Turkey Meatloaf with Raisins

I have always had something of an aversion to meatloaf. I think for something to be called “comfort food,” you have to have eaten it growing up… and I cannot imagine meatloaf ever being served in the Spice household. The texture, shape, look… everything about meatloaf kind of puts me off, and though I’ve tried decent versions, it’s never something that I would choose to eat if there are other options. (The look, by the way, is why there are no pictures on this post. Nobody would make this if you saw a picture first.)

But then I randomly bought some ground turkey at the grocery store the other week, and needed to use it up. I realized that everything I would normally do with ground meat is tomato-centric (chili, pasta sauce), and I’m trying to avoid tomatoes. So I was about to just freeze it and use it up later, when I stumbled across this recipe. I think the raisins and cous cous won me over—it actually sounded pretty good, and I decided to give it a try.

Well, I’m not going to say that I’m a total meatloaf convert, but this was definitely very good, and one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. The spices work well with the turkey, and I love the raisins in it. The only thing I would probably change next time is to use a different, bigger grain. I think the cous cous added to the whole “weird texture” problem I have with meatloaf (also not helped by using ground turkey, which I find inherently weird). I would try using a bigger grain, but pre-cooked. Other than that, this was an awesome recipe that I will probably use again!

Note: Recipe below is how I made it, without accompanying sauce. Follow link for sauce instructions!

Turkey/”Moroccan-Inspire” Meatloaf (Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Equipment: Mixing bowl, knife, loaf or square-shaped pan

Ingredients
1 cup raisins
1/2 small red onion
1/2 cup uncooked cous cous, or cooked other grain
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Put water on to boil. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roughly chop the onion, and combine in a bowl with the raisins, cous cous, salt, curry powder, and cinnamon. Pour in 3/4 cup boiling water and cover for two minutes. And the turkey and beaten egg, and mix well. Pour into foil-lined and greased (or just greased) loaf tin or 8×8 pan. Bake in the top third of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until baked through and no longer pink. Makes about 6 servings.