Meatloaf with Roasted Squash and Sweet Potatoes

5 squash (zucchini and/or summer squash)

olive oil 

salt and pepper

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 onion

1/2 red bell pepper

1 cup breadcrumbs

garlic powder

4 sweet potatoes

butter or margarine 

Catsup

Preheat the oven to 350. 

This is a dairy-free meal that could easily be made gluten free if the breadcrumbs were substituted with something else. It is also a diabetic friendly meal, especially if you switch out the catsup with tomato salsa. 

I made this meal in large quantities to have left overs later in the week. I ended up having last minute guests, and this fed 6 portions with some left over. 

Of course, you can make meatloaf with ground beef. But I find that the turkey tastes just as delicious and it better for you.

Slice the squash. 

Cover a pan with foil. 

Lay out squash in a single layer. Pour olive oil over the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss it all together and then make sure that the squash is laid out in a single layer again. 

Bake for 20 minutes. 

Remove squash from the oven. Using tongs, turn the squash over. Put pan back into the oven. 

While the squash is cooking, start on the meat loaf. 

The first step is to chop the onion and pepper so that they will fit into a food processor. You could dice these by hand, but I think meatloaf tastes better when there aren't chunks of things - it's better if it's all one consistency. 

Finely chop the vegetables and then saute them in a little olive oil until they are just softened. 

Add salt, pepper and garlic powder. The seasonings will distribute better into the meatloaf if they are mixed with the veggies. You need to put enough seasonings to flavor the entire meatloaf, not just the veggies. 

Cover the counter with parchment paper. Add breadcrumbs to the paper. 

Add veggies on top of the breadcrumbs. 

Add the ground meat onto the pile. 

Take off your rings (if you are wearing any) and mix the meat, veggies and breadcrumbs until all of the mixture is combined. You don't want any parts that have too much meat and no veggies or breadcrumbs. 

Form the meat into a shape. The thicker the shape, the longer you will need to cook the meatloaf. 

I was in a hurry, so I formed a thin heart which I cooked for 45 minutes. 

Pour catsup onto the meatloaf. 

Bake for 45 minutes. 

"Bake" sweet potatoes in the microwave. For more info on how to do this, see here. 

Mash the sweet potatoes and add butter or margarine, salt and pepper. 

Take the meatloaf out of the oven. 

Take the squash out of the oven. If you like your squash to be less crispy, take them out sooner. 

Serve it all up on a plate. Not super fancy, but really really tasty!