Happy Saturday!! A fabulous week despite mercury being in retograde apparently?
CAST is officially OFF and my foot is healed hooray! Reggie is thrilled to have another walker, and I feel like I can take on the world with both feet.
Today I’ve got another thanksgiving-ish dinner, without requiring a whole a** bird! It’s all best parts: the stuffing, the cranberry sauce, the gravy and even turkey, without spending all day cooking.
Even better, I put all of it in a loaf pan, so it all cooks at once. The stuffing gets pressed between thin layers of turkey, so every slice has stripes and every bite has both.
This recipe is a bonus recipe because then there are the leftovers. Because the turkey and stuffing bake together, a cold slice holds together like a patty. Fry it in a skillet until the edges go crispy and you have the middle of the best turkey sandwich you’ll eat all year. I’ve got a full sandwich recipe coming for you next, so even if you’re feeding two, think about making the whole loaf. (If you’d rather not, it halves easily. Notes below.)
To make it a full plate, I serve it with my simple buttery green beans (the recipe is at the bottom of this post), mashed potatoes, and gravy (you can do homemade or store bought, I’ll never tell and I have a secret to jazz it up below).
Quick reminder: this is part of Thanksgiving, sorted.
layered turkey
and stuffing meatloaf
Serves: 4
Time: ~1 hour,
tools.
9 × 5-inch loaf pan
box grater
instant-read thermometer
what to serve with it.
simple green beans.
serves: 4
time: 10 minutes
mashed potatoes.
Pick your lane:
My perfect mashed potatoes. The recipe serves 8, so make a half order for this dinner, or a quarter if it’s just two of you.
Truffle parm Boursin mashed potatoes. This one serves 6 and halves easily in a smaller dish. You can also skip the bake and serve them straight from the pot.
gravy.
You can make it from scratch, and I have an insane make-ahead gravy if that’s your plan. BUT for this dinner I just use a McCormick gravy packet and add a splash of balsamic vinegar, freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of MSG to make it really pop. Nobody has ever noticed.
tips.
ingredients.
For the meatloaf:
2 (6 oz) boxes stuffing mix
1 small yellow onion
2 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 lb ground turkey thigh
For the stuffing layers:
1⅓ cups water
2 tbsp butter
For the glaze:
1/2 cup cranberry sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)y
steps.
1. Get set up
preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving a few inches hanging over the two long sides so you can lift the loaf out later.
2. Start the meatloaf base
measure 1 cup of the dry stuffing mix into a large bowl. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater straight into the bowl, juice and all. Add the 2 eggs, ¼ cup milk, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp Dijon, 2 tbsp Worcestershire, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper and stir. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes so the crumbs soften.
3. Make the stuffing
while the base sits, bring 1⅓ cups water and 2 tbsp butter to a boil in the microwave or a small saucepan. Pour it over the dry stuffing mix in a medium bowl, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let it cool until just warm. You want the stuffing on the dryer side so if it’s quite moist, let it sit for a bit or microwave it for 30 seconds.
4. Make the glaze
in a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, 2 tbsp Dijon, 2 tsp honey and the red pepper flakes, if using.
5. Make the meatloaf
add the turkey to the large bowl and mix gently until just combined.
you’re doing 4 layers of meat and 3 layers of stuffing. Press a quarter of the turkey mixture into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Scatter a third of the stuffing over it and press down gently, keeping the stuffing about ¼ inch away from the sides of the pan so the turkey can seal around it. Repeat layering finishing with the turkey and smooth the top.
7. Glaze and bake
brush half of the glaze over the top and set the pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Brush with the remaining glaze and bake until the center reaches 165°F, 30 to 40 minutes more.
let rest 20 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife to show off the layers.
If you make this, hit reply and tell me how it went (and whether any of it survived to the sandwich stage!). I read every single one. And if you know someone who’s cooking Thanksgiving for two this year, forward this to them. 💛
P.S. The leftover sandwich recipe is coming next, so save yourself a few slices.
Now that I can actually walk!!! We’ll be back to regularly scheduled stick pics next week.