Turkey Meatloaf

Serves 6-10

For all ingredients, please consider using those that are grown organically.
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 apple, chopped
 1 onion, chopped
 3-4 carrots, chopped
 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
 2 celery sticks, chopped
 2 pounds ground turkey, mixture of light and dark meat
 2 eggs, lightly beaten
 1/2 cup bread crumbs
 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
 1 tablespoon dried basil
 1 teaspoon oregano
 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
 1/4 cup chicken broth
 1 cup jarred tomato sauce
   

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add the onions.  Cook until the onions are translucent and soft.  This will take approximately 10-15 minutes.  Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.

In a large bowl, combine the onion and apple mixture with the remaining ingredients except the tomato sauce.  Mix together until just combined.  Do not over mix.

To form the loaf, you can either form an oval shaped loaf on a parchment lined baking sheet or gently pat the loaf into a loaf pan.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Pour the tomato sauce over the top of the loaf and return it to the oven for an additional 20-30 minutes.  Check for doneness with a knife to be sure that it is cooked through.

Let the loaf rest for 15 minutes to set before cutting into slices.