Good ‘n healthy Glazed Meatloaf

As with so many of our favorite comfort foods, the origin of the all-American meatloaf remains uncertain. It’s believed Italian immigrants formed their meatball recipe into a loaf to save time rolling individual meatballs. Others believe the modern meatloaf evolved during the Great Depression to stretch meals by mixing small amounts of ground meat with stale breadcrumbs.

Whatever the heritage, this supersized meatball is beloved by many cultures, with just as many variations. Meatloaf can be all ground beef or turkey, or a mixture of ground pork, veal or turkey. For our recipe we used half low-fat ground sirloin beef and ground turkey breast. Turkey breast is a healthier option over regular ground turkey, which has about the same calories and fat content of ground sirloin because of the dark meat. However, using all turkey breast would make the loaf too dry. So, a mixture of ground sirloin and turkey breast was a perfect balance.

Most meatloaf recipes call for eggs and saltine crackers or white bread crumbs for binding. We cut down on cholesterol, fat and salt by using egg substitute and whole wheat bread. Broiling and glazing the meatloaf a few minutes before baking gave it a nice, caramelized color and sealed in the moisture. We suggest serving with a baked potato topped with non-fat cottage cheese, as an alternative to mashed potatoes, along with a green vegetable. Or try our good ‘n healthy Mashed Cauliflower.

INGREDIENTS

Glaze

•  1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce

Whisk all ingredients together in saucepan until sugar dissolves. Reserve ¼ cup of uncooked glaze, which will be spread on meat loaf prior to baking. Simmer remaining glaze until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm to serve with meat loaf.

Meat Loaf

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• ⅔ cup whole wheat bread crumbs (about 1 slice grated in blender)
• ⅓ cup skim milk
• 1 pound lean ground sirloin beef
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• ½ cup egg substitute
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sauté onion in oil 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic last 30 seconds.
2. Using hands, mix ground beef and turkey together really well in large bowl.
3. Add bread crumbs, onion mixture and remaining ingredients to meat and mix well with hands or a spoon.
4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
5. Form meat into a 9 by 5–inch loaf and place on upper rack of oven. Broil until browned, about 5 minutes.
6. Brush 2 tablespoons uncooked glaze over top and sides of loaf and broil another 2 minutes until glaze begins to brown.
7. Move meat loaf to middle rack and bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
8. Transfer to serving plate and rest for 20 minutes. Serve with cooked glaze.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information