer chopped mushrooms to meatloaf in pan.

6. Layer chopped spinach on top of mushrooms. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of spinach.

7. Pat remaining meatloaf mix over the Parmesan cheese and pour remaining tomato sauce over the top of the meatloaf.

8. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour-1 hr 15 min, 165 degrees on the meat thermometer or until juices are clear.

9. Cool on rack for 10 min, before serving, Enjoy!

l linked up my recipe to Brandie@The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck #102
 Stop by and say Hi to Brandie!