I’d been toying with the idea of a Christmas meatloaf recently (although hubby insists it was his idea)!
So, as shops are awash with sausage meat, bacon and turkey right now I decided to make an all in one Christmas style Turkey Meatloaf – there’s even sage and onion stuffing and cranberry sauce in it!
Every year we dither over whether to change the menu to beef for a change on Christmas day but when push comes to shove none of us can bear the thought of missing out on our pigs in blankets or stuffing balls!
So if you love a turkey dinner with all the trimmings then this Turkey Meatloaf is for you!
Indeed my husband was so over the moon with it that he declared that it could be “award winning” and that you could even have it on Christmas day!
The kids loved it too and it was the first meal my son had after a trip to the Cologne Christmas markets where he said the meals in the youth hostel he stayed in were abysmal!
The best thing is that not only is this Turkey Meatloaf utterly delicious but it’s really quick and easy to make.
You don’t even have to chop an onion as I used onion granules instead as I didn’t want the meatloaf to end up too wet.
To make life even easier I roasted the potatoes in our new ActiFry.
This meatloaf serves between 4 – 6 people and if you have any leftover it’s totally delicious cold and makes great sandwiches!
If you were wanting a really frugal Christmas Day dinner without any compromise on taste then my Turkey Meatloaf would be perfect! I did toy with the idea of calling it a Christmas Turkey Meatloaf but we will be enjoying this all year round now so I didn’t want to pigeon hole it as just a Christmas dish! Sunday lunches will see a lot of Turkey Meatloaves in the future!
As this meatloaf is a frugal version of a Christmas dinner I am entering it into Credit Crunch Munch which I run along with Helen at Fuss Free Flavours who is hosting until January. I’m also entering the No Waste Food Challenge run by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary as you could make this meatloaf with leftover Christmas meat, stuffing and cranberry sauce! Finally I’m entering Festive Food Friday run by Taming Twins!
ActiFry Roast Potatoes
About 1 Kg Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes
1 spoon Rapeseed oil
Method:
Peel the potatoes and cut into 5cm pieces.
Put in a large salad spinner and cover in cold water to wash away the starch.
Drain off the water and spin the potatoes until dry.
Use a piece of kitchen towel to pat extra dry.
Place potatoes into the ActiFry and drizzle a spoon of rapeseed oil evenly.
Set the timer for 45 minutes to start cooking.
Once ready serve immediately.
Serves 4.
If I’ve put you in the mood for meatloaf then you might like to check out these recipes too!
- Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Stout and Honey Glaze from Kavey Eats
- Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
- No-meat Meatloaf from A Mummy Too
And if you don’t have an ActiFry but want to make some delicious oven roasted potatoes check out my Crispy Coated Roast Potatoes post!
Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 500 g Turkey mince thigh meat
- 400 g Pork sausage meat good quality
- 1 Large egg lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp Cranberry sauce + extra 2 tbsp for top
- 3 tbsp Breadcrumbs fresh (I keep a supply in freezer)
- 1 ½ tbsp. Sage & onion stuffing mix dry
- ¼ tsp Salt flakes
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- ½ tsp Onion granules
- 6 Slices Dry cured smoked streaky bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175⁰C.
- Place all the ingredients except the bacon and extra cranberry sauce into a bowl and mix well with your hand.
- Put in a loaf tin, mine was 22cm x 11 ½cm (no need to grease).
- Spread the extra cranberry sauce across the top and then lay the streaky bacon strips across the top, overlapping.
- Place in the oven and bake for 70 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 71⁰C.
- Allow meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes in tin.
- Pour away the juices and place on a serving dish
- To serve remove the bacon and slice meatloaf, serving with a slice of bacon.
- Serve with gravy, roast potatoes and vegetables for a roast dinner experience.
Paula Bray
Do you think this will freeze once cooked? Christmas dinner for one so would be good if it did X
Camilla
Hi Paula, it’s also great cold thinly sliced on sandwiches and would last a couple of days after cooking. But yes you could also freeze the leftovers into portions then thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat or have cold.
wendy malone
turkey mince i have some in the fridge, i had better get my piinny on.x
Lisa Williams
This is great loving the idea of using cranberry on top instead of ketchup and nice to see a healthier recipe were you don’t have to give up taste for the health benefits if that makes sens 🙂
Camilla
Thanks Lisa, I love this meatloaf as it is just like a Christmas dinner all rolled into one:-)
Jane Davies
This looks lovely, and an added bonus, it’s healthier than cooking them in fat 😀
Lauren
Excellent – was just looking for an actifry roast potato recipe but want to make the meatloaf too now! More Actifry recipes please – trying to get beyond chips too!
Camilla
Thanks:-) I’ll see what I can do!
Elizabeth
I have so much turkey left over in my freezer from Christmas time, I’m going to have to give this a go! Lovely recipe – thank you for sharing with the #nowastefoodchallenge 🙂
Camilla
Thanks Elizabeth although you will need raw turkey mince for this recipe, cooked wouldn’t be any good.
Maya Russell
That’s a lovely, wholesome roast dinner. The potatoes look fab. I’d like an Actifry.
Camilla
Can’t speak highly enough of the Actifry and really need to go beyond potatoes and chips now!:-)
adam
Oh my gosh I adore meatloaf, this recipe looks so moist, looking at your recipe I think I’ve been cooking far too hot and not resting it afterwards
Camilla
It was actually better than our Christmas roast dinner LOL;-)
Emily
Very nifty meatloaf idea and those potatoes look perfect! Thanks for the mention of my no-meat meatloaf 🙂
Camilla
Thanks Emily – pleasure:-)
Maddy
The more I see about these Actifrys, he more I want one!
Camilla
I don’t blame you:-)
ema
I love meatloaf and this looks so good – cranberry and turkey are a perfect match. Will definitely be trying this soon. And those potatoes look amazing!
Camilla
Thanks, it’s going on my regular make list:-)
Ross
wow!
Ursula Hunt
does the actifry use as little oil as it states, is it worth the investment?
Camilla
Ursula I am using the ActiFry more and more and it’s the most used electrical gadget in my kitchen – there are still so many potential uses I have yet to explore but I would thoroughly recommend it! It comes with a measuring spoon Which is probably 15-20mls and that is all you use! Am about to roast some more potatoes in it for our dinner tonight;-)
Sarah (@tamingtwins)
I adore meatloaf and this looks fantastic. What a great way to keep the turkey moist by mixing with pork. Thanks so much for sharing on #festivefoodfriday.
Camilla
Thank Sarah:-)
Tim Bain
Hungry right now, might have a go and make a snack 🙂
Susan Joyce Rogers
This sounds lovely and is quick to make
norma robertson
wow sounds tasty
CAROL PATRICK
Just reading this recipe is making me feel hungry
KookieG62
This looks lovely. I do like meat loaf. I will have to give this a go.
Ursula Hunt
This has to be our sunday before christmas dish,just to get us in the mood
Camilla
A good choice Ursula:-)
Paul Wilson
Would minced leftover turkey work in this dish? It’s just that I’ve got this feeling that I might have some soon.
Camilla
No, you wouldn’t want to mix raw and cooked meat together and it would be very dry. I have a nice Sumptuos Turkey pie etc for leftover Turkey:-)
Paul Wilson
Yes, good point.
Paul Wilson
What if you were to use leftover turkey with leftover sausagemeat stuffing?
Camilla
No Paul, it’s a bit like saying can you make a loaf of bread out of an old loaf of bread. It all has to be raw I’m afraid:-) Put the leftover turkey in a pie or a stir fry like Easy Pork Fried Rice.
Paul Wilson
lol ok, raw it is.
Camilla
Phew:-)
Fuss Free Helen
I have not made a meatloaf for ages. Lovely flavours in this one!
Those potatoes look amazing too!
Camilla
Thanks Helen, it’s lovely when something you dream up tastes as good as you hope it will:-) Yes to save space in the oven this Christmas I’m going to use the ActiFry which is getting so much use:-)
Kavey
I really need to make meat loaf more often! Thanks for sharing mine!
Camilla
A pleasure Kavey:-)
Ursula Hunt
This looks delicious, definitely one for the recipe book
Camilla
It’s so good Ursula:-)