My mother loves meatloaf!  The last time they came to visit us in Raleigh, North Carolina I made this recipe for her and she loved it!

Leftovers make a wonderful sandwich the next day. We loves it cold with a little mustard!

My family just adores this Tomato Relish! It is super easy to make and will save you money! We all know how much these relishes can cost in the grocery or specialty stores! We use tomato relish in our meatloaf and on top, too! Here is our favorite recipe for Tomato Relish and the many different ways this relish enhances many of our everyday meals. For a spicier version, just add a little hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.

For Tomato Relish

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1/2 of a green bell pepper, optional–adds a little more color and another depth of flavor
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12-ounce) bottle of chili sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Coat a skillet with oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes. Do not allow the garlic to burn or it will be bitter. Add the red and green peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape. Stir in the parsley, chili sauce, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.

For Meatloaf

Nonstick cooking spray for loaf pan
2 pounds lean ground turkey
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 cup uncooked rolled oats or whole wheat bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1/ 2 cup chili sauce or ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup Tomato Relish (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, oats, eggs, chili sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Press the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for one hour. Remove from oven and pour relish on top. Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.

It always brings a smile to my son, Nathaniel’s face, too!

Ways Tomato Relish can enhance your every day meals

  • Add some to your favorite meatloaf mixture and then on top before baking
  • Serve a little over Jambalaya–the sweetness adds a great contrast to this spicy dish
  • Serve over a nice piece of grilled fish
  • Dollop a little relish over your eggs
  • Blend a little and use over cabbage rolls before baking instead of ketchup
  • Spread over a nice grilled piece of bread and add shavings of fresh Parmesan
  • Great addition to stews
  • Wonderful addition to Swiss Steak