Turkey Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Cheese

Today finds me at home, for my second day in a row from work, completely under the weather.  It seems the whole office has been decimated with a "bug" that has taken everyone out.  Out of eight people in my group, only three are working and two of them left are affected by this virus too.

I have my son bringing me home rotisserie chicken so I can make a broth and soup, but in the mean time I had this turkey in the fridge that I had to use.  It's really weird but I dreamed I was making this exact dish the other night.  It's been on my brain since then and since I have all the ingredients, I thought I'd give it a shot and see what comes out of it.  So my dream was my inspiration.  I used:

• 2 lbs of extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 large red and 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Handful of Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of Trader Joe's no salt "21 Seasoning Salute"
• 1 cup of crumbled Feta cheese (it was probably more - I didn't measure)
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes soaked in oil, blotted dry and then diced finely
• Good shake of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 slices (crusts) of quinoa ancient grain bread minced to crumbs in food processor
• 1/2 cup of 1% buttermilk
• Fresh cracked pepper & kosher salt
• Ketchup, to coat the top of the meatloaf

I started by sauteing the onions and garlic with some S&P in some olive oil.  

I don't usually saute them in meatloaf, but because it was turkey, I wanted to put all the flavor I could into it.  I did this till they were soft and almost starting to caramelize.  

I set them aside to cool.  I chopped the sun-dried tomatoes and added them into the onions.

I made the bread crumbs, then added in the seasoning, S&P and parsley and mixed it all together.  I then added the buttermilk and Worster sauce and stirred again.  Finally the onion mixture went in and I incorporated it all.  

I added the turkey and combined everything with my hands.  I decided to layer it and put the Feta in the middle of the loaf.  I put 2/3rds down first. 

I added the cheese.

I then topped it with the rest of the meat.  I sealed it by taking the back of spoon and pressing around the sides until it was smooth and even.

It worked okay and then I spread some ketchup over the top.  

I preheated the oven to 350°F and set the timer for an hour and thirty minutes.  And in it went.

I had to drain liquid out twice, which actually surprised me as I wasn't expecting any because the meat was "extra lean".  It was done on time. 

I cut a couple of slices, and then I plated.

This was really delicious and I wouldn't change a thing.  It was moist and flavorful and different.  The feta was awesome - probably because it was cheese and felt indulgent, if I'm being honest.  I served my son's with a lot of mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, I just had a dollop because I couldn't resist.  I roasted green beans along side the loaf for the last half hour.  All in all, a really comforting meal on this day of being trapped inside the house trying to feel better...