A Southern Porch Collective Recipe
Some recipes are measured in cups and teaspoons.
Others are measured in memories.
This is Mother’s meatloaf—the kind of recipe you make in a big bowl, get your hands in it, and don’t worry too much about measuring. You taste, you add, you adjust, and somehow it always comes together just right.

Ingredients

For the Meatloaf

2 one-pound packages ground turkey (or ground beef)
Panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Cavender’s seasoning, to taste
Mustard
Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
Honey
Garlic, to taste
1 onion, chopped and sautéed
1 green bell pepper, chopped and sautéed
1 red bell pepper, chopped and sautéed

For the Topping

Brown sugar
Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
Barbecue sauce
Optional, add diced tomatoes

Place these in a small sauce pan and heat up slowly on low on the stove, stirring to keep from burning the sauce.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Chop your onion and red and green peppers. Sauté them until they begin to soften.
In a large bowl, add the raw ground turkey, sautéed vegetables, eggs, Panko breadcrumbs,
Cavender’s seasoning, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and garlic.

Now comes the important part:

Get your hands in there.
Mix everything together by hand until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. This is not a recipe that requires perfection. Add a little more of whatever you think it needs until it
looks and feels like the right consistency for a meatloaf.
Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish (or an 8x8-inch dish for a smaller/thicker loaf) with cooking spray or lightly coat it with oil. You can also add parchment paper verses a oil in the baking
dish before adding the meatloaf mixture to the pan.
Place the meatloaf mixture into the dish and shape it as desired.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.

The Topping

While the meatloaf is baking, combine brown sugar, ketchup, & Worcestershire sauce in a small skillet.
Warm the mixture over low heat until it’s combined and heated through.

And here’s Mother’s rule:

Make a little extra sauce.
You’ll want some for serving.
After the meatloaf has baked for 45 minutes, remove it from the oven and pour the topping over the meatloaf, reserving some for later.
Return the meatloaf to the oven and broil for approximately 2–3 minutes, watching it carefully so the topping caramelizes without burning.
Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
For the best slices, cut the meatloaf down the middle first, then slice across the loaf. This gives you more individual servings.

Serve It Southern Porch Style

Spoon a generous helping of cream cheese mashed potatoes onto the plate.
Lay a slice of meatloaf over the potatoes and drizzle a little of that extra sauce over the top.
Add sautéd green beans on the side.
And then sit down and enjoy.
Preferably around a table with people you love.

A Note From the Porch:

This isn’t one of those recipes where Mother stood in the kitchen with a measuring cup for every ingredient.
It’s a little of this, a little of that kind of recipe.
It’s the kind of cooking that gets passed down by watching, tasting, remembering, and eventually making it your own.
And that’s what makes it special.
Tonight, I made Mother’s meatloaf at my best friend’s house and enjoyed a simple Southern supper.

We just forgot one very important thing:

We didn’t take pictures before we ate it.
But maybe that’s okay.
Some meals are meant to be remembered more than photographed.
And this one certainly will be.