Healthy Ground Turkey Meatloaf
This healthy turkey meatloaf recipe is proof that comfort food can be both healthy and hearty! This lighter take on classic meatloaf also has some (not-so) secret veggies mixed right in, making it a delicious way to eat some extra veggies. It’s cheesy, juicy, super flavorful, and perfect for a comforting dinner that’s easy to make and so versatile.
If you’ve ever had turkey meatloaf and ended up with a dry, bland, or crumbly mess, you aren’t alone. But with a few easy tricks, this version stays moist, flavorful, and perfectly tender.
Choose a simple veggie or two for sides (I like mashed potatoes and green beans) and you’ve got a balanced dinner that’s both nutritious and delicious.
I don’t really like hiding vegetables in meals as I don’t think it’s a helpful way to teach our kids to eat healthy long-term (read more about my approach to nutrition here), but the riced broccoli in this ground turkey meatloaf ends up blending right into the meatloaf.
When I originally came up with this recipe back in 2020, my young kids gobbled it up, but more recently they were influenced by TV shows and books that meatloaf is inherently not yummy so they weren’t quite as excited but that’s ok. On social media I talk a lot about not feeling bad about this, and so I happily ate up the leftovers. 🙂
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
What You’ll Love About Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
- Delicious dinner with comfort-food flavor
- Cheesy, juicy, and flavorful
- Savory and hearty
- Perfectly seasoned
- Easy to make
- Made with simple ingredients
- High in protein
Ingredients
- Breadcrumbs – I love using panko breadcrumbs for many reasons – they are flatter and thinner than traditional breadcrumbs and while sometimes the larger surface area is preferred for maximum crunch (like in this furikake salmon). In this case, they melt into the meatloaf made with turkey which is preferred. You can however use traditional breadcrumbs if you prefer or if that’s what you have.
- Milk – Use whatever type of milk you have. You could use a non-dairy milk alternative as long as it isn’t sweetened too much or has a sweet flavor like vanilla.
- Onion – I recommend using white onion, but you could also use a sweet yellow onion. We’re going to shred the onion so that the meatloaf doesn’t have big onion chunks. You could also process in a food chopper if you prefer.
- Riced broccoli – Look for frozen riced broccoli. Some stores do carry fresh riced broccoli and if it looks nice and fresh that is totally fine to use, I’ve just never had the best luck with riced fresh cauliflower or broccoli as they can turn bad quickly. If you can’t find riced broccoli, you can easily use riced cauliflower.
- Egg – This helps bind the meatloaf together.
- Seasoning salt, pepper
- Ground turkey – Look for lean ground turkey, but not fat-free ground turkey! We want a bit of fat to help keep the healthy turkey meatloaf delicious and juicy. In my experience, fat-free ground turkey always gets pretty dry and bland so I do feel strongly about it!
- Cheddar cheese – You can use any shredded cheese that will melt well here. Mozzarella would be delicious and if you want to add a bit of heat, try some shredded pepper jack cheese.
Cooking Lesson
When we combine the breadcrumbs and milk to soak while we prep the rest of the recipe, this is called a panade. The French translation of panade is “bread mash” and it’s used in meatloaf and meatball recipes to impart a light, juicy, and tender texture.
How to Make Turkey Meatloaf
This is an overview, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
- Prep ingredients. Preheat oven. Stir together bread crumbs and milk to soak in a medium bowl. Grate onion. Thaw riced broccoli. Mix ketchup and mustard for the glaze.
- Mix meatloaf. To the bread crumb bowl, add grated onion, egg, seasoning salt, and black pepper. Mix until combined then add in ground turkey, riced broccoli, and shredded cheese. Mix together with hands until combined.
- Shape turkey meatloaf. Shape the ground turkey meatloaf mixture into an oblong shape on a parchment paper-lined half-sheet pan and spread with ketchup glaze.
- Bake. Bake the turkey meatloaf recipe until cooked through. Let rest a few minutes before slicing.
Emily’s Tip
Use your hands to mix and incorporate all of the ingredients together. Don’t overmix, but mix just until combined.
FAQs
Yes, see the video below for how I did this! Prepare as directed, but instead of shaping them into a meatloaf shape, scoop and roll them into about 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Spritz with olive oil (optional, helps with browning) and bake for 20-24 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Yes! Want to turn this into chicken meatloaf with broccoli and cheddar? Simply swap out the ground turkey for ground chicken. And just like the ground turkey, be careful to not buy the fat-free ground chicken. A little fat is preferred!
This recipe uses regular bread crumbs but is otherwise gluten-free, so swap the bread crumbs for your favorite gluten-free alternative.
Yes, you can easily turn this into a mini ground turkey meatloaf recipe. Simply roll the meatloaf into tennis ball-sized balls and place into a prepared muffin tin. Lightly flatten, top with cheese, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the ground turkey meatloaf recipe reaches 165 degrees F.
Meatball Option
It’s a bit more putzy, but I’ve included instructions for how to turn this recipe for turkey meatloaf into meatballs in the notes section of the recipe card below. They are also excellent and conveniently portioned out when turned into meatballs!
Storage
Store any leftover meatloaf in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to reheat
Reheat turkey and cheese meatloaf in a 350-degree F oven or in a hot skillet for best results. You can also microwave until hot if you don’t mind microwaved meat!
Can you freeze?
Yes, you can also freeze the meatloaf for 1-2 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
What to Serve with Meatloaf
All this easy turkey meatloaf recipe needs is a few simple sides. Here are a few ideas:
- Haricot Verts
- Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Mashed Potatoes
- Cheesy Potato Casserole
More Ground Turkey Recipes
If you like this healthy turkey meatloaf recipe, you might also like these other healthy ground turkey recipes:
- Ground Turkey Taco Skillet
- Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Turkey and Butternut Squash Chili
- Turkey Burger Sliders
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Uncover the secret to the perfect ground turkey meatloaf! This easy recipe is juicy, flavorful, and a lighter twist on a classic comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup grated white onion
- 10 oz. frozen riced broccoli (about 2 cups)
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. seasoning salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 lbs. ground turkey
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- extra ketchup for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prep ingredients:
In a large bowl, stir together bread crumbs and milk and let sit.
Grate onion.
Heat riced broccoli in the microwave until thawed.
In a small bowl, stir together ketchup and mustard for the top of the meatloaf.
- To the bread crumbs, add onion, egg, seasoning salt, and black pepper. Stir together until combined. Add turkey, riced broccoli, and shredded cheese and mix together with your hands, just until combined. You don’t want to overwork the meat but you do want all the breadcrumb mixture incorporated.
- Shape the mixture into an oblong shape on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet and spread with ketchup glaze on the top and a bit on the sides. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the turkey meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. (Soak up any excess liquid with a paper towel.)
Notes
- Be sure to use a mix of light and dark ground turkey, NOT 99% fat-free turkey.
- To turn these into meatballs: Prepare as directed, but instead of shaping them into a meatloaf shape, scoop and roll them into about 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Spritz with olive oil (optional, helps with browning) and bake for 20-24 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Cook the healthy turkey meatloaf until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Use an instant read meat thermometer so that you don’t overcook your meatloaf.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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This was a really good recipe! I did make a couple changes to it. I added finely chopped spinach (couldn’t find the broccoli in the store) and minced garlic. Definitely will make it again.
Oh what a great swap, thanks for sharing with us, I want to give it a try! Frozen or fresh spinach?
I did fresh spinach so it helped keep the meatloaf juicy!