Homemade TV Dinner with Cacio e Pepe Turkey Meatloaf

SERVES: 8
PREP: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 45 minutes

Like the TV dinners from your childhood—with a few twists and upgrades.

If you, like us, are big fans of the C&P flavor profile—cacio e pepe, or cheese and pepper—then you'll love this meatloaf. We've taken the flavors of the classic Italian pasta and packed 'em into a super flavorful, not-at-all-dry turkey meatloaf and a velvety sauce to reinforce that C&P goodness. It's the star of our homemade TV dinner, a grown-upgraded version of the frozen meals you may have had as a kid. Pair it with a starch of your choice (like buttery mashed potatoes), smoky and savory roasted broccoli, and warm glazed apples that taste like apple pie filling.

For the meatloaf:

3
whole peeled garlic cloves
1
medium onion, coarsely chopped
1
(10-ounce) package white mushrooms, stems removed
1
cup lightly packed parsley leaves
½
small jalapeño pepper, seeded
2
tablespoons olive oil
1 ½
teaspoons kosher salt
1 ¼
teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1
cup panko
2
pounds ground turkey (a mix of light and dark meat)
1 ¼ cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2
eggs, beaten
½
cup frozen peas, defrosted, drained, and patted dry

For the Cacio e Pepe sauce:

2
tablespoons butter
2
tablespoons olive oil
2
cloves finely minced garlic
2
tablespoons flour
1 ½
cups whole milk
1
teaspoon kosher salt
1
teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1
cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

For the roasted broccoli:

¼
cup olive oil
3
cloves minced garlic
1
teaspoon smoked paprika or Cravings' Chili-Garlic seasoning
½
teaspoon fish sauce
¼
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1
large bunch broccoli, trimmed and separated into florets

For the warm glazed apples:

1 ½
cups water
3
tablespoons cornstarch
4
medium-sized tart apples (1 ½ pounds), such as Pink Lady, peeled, cored, and chopped
⅓
cup dark brown sugar
¼
cup white sugar
½
teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼
teaspoon ground nutmeg
2
tablespoons butter
1 ½
tablespoons lemon juice
1 ½
teaspoons vanilla
½
teaspoon kosher salt

For the assembled TV dinner:

1
slice Cacio e Pepe Turkey Meatloaf
1
portion of roasted broccoli or vegetable of your choice
1
serving starch of your choice, such as mashed potatoes
1
serving warm glazed apples or dessert of your choice

Make the meatloaf:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the garlic cloves in a food processor and process until finely minced, 10–15 seconds. Add the onions, mushrooms, parsley, jalapeño , and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and pulse until everything is minced, 20–25 pulses. (If you don’t have or don’t feel like using a food processor you can also just do all the mincing by hand.)

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, add the panko and olive oil, toss, and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes so the panko absorbs some of the mushrooms’ extra juices. Add the turkey, 1 cup Parm, the beaten eggs, peas, and remaining teaspoon each salt and pepper and gently mix with your hands to incorporate everything.

Wash your hands and transfer the mixture to a 9x5-inch loaf pan, patting it to level the meatloaf. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parm. Set the loaf pan on a sheet pan—to catch any drips and avoid a messy oven—and bake until the turkey is cooked through and the top is golden brown, 55 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the warm glazed apples:

Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add the apples, dark brown and white sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the apples are soft but haven’t lost their shape and the water has evaporated into a thick sauce, 20–25 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Set aside to cool slightly until ready to plate.

Make the roasted broccoli:

Combine the olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika or Chili-Garlic seasoning, fish sauce, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the broccoli and toss to coat in the oil mixture. Transfer to a sheet pan and roast during the last 30–35 minutes of the meatloaf cooking, until the broccoli is tender and parts of the tops are blackened. Set aside to cool slightly until ready to plate.

Make the Cacio e Pepe sauce:

During the last 10 minutes of the meatloaf baking, make the sauce. Heat the butter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened but not darkened, 1–2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, 2–3 minutes. Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper, raise the heat to medium-high, bring the liquid to a boil, let it bubble and thicken for 1–2 minutes, then whisk in the cheese until smooth, 1 minute. Remove from the heat, then press parchment or foil into the sauce to prevent it from forming a skin.

Assemble your homemade TV dinner:

Slice the meatloaf into 8 pieces. Plate a slice with mashed potatoes and plenty of sauce in one section of a TV dinner-style sectioned plate (or a regular plate) alongside the roasted broccoli, warm glazed apples, or sides of your choice.

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