Turkey Meatloaf Florentine

Hey there, 

How is your week going?

Lots of good stuff getting done around here, 

which equals a good week!  

I have a question for you...

Do you love

One-Dish Wonders 

as much as I do? 

There is something so relieving for me 

about combining all of the components of a healthy meal into one dish. 

Pop it into the oven and sit back because all of the goodies are in one place. 

Plenty of protein in the turkey,

a nice balance of carbs in the oatmeal (or breadcrumbs, if you prefer)

then spinach and tomatoes 

to cover your veggies and fruit!

I made a big batch of this and the leftovers were just as fabulous! 

How does your family feel about leftovers?

Do you cook a double batch for the purpose of having leftovers?

As you have probably gathered, 

I spend a lot of time trying to ensure that my family eats relatively healthy

and

having leftovers in the fridge

helps to fend off the consumption of overly processed foods, 

of which there is a limited supply in our freezer too.  

Ok, enough about leftovers and on to the main dish…

Start by preheating the oven to 375 F 

and then sautee 

one medium, chopped onion in 1-2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. 

Once the onion starts to soften, 

add 3 heaping handfuls of spinach

and cover for a few minutes to help wilt the spinach.

Spinach cooks down SO much,

even if you think it looks like a ton of spinach

after wilting, 

it is only about a quarter of it's original volume. 

I was going for the double batch of meatloaf, 

so please feel free to adjust the recipe accordingly. 

Three pounds of ground turkey, 

3 cups of quick oats,

1 tbsp seasoning salt,

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce,

1 tsp ground black pepper

are added to the mixing bowl. 

Along with 3 eggs

and the spinach and onion mixture. 

Combine all of the ingredients well. 

I may have started with a spoon,

in sheer optimism, 

but ultimately had to dive right in with my hands to ensure that all ingredients were evenly dispersed.

Traditional loaf in a pan

Since there were two loaves

being made…

one was made traditionally 

in a loaf pan,

lined with parchment paper. 

Rustic loaf on a baking sheet

The second was made in a more
rustic fashion,
just shaped into a loaf
on a baking sheet.

Spinach Artichoke Turkey Burgers

Hip hip hurray for longer days!

Earlier sunrise!!!  Yes, I'm a crazy early bird so the sun coming up at 5:20 when heading out makes me happy!

Later sunsets!!! So that we can sit on the deck and catch up in the glory of the outdoors before heading in for the night.  Oh, and see our neighbors again...that will be nice too!

All of this long awaited warmer weather has me so excited for burgers...because nothing says summer like burgers do!

Today I have one of my favorites for you...Spinach Artichoke Turkey Burgers.  Soooo yummy!  I'm an especially huge fan of artichokes.  Love, love, love their texture.  Love their salty, tangy flavor and everything to they bring to any dish.

Of course, one of my signature things is to incorporate at least one veggie into every dish.  This time it is spinach...they just go together!  Like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly...spinach and artichoke are a culinary pair.

Finally, these burgers wouldn't be complete without some creamy, cheesiness of their own, in the form of shredded Monterey Jack.

As far as the process, let's start with the spinach.  I am not a fan of frozen spinach...I don't like how stringy it is, nor do I like how much water is in the package that somehow has to be removed before using it for cooking.  Most importantly, I hate how my hands freeze when attempting to squeeze the excess moisture out of it.

I'd much, much rather sauté my own fresh spinach down to a perfect wilt.  So, tossed about 3 cups, or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach into a pan over medium heat with 1 cup of quartered artichokes, for a little moisture.  Also, a tablespoon of Italian seasoning was added to the pan to bring the flavors to life a bit faster.

And, since the spinach wilts to quickly, I think you'll find yourself ahead by sautéing instead of trying to wring out every last drop of moisture from the frozen stuff.  

The spinach artichoke mixture was combined with 1.25 lbs ground turkey.  

1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack was added and all of the amazing ingredients were mixed together well.

The final mixture was divided into patties and tossed into a preheated grill pan.

Equal sized patties would be ideal, but that is also so…boring and conventional.  

These would have been marvelous on a real, outdoor grill, but the winds we've had this spring have been crazy and I'm not sure the grill would have won the battle against the near gale force winds.  

Over medium heat, they were grilled for about 6 minutes on each side, and then longer, as necessary, as the thermometer indicated.  Seems like my home made patties are never as thin as the store bought ones (hence, mine are juicier and more delicious!), so sometimes they may take a few extra minutes.

The tasty turkey burgers were served on whole wheat sandwich flats with tater tots as a side as well as fresh fruit.  And, what can I say…I'm a closet ketchup lover.  

These home made with love burgers have summer lovin' written alllll over them!

RECIPE

Ingredients:
3 cups or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 cup of quartered artichokes
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack

Directions:
Sautee the fresh spinach in a pan with the artichokes, over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning for good measure.  

Add the spinach and artichokes to the ground turkey, once mixed add the cheese. 

Divide into patties and grill to well done.