Ingredients:
- 2 lbs lean ground turkey (92- 93% Lean)
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
- 16 oz eggplant peeled and chopped into cubes
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 3 TBSP water
- 1 ½ TSP salt, divided
- 1 TSP pepper, divided
- 1 cup finely ground Blue Diamond Almonds Nut-Thins crackers (using food processor- about 35 crackers)
- 2 TBSP ground flax seed
- 3 TBSP finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 TBS tomato sauce- divided
- 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ TBSP honey
- 1 ½ TSP white vinegar
- ½ TSP garlic powder
- ½ TSP onion powder
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease a standard loaf pan (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2) with olive oil and set aside.
2. In a medium fry pan over medium heat combine onion, garlic, eggplant, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper and olive oil. Sauté until the onions are translucent stirring often. Reduce heat to low, add water and cover. Cook down until the eggplant is very soft and almost mushy. This should take about 10-12 minutes. While your eggplant mixture is cooking down, add crackers to a food processor or blender and blend until the crackers are a coarse sand texture. Remove and set aside.
3. In your food processor or blender add cooked eggplant mixture and blend on high for about 30 seconds. Let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes.
4. While the mixture is cooling prepare the meatloaf sauce topping. In a small mixing bowl combine 2 TBSP tomato sauce, 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce, honey, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Whisk until all ingredients are combined. Set sauce mixture aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl combine ground turkey, cracker crumbs, eggplant mixture and all remaining ingredients. Using your hands mush and mix the ingredients until they are combined. Be sure not to over mix.
6. Add the meat mixture to your loaf pan and pat the meat down to an even layer. Pour the sauce mixture on top of the meatloaf and spread into an even layer using the back of a spoon.
7. Bake for 1 hour. Let the meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Use two spatulas to remove the loaf from the pan. Slice and enjoy!