Recipe: Turkey meatloaf from Overland Cafe

Dear SOS: The Overland serves a moist, well-seasoned turkey loaf. Would you please research?

Jeanne Parker

Los Angeles

Dear Jeanne: Chalk it up to a little extra love in the form of marinara sauce. Along with the traditional ground meat, egg, bread crumbs and flavorings, the Overland Cafe in Palms folds marinara in with the mixture before it is baked. It’s also slathered over the meatloaf when it is done. This results in an extra-moist loaf, sure to make any fan of this classic comfort food clamoring for seconds.

The Overland Cafe’s turkey meatloaf

1½ hours. Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon oil

3 tablespoons finely diced carrots

3 tablespoons finely diced summer squash

3 tablespoons finely diced bell pepper

3 tablespoons finely diced onion

2 1/2 pounds ground turkey

3 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a sauté pan heated over medium-high heat, add the oil along with the carrots, squash, bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, knead together the ground turkey, eggs, bread crumbs, sautéed vegetables, one-half cup marinara and the salt and pepper to form a uniform mixture. Because marinara sauce will vary in saltiness by brand, to check the seasoning, break off a little of the meatloaf mixture and sauté it until browned, then taste it and adjust the seasoning if needed with extra salt and/or pepper.

4. Place the mixture in a loaf pan, mounding the loaf to mimic the shape of a loaf of bread. Bake the loaf until set and a thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, warm the remaining 1 cup marinara sauce.

5. Remove from heat and cool slightly on a rack to set before serving. Serve the meatloaf warm, with the extra marinara brushed over the loaf before slicing or ladled over the slices as they are served.

EACH OF 6 SERVINGS

Calories 402

Protein 42 grams

Carbohydrates 13 grams

Fiber 2 grams

Fat 20 grams

Saturated fat 5 grams

Cholesterol 219 mg

Sugar 5 grams

Sodium 873 mg