Chicken Meatloaf with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Christmas season is fast approaching and I am dreading the shipping portion of the holiday. While many women love to go to the store and shop, I am missing that gene. Don't get me wrong I like going and buying shoes and the occasional birthday gift, but there is something about Christmas shopping that makes me feel like a deer caught in the headlights. The crowds are always large, patience is at a minimum, and parking lots turn into madhouses. The whole situation just stresses me out. I end up drinking too much coffee to cope, making me even more agitated and cranky. I wish the holidays would have less importance placed on gifts and a little more focus on just enjoying the company of loved ones.

My family absolutely loves meatloaf. They would eat it multiple times a week if I let them. Since I can't eat gluten I am always looking for recipes that I can modify to fit my needs. The following is a recipe for Chicken Meatloaf with Spinach and Feta Cheese that works with both regular and gluten free panko breadcrumbs.

Recipe adapted from Redbook Magazine and Heather Cristo.

Chicken Meatloaf with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Yield: 8 servings

Calories per serving: 252
Fat per serving: 10 grams

Ingredients

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 1 small onion, shredded
• 1/4 cup rough chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Greek seasoning
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Combine together panko breadcrumbs and whole milk in a small bowl.
2. Let stand until milk has been completely absorbed into breadcrumbs.
3. In another bowl combine chicken, onion, parsley, dried oregano, spinach, cheese, eggs, Greek seasoning and ground pepper.
4. Stir in panko/milk mixture.
5. Form meatloaf into a football shape and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons grainy mustard, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar.
7. Brush the top of the meatloaf with the glaze.
8. Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven.
9. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips: 

• This recipe works very well with gluten free panko breadcrumbs. If you eat gluten free and have never tried gluten free panko breadcrumbs, they are great in meatloaf and meat dishes. 
• If you don't have Greek seasoning you can just add salt or another variety of seasoning salt. 
• Make sure to completely squeeze your spinach dry. If the spinach stays too wet the meatloaf will be soggy after baking. 

Southwestern Turkey Meat Loaf

Growing up my father could make two dishes, fried potatoes and meatloaf. We ate a lot of meatloaf on the nights my mother was at work, a lot of meatloaf. Now don't get me wrong, my father's meatloaf was pretty good, it was moist and the sauce had a nice taste. It was just that after having the same meatloaf for the first 18 years of my life, I became a little bit burnt out. So in college and most of the first couple of years of my marriage I didn't have meatloaf. Then about five years ago I slowly transitioned myself back into cooking and eating meatloaf. I discovered that turkey meatloaf can be delicious and a lot less fat than its traditional counterpart. As I was looking through the April issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine I noticed a recipe for Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf which looked simple and delicious.

This recipe has 11 ingredients and 5 optional ingredients. It takes approximately 2 hours of prep and cooking, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 8 to 10 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local store and made no ingredient modifications. Make sure to adequately rinse the canned beans or they will taste metallic. I chose to use tortilla chips for this recipe, it was the one type of chip I could guarantee my boys would eat the leftovers. I used mild picante sauce, but if I was to make this recipe again I think I would use a hotter sauce. The taste was a little too mild for me. For the toppings I chose to use cheese, jalapeno and lime wedges. My meat loaf took a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes exactly, I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was very impressed by how flavorful this meatloaf turned out. It makes a very large meatloaf. I made one giant meatloaf, but it could just as easily make two smaller meatloaves. The meatloaf was a little dry by itself, but with the cheese and lime it was much more moist. I think if I made this again I would add the whole bottle of picante sauce and add a tablespoon of taco seasoning. With only a teaspoon of seasoning, the flavors weren't bold enough for my liking. For a turkey meat loaf recipe this dish turned out well and my youngest son absolutely loved it.

For the recipe go to Southwestern Turkey Meat Loaf.

All You Smoky Chipotle Meat Loaf

With two very active and growing little boys in my house, we go through a large amount of food a week. In an effort to save my budget, I try to make as many dishes as I can which can be stretched into multiple meals. Additionally, I love finding healthier variations of common favorite recipes, such as fried chicken or meatloaf. Meatloaf is a family favorite and is great to use leftovers for sandwiches. Recently, the august issue of All You magazine had a recipe for Smoky Chipotle Meat Loaf, utilizing oats, which looked like a healthier alternative to my traditional meat loaf recipes.

This recipe has 12 ingredients and takes approximately an hour and 15 minutes to prep and cook. I was able to find all the ingredients at my local grocery store, without any problems. I did make a few modifications to the original recipe. First, I did not seed my chipotle chilies, I just took them out of the can as is; I don't find the seeds in the chilies to be spicy enough to warrant this extra step. Additionally, I ground my own beef from chuck roast, which I highly recommend, the taste is so much better. Finally, I have a very particular husband when it comes to ketchup, he will only eat Heinz, so that it what I used for this recipe.

My husband and I loved the smoky undertones from the adobo sauce and chilies. This recipe is very easy to follow and takes little effort to prepare. The one thing that I did notice is that the texture is different than a traditional meatloaf due to the oats. It has a grittier texture, so don't be surprised. If your looking for a way to incorporate more whole grains into your diet, this recipe is a great way to do so.

For the recipe go to All You Smoky Chipotle Meat Loaf.