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    Home » Recipes » American

    Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

    Published: Feb 19, 2020 · Modified: Jan 6, 2023 by Sherri · This post may contain affiliate links · 33 Comments

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    turkey meatloaf recipe

    This easy Turkey Meatloaf recipe is hearty and so delicious. Made with ground turkey and a blend of flavorful spices with a sweet ketchup topping, this meal is both healthy and satisfying. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or meal prep for the week.

    If you love meatloaf as much as we do, sometimes it’s nice to have options. Check out the Best Easy Meatloaf recipe for your red meat option.

    TTurkey Meatloaf topped with ketchup on a wood cutting board

    We all know once turkey is cooked on its own it can be quite bland and dry. For all the health benefits it provides us, juicy and moist are not a part of the package. This is where all of the added ingredients make a difference. The garlic and sautéed onions help make this so incredibly flavorful.

    This turkey meatloaf delivers on all accounts! It has all the things we love in a classic meatloaf recipe with a healthy twist! In an hour you’ll have a low fat, low calorie, comfort food on your table which the whole family will enjoy!

    This is a great make ahead recipe. Make two at a time and freeze one for a later date. Just take it out to thaw the night before or morning of and reheat! It’s perfect for busy families, and super satisfying!

    What to serve with this Meatloaf

    Serve meatloaf with simple Hashbrown Casserole, Roasted Potatoes or Cauliflower Rice and a vegetable, like Balsamic Brussel Sprouts or Roasted Green Beans for the perfect healthy meal with the best sides.

    How to make this Turkey Meatloaf Recipe 

    Preheat the oven.

    Melt coconut oil in a saute pan and cook onion and garlic until soft, stirring occasionally.

    Remove onion and garlic and place in a large bowl to cool.

    After a few minutes of cooling, add turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, ketchup and pepper to the onion mixture. Mix and combine all ingredients either with a wooden spoon or by hand.

    Form into a loaf shape and place in a glass baking dish. You can also use a parchment lined baking sheet or a lined (or glass) bread loaf pan.

    Bake in the oven until completely cooked through. The ketchup drizzle over top is an option if you’d like to add a little extra saucy sweetness to your meatloaf.

    Pro Tips: For a gluten free alternative, use gluten free breadcrumbs or old fashioned oats.

    Let it rest before slicing. Otherwise you will lose all the juices and it won’t hold its shape as nicely.

     For little appetites, use a muffin tin instead of a loaf pan for mini loaves!

     Substitute the ketchup topping for BBQ sauce for a smokier flavor. 

    Use a store bought egg replacer instead of eggs. Keep in mind that eggs help with moisture.

    How do I keep turkey meatloaf moist? 

    Don’t overwork the meat! When it comes time to combining the ingredients together, do not over mix. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk ahead of time to help re hydrate the dry crumbs and you can use 93% lean ground turkey rather than 99%.

    How long to bake meatloaf? 

    The ideal temperature for turkey meatloaf is 350 degrees for approximately 50-55 minutes. The internal temperature should read 160-170 degrees.

    Can I freeze it? 

    Yes! Once completely cooled, this meatloaf will keep in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in foil. You can even slice it and freeze it in slices and only take out what you need!

    ENJOY!

    A close up of turkey meatloaf with ketchup on top
    closeup of turkey meatloaf topped with ketchup and a slice cut off the end.

    Easy Turkey Meatloaf

    This easy Turkey Meatloaf recipe is hearty and so delicious. Made with ground turkey and a blend of flavorful spices with a sweet ketchup topping, this meal is both healthy and satisfying. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or meal prep for the week.
    4.93 from 13 votes
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    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 215kcal
    Author: Sherri Hagymas

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup onion chopped
    • 20 ounces 99% Fat Free ground turkey eat
    • ½ cup breadcrumbs or 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread toasted and broken into pieces.
    • 1 large egg or ¼ cup liquid egg whites
    • ¼ cup ketchup
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
    • Melt coconut oil in a saute pan.
    • Cook onion and garlic in melted oil for about 5-7 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
      2 tablespoon coconut oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 cup onion
    • Place the cooked onion and garlic in a large bowl to cool for 5 minutes.
    • Mix turkey, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, and pepper with onion mixture.
      20 ounces 99% Fat Free ground turkey eat, ½ cup breadcrumbs or 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, 1 large egg, ¼ cup ketchup, ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • Shape into a “Loaf” and place in a glass baking dish.
    • Bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked completely through.

    Notes

    Use gluten-free breadcrumbs or ½ cup of dry oats if desired.  
    Top with ketchup, optional
    Nutritional information is with 99% ground turkey, one egg and plain breadcrumbs. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 382mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1.4mg

    Nutritional Disclosure

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

    Tried this recipe?We love seeing your pictures! Mention @ToSimplyInspire or tag #ToSimplyInspire!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. swathi

      January 09, 2017 at 6:23 pm

      Very nice, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning.

      Reply
    2. Miz Helen

      January 09, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      5 stars
      I am ready for some Meatloaf and your recipe looks delicious. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week and hope to see you again real soon!
      Miz Helen

      Reply
    3. Ashley

      January 08, 2017 at 4:04 am

      This looks wonderful!! I am doing a clean eating collection post on Tuesday on my blog. May I include this recipe (photo and link back)?

      Reply
      • Sherri

        January 08, 2017 at 9:17 am

        Absolutely! Thank you so much!

        Reply
    4. Carney

      August 22, 2016 at 4:39 pm

      Hello!

      Could I make this in a crockpot/ slow cooker?! I’m hoping so!
      Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Sherri

        August 22, 2016 at 4:44 pm

        Absolutely!! You can cook it for 5-6 hours on low 🙂

        Reply
    5. christine colton

      January 04, 2016 at 6:50 pm

      Can you make this without the bread crumbs?!

      Reply
      • Sherri

        January 05, 2016 at 8:59 am

        You could use oatmeal instead of bread crumbs. I have done that several times. I use the old fashioned oats but you could put them in the food processor to make more fine if you’d like.

        Reply
    6. Kate

      August 19, 2015 at 7:35 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this meatloaf for the first time and let me tell you, it was PERFECT! (Probably shouldn’t admit this, but hubby and I ate the whole thing in one sitting!) I’ve made other turkey meatloaf recipes and they were dry, or had a bunch of spices added but we still kind of bland. This recipe was simple, yet tasted like it had a lot more ingredients, and it was also NOT DRY 🙂 Thank you! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes and checking out your site.

      Reply
      • Sherri

        August 19, 2015 at 9:22 pm

        I’m so glad you liked it! We are known to eat the whole thing ourselves too! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Kristina & Millie

      April 20, 2015 at 8:40 am

      4 stars
      we love cooking with ground turkey – not only is it healthier but the meat will pick up the flavors of the spices and seasonings so well! This recipe sounds delish and I can’t wait to give it a try. Hubby LOVES meatloaf!

      Reply
    8. Jann Olson

      April 19, 2015 at 6:39 pm

      Sounds like a wonderful and healthy meatloaf! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
      hugs,
      Jann

      Reply
    9. Terry

      April 19, 2015 at 3:32 pm

      Hi Sherri,

      This sounds delicious! I was recently introduced to Ezekial bread – sounds like a great way to use it.

      Thanks,
      Terry

      Reply
    10. Fe

      April 19, 2015 at 3:22 pm

      5 stars
      This look so good. I am going to have to try it. Thanks for sharing over at the Snickerdoodle Sunday.

      Reply
    11. Lisa @ Fun Money Finds

      April 18, 2015 at 11:34 am

      Saving this to my favorite. I always use turkey for meatballs and meatloaf and can always use some new recipes. Can’t wait to try these!

      Reply
    12. Michelle

      April 18, 2015 at 8:20 am

      We eat ground turkey quite a bit. I’ve made a meatloaf with it before and wasn’t a fan. Now, I read your recipe and so going to try it with the onions carmelized. I love turkey burgers so that is as far as we get. Your recipes just inspired me. I like how you suggested what to pair it with. I do that too in my recipes, a nice touch for the newbie cooks. Linking from Pieced Pastimes.

      Reply
    13. Christine

      April 17, 2015 at 8:16 pm

      Your husband is a GENIUS! Healthy. Caramelized onions. Comfort food. On a side note, I love when I can convince my husband to cook, too. I sometimes underestimate his abilities and a girl needs to be reminded the man can cook!

      Reply
    14. GiGi Eats

      April 14, 2015 at 9:08 am

      5 stars
      OH HECK YES! I haven’t had turkey in some time, but I am 100000% game!

      Reply
    15. Jocelyn

      April 14, 2015 at 1:11 am

      5 stars
      I made this for lunch today, and everyone loved it! I know this sounds strange, but I baked it in a pie pan instead of a loaf pan. I find meatloaf cooks faster and more evenly this way, without risk of drying out on top. Also, it’s easier to cut and serve. (I guess you could say it’s more of a meat pie than a meat loaf, but it tastes just the same!)

      Reply
      • Sherri

        April 14, 2015 at 8:30 am

        That is a fabulous idea!! I’m going to try it myself next time I make it! I love learning something new 🙂

        Reply
    16. Carmen

      April 13, 2015 at 9:57 am

      My friend substitutes turkey for just about any traditional ground beef meal. I am not a huge fan of ground turkey but will definitely be trying this one! Looks delicious!

      Reply
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    4.93 from 13 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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