Turkey meatloaf with a spicy bean stew

This is true unashamed comfort food and should be celebrated for being just that. You can make one big meatloaf and serve it in slices or I sometimes like to make mini ones and serve each sitting proudly on top of the spicy bean stew.

Credit: Donal's Kitchen Hero

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing
• 450 g (1 lb) turkey mince
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 green capsicum (pepper), deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 slices white bread, whizzed in a food processor
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 4 tbsp (80 ml) tomato ketchup
• Sea salt and ground black pepper

Spicy bean stew

• 3 tsp (15 ml) canola (rapeseed) oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons
• 1 red capsicum (pepper), deseeded and finely sliced
• 1 yellow capsicum (pepper), deseeded and finely sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 400 g (14 oz) tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 400 g (14 oz) tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Grease a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin.

2. In a large bowl, use a spoon to mix together the turkey, garlic, onion, celery, green pepper, breadcrumbs, egg, Tabasco sauce, 1 tablespoon of the ketchup and a pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.

3. Press the mixture into the loaf tin and spread the remaining tomato ketchup over the top. Place in the oven to cook for 40–45 minutes. The meat will come away slightly from the sides of the tin and the ketchup will lightly char.

4. While the meatloaf is cooking, make the spicy bean stew. Place a large frying pan over a high heat, add the oil and fry the onion and capsicum quickly for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium–low and continue to cook until the contents of the pan have become soft. Stir through the cumin, oregano and sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes.

5. Stir through the tomatoes, season with sea salt and ground black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir through the beans and cook for a further 3–5 minutes. Serve the stew on deep plates with slices of meatloaf in the middle.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.