I love two kinds of Meatloaf

The first is the non-edible, musical kind. I remember stumbling upon the music video for this song on VH1 at some point in the late nineties and being simultaneously horrified/transfixed - kind of like when I accidentally start watching Criminal Minds at the gym these days and can't. look. away. even though I know I won't be able to sleep for a week. Then, sometime in the early 2000's I received a piano book entitled Love Songs of the Nineties, and lo and behold, this Meatloaf song was the first one in the book! I immediately learned to play the fun riff that opens the song and undoubtedly annoyed everyone in my family with it at least once. But seriously, who doesn't love this song?! No one, that's who.

The second kind is the non-musical, edible, turkey kind. That's right I said turkey. While there are certainly incredibly delicious and slightly more traditional meatloaf recipes out there (one of which you will be getting from my very-talented meatloaf-making older sister), I thought I would go ahead and share this one because we are, after all, in the month of the turkey. This is, in my opinion, the perfect weeknight supper.

Ingredients:
-1.5 pounds lean ground turkey (I have gotten away with using just over a pound)
-1 onion, chopped relatively small
-1 bunch of fresh spinach, finely chopped (from a bag of fresh spinach, use about 1/2 - 3/4)
-1 cup of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
-1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
-2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
-1 large egg white
-1/4 cup ketchup
-salt and pepper

*Note: If you have a food processor, it's worth it to throw the spinach and parsley in and grind them up. If the  leaves stay too large it will look like the meatloaf has sprouted.

To Make:

-Pre-heat your oven to four-hundred degrees. While the oven is heating, combine the onion, spinach, parsley, bread crumbs, mustard and egg white in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper.  Stir together.
-Now, add the ground turkey. With your hands (it's the only way to do it, sorry), mix until the ingredients are very well incorporated.

Giant meatball.

-Place your meatball onto a parchment lined baking sheet and mold it into a ten inch loaf. Spread with the ketchup, place in the oven and bake until cooked through, about 45-50 minutes. 

Giant Meatball, reformed.

If you're feeling productive, this meatloaf is great with mashed potatoes, but I typically use my leftover spinach to make a salad. This is nice for lunch the next day (not overly heavy for meatloaf), but I really wouldn't count on there being many leftovers!

Giant Meatball, consumed.

What would you do for meatloaf? Anything but that? What is that anyway....?

p.s.- I clipped the recipe for this meatloaf and added it to my book about 2 years ago. It is  originally from Real Simple magazine. :)