Turkey Meatloaf...or Meatballs

I copied this recipe from my sister-in-law, Adrienne, who got it from her good friend Lindsay.  Adrienne and her sisters are fabulous cooks and post their recipes at http://wardgirlscooking.blogspot.com/.  I have been making meatloaf from this recipe for a couple of years now, and it's always a hit.  


I get the big packages of ground turkey from Costco, and make up a few  batches to freeze and cook later.  It takes a couple of hours to cook a frozen meatloaf, though, so in an attempt to make cooking the frozen meatloaf more convenient, I recently tried making the mixture into meatballs (I used a cookie scoop - it was slick!), and freezing those.  When I was ready to eat them, I put the meatballs and sauce into the crockpot, and after 4-6 hours on low or high (my crockpot is not incredibly precise), we had amazing meatballs.  So easy!   

Turkey Meat Loaf

1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (or beef)
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
chopped onion to taste (I have used both fresh minced onion and dried minced onion - either is fine)
salt and pepper to taste


Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I've found that mixing it together with my hands (or a potato masher) is the best way to incorporate all the ingredients. Place in greased 9x13 and form into loaf (I usually make mine in a bread loaf pan...lined with tin foil, the clean-up is a breeze...or form into meatballs, freeze in a pan and then transfer to a ziploc bag if you're so inclined). Spread sauce over loaf. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes for turkey or one hour for beef.  (My oven usually needs longer.)

Sauce (from a Paula Deen recipe):


2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp prepared mustard