Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 tbspolive oil
• 1onion, large, finely chopped
• 1 clovegarlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 tbspworcestershire sauce
• 3 tsptomato paste
• 1 lbground turkey
• 1egg, large, beaten
• 3/4 cupbreadcrumbs
• 2 tbspbarbecue sauce, instructions reference additional 'remaining' sauce for the beans; consider 4–6 tbsp total
• 1 3/4 lbcannellini beans, two 400g cans
• 2 tbspparsley, chopped, to scatter

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 325°F) and warm the oil in a skillet. Cook the onion for about ten minutes, until soft and just catching color at the edges.

2. 2

   Stir in the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and some of the tomato paste. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool — hot onion starts cooking the egg.

3. 3

   Combine the ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs and cooled onion in a large bowl and season generously. Turkey is lean and mild, and an under-seasoned loaf tastes of very little.

4. 4

   Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf and settle it into a roasting pan. Press it firm so it holds together when you come to slice it.

5. 5

   Brush barbecue sauce over the surface and bake for thirty minutes. It should look tacky and darkened when you come back to it.

6. 6

   Drain one can of beans and tip both into a bowl with the rest of the barbecue sauce and tomato paste. Season and stir — the undrained can supplies the liquid that keeps them from drying out.

7. 7

   Spoon the beans around the loaf and return the pan to the oven for fifteen minutes. The beans should bubble at the edges and the loaf feel firm.

8. 8

   Scatter the parsley over and rest the loaf briefly before slicing. Serve the slices with the beans spooned alongside.