Cooking By The Book: Southern style meatloaf from Mary Mac’s in Atlanta

Atlanta landmark restaurant Mary Mac's is steeped in tradition going back 65 years. John Ferrell bought this destination eatery from long-time operator Margaret Lupo who, in turn, had acquired it from founder Mary McKinsey.

In a new cookbook, Mary Mac's Tea Room (Andrews McMeel Universal), Ferrell shares some 125 classic recipes that have made the restaurant such a revered institution. Look for recipes from fried okra and chicken and Southern dumplings to bread and butter pickles and Georgia peach cobbler.

A colorful entree dish we tried, Italian Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf, included Italian sausage and ground turkey, green and red bell pepper and fresh chopped spinach. Ferrell suggests baking it for an hour, but we found it took longer for the vegetables to soften.

The dish serves four to six and reheats well as leftovers.

ITALIAN TURKEY AND VEGETABLE MEATLOAF
(Serves 4 to 6)

1 lb. ground sweet Italian sausage
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (9-oz.) package fresh spinach, chopped
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large egg
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. Greek seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the tomato sauce. Form into a loaf and place in the baking dish; bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf to serve.

TOMATO SAUCE

1 Tbl. salted butter
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a small, heavy saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. serve warm over Italian Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf.