Not Your Lunchroom Meatloaf...

I know what you are thinking. You see the word meatloaf and you immediately think of that nasty stuff that was served in your lunchroom as a kid. This is NOTHING like that! This is tasty, moist, and healthy!! I was digging in my freezer this morning and realized just how much pesto I have stored up. If I don't use it, what's the point in storing it? I wasn't feeling pasta, so I thought.. well lets try a pesto meatloaf. It was AWESOME! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!


Dairy Free, Gluten Free Pesto Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey 

1/4 Cup gluten free bread crumbs

1 egg

3 stalks celery (green party only)

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 T GF Italian seasoning 

1/4 t pepper 

1 cup dairy free pesto (see pesto post)

1 jar store bought or homemade marinara 

helpful hint: If you aren't concerned with dairy free, you can add 1/2 cup grated parmesan to the loaf and use regular pesto. 

Preheat oven to 350°

Dice your  celery, onion, and garlic. In meatloaf, I like my veggies to be chopped very finely, so I toss them in the mini food processor. You can of course chop them by hand.

Add all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Only add in 1/2 cup of the pesto.

Mix until combined

Place mixture into loaf pan. No need to grease it as olive oil will render from the loaf and help to keep the loaf from sticking.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining 1/2 cup pesto. (again if you aren't concerned with dairy, your can add 1/2 cup parmesan on top as well)

Bake for 20 additional minutes. 

Heat your marinara for just a few minutes over the stovetop.

Top each slice with marinara and enjoy! I didn't have time to whip any up, so I went with store bought. Just be sure to check for allergies! Little secret, my husband topped his with parmesan cheese here :)

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife

Gluten Free Friday!

I often say my husband should have been born Italian. He LOVES Italy and Italian food. I do as well, but lets just face it, it's just not as much fun to eat pizza that is dairy free and gluten free. To get my Italian fix, I like to make a healthy version of spaghetti and meatballs that my husband doesn't even realize is gluten free. The great thing about pasta is that I can make it dairy free and the Hubs can just add cheese onto his portion. So here it is, my turkey dairy free, gluten free spaghetti and meatballs!

Good for you Turkey Spaghetti and Meatballs 

Lets start with the meatballs so you can cook your sauce while they are cooking. 

Meatball Ingredients:

1/2 sweet onion

1 clove garlic

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg

2 T water

1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs

1/2 t pepper

 t salt

Preheat oven to 350°

Chop your onion and garlic.

In a a large bowl combine the chopped onion, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, egg, and water. 

Breaking off the ground turkey into small pieces, add into the bread crumb mixture. 

Ladies, don't forget to remove your rings before this step!!

Using your hands, yes your HANDS, mush together to combine completely. 

Form the meat mixture into 1" meatballs.  

helpful hint: to keep the meatballs uniform, I use a melon baller to scoop the amount of meat. You could also use a small ice cream scoop.

Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

 Bake for 25-30 minutes or until no longer pink. 

helpful hint: You can make these ahead of time and freeze them for future use.

Sauce Ingredients:

1 T extra virgin olive oil

4 medium tomatoes

1/2 sweet onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 T lemon juice

1 t salt

1/4 c oregano

1 t crushed red pepper (can adjust for desired spice level) 

black pepper to taste 

helpful hint: You can always make the sauce ahead of time and simply reheat in sauce pan when you're ready to use it. Also, it is always an option to use store bought tomato sauce but ALWAYS read ingredients to check for allergies.

You know me. I like to chop my veggies in the beginning. So get to chopping the tomatoes, onion, and garlic. The great thing about this recipe, I throw it in the food processor at the end, so the vegetables can be roughly chopped!

Heat your olive oil over medium heat. Add in your tomatoes, onion, and garlic.

Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down slightly.

Add mixture into food processor or blender. 

Add the lemon juice, salt, oregano, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.

Blend until desired smoothness.

If using a regular blender, you may need to pour mixture back into the sauté pan to reheat.

Serve with your favorite gluten free spaghetti pasta. I love quinoa pasta!

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife