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Healthy Turkey Meatloaf

69 Comments

A childhood classic just got healthier! This Turkey Meatloaf is amazingly tender and moist, packed with veggies and topped with a sweet sauce. 

healthy turkey meatloaf with slices on a white platterhealthy turkey meatloaf with slices from an aerial view on a white serving platter

Healthy Turkey Meatloaf that Tastes Classic

I still remember my mother making meatloaf when I was a kid. She never had a recipe, she just added a little of this and that until it looked right. Then she popped it into the oven in a loaf pan. I loved it! 

We’ve updated the traditional meatloaf to be healthier than how my mom made it (but just as yummy!) by using turkey and adding in some fresh veggies. We also reduced the total amount of sugar in this meatloaf by leaving the ketchup out of the meat itself. (It’s just in the sauce on top.)

What Ingredients Does Meatloaf Have In It?

No mystery meat, here! The basic formula for meatloaf includes ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, and spices. We used turkey for our meat in this recipe, and upped the veggies by adding red bell peppers.

A little bit of Swiss cheese adds moisture, and Worcestershire sauce brings a really tasty sweet and tangy flavor to meatloaf. Don’t skip it!

We used panko crumbs but you can use whole wheat breadcrumbs, too. This recipe is a great place to use whole grains if your kids aren’t in love with whole grains yet… the whole grains won’t stand out at all.

How to Make the Best Turkey Meatloaf

I have two essential tips for making the best meatloaf. 

The first is to chop up the veggies small enough. The exact right size may be different for each family. If you feel like you need to “hide” these veggies, then go ahead and mince them. You can even grate the veggies and they’ll practically disappear.

If you want them to stand out more, chop them more coarsely, but no bigger than a penny. If you cut them larger than that, it may cause the meat the crumble when you cut it and the loaf will break apart. (I left my veggies on the bigger side so you could spot them in the photos!)

My second meatloaf tip is to not overwork the meat when you’re mixing it. If you work it too much then the meat will be tough. So treat it like you would muffin batter: just mix it until everything is just incorporated, then put it in your loaf pan.

What Should I Serve With Turkey Meatloaf?

A lot of people like to serve some kind of potato with their meatloaf. And we have some GOOD ideas for you. Try some of these yummy potato recipes:

We love to pack in the fresh fruits and veggies, so you might also like to serve meatloaf with:

If you love your slow cooker, try out Slow Cooker Meatloaf recipe. It’s perfect for when you need to set it and forget it… then come home to a delicious dinner!

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4 from 569 votes

Healthy Turkey Meatloaf

A childhood classic just got healthier! This Turkey Meatloaf is packed with veggies and topped with a sweet sauce. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 187kcal

Ingredients

Sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a loaf pan.
  • Dice the onion and bell pepper.  Saute in a pan over medium heat until soft; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
  • Add veggies to a bowl with the ground turkey, egg, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs, Swiss cheese, salt and pepper.  Use your hands to combine the ingredients together. Try not to over-mix!
  • Dump into your prepared loaf pan and use your hand to make a rounded top to your loaf.
  • Place in the oven; bake for 40-45 minutes.
  • While the meatloaf is baking, make the sauce.  Combine ketchup, mustard and honey in a small bowl.
  • Spread sauce over the top of your meatloaf and then put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
  • Serve topped with a little chopped parsley for color!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 395mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g
Keyword : gluten-free, ground turkey, Turkey Meatloaf

www.superhealthykids.com

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie
3.95 from 569 votes (539 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




69 Comments

4 stars
This was good! I made a few changes: Added a tbsp each of ketchup and hot sauce, added extra Worcestershire, used cheddar instead of Swiss, and most importantly shaped into a loaf on a baking pan covered with parchment. Baked at 350 for 50 minutes. Turned out very moist. Didn’t add the sauce.
Thank you for a good base recipe 🙂

5 stars
This was the best meatloaf I’ve ever had! Instead of Swiss cheese I added a real creamy hot cheese called Willams. So good!

5 stars
Love a good Turkey meat loaf! I omit the egg and panko breadcrumbs and sub Stove Top stuffing mix and minced mushrooms, bell pepper, celery, onions and even zucchini. Add a bit of water for consistency.. yummy!

5 stars
I’ve made this recipe tonight so many times, and it’s amazing. My husband loves it!! Well today, in a rush, and after mixing everything together I realized I used soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce ??‍♀️ Let’s hope this turns out well?

5 stars
Great recipe! I will definitely make this one again.
For all the calorie counters out there, I think this recipe is around 1500 calories for the whole loaf. About 188 per slice if there are 8 slices.

I made this for dinner the other night and wow did it turn out great. I substituted bread crumbs for rolled oats and added hot chili sauce to spice it up a little more. Then I baked it free-form on a baking sheet. I LOVE how this turned out. The sauce on top is great too if you add a little spice.

5 stars
Love this meatloaf! It is juicy and flavorful! The 2nd time I made it, I forgot to cook the peppers, onion, and garlic first, but it did not seem to make a difference. I also used gluten free panko. This recipe is a huge hit with kids and adults in my house!

Hello! We are dairy free…. do you think this recipe would work if I omitted the swiss cheese? Are there any substitutions I need to make?

Hi Carrie! We haven’t tried omitting the cheese, but I think it would still work. You might find the meatloaf doesn’t stick together quite as well, which perhaps an extra egg could help with. If you decide to experiment, please come back and let us know how it worked out!

5 stars
Substituted Parmesan cheese, portobello mushrooms & stone ground mustard and it was great. It was one of the best meatloaves I’d ever had. I’m excited to make it for more of my loved ones.

Made this recipe today and my husband and I think it is the best turkey meatloaf recipe ever! We love it and it is definitely a keeper! Very tasty!

5 stars
Only thing I changed on the recipe is I added mushrooms in with the peppers and onions. I have to say that this is the best turkey loaf I have ever eaten in my life I love it! Even my meatloaf picky boyfriend loves this recipe!

Hi Debbie, if you cut this meatloaf into 8 slices, each slice has 11g carbs, 17g protein, and 8g fat. I hope this helps!

Just my husband and I now, but we love healthy kid approved foods! This one is a winner, no changes!! Looking forward to trying more recipes. Thank you!

5 stars
I made this with my 10 year old son. A super fun recipe to make together and turned out to be loved by our whole family. We doubled it, had fun creating our own Italian seasoning blend, and substituted shaved Parmesan for this Swiss(all we had). Thank you for such a fun and delicious turkey meatloaf recipe.

5 stars
This was amazing and super easy. First time making meatloaf. It was moist, delicious and filling. Made one side with this and it was enough. This was a hit in my house

5 stars
This was delish! Subbed the Swiss with cheddar and honey with agave. Very simple and tasty recipe. My 9 month old loved it.

5 stars
I replaced the bread crumbs with crushed pork rinds, and added an extra egg because the turkey was very lean. Delicious!

5 stars
Huge hit with 2.5 yr old! (And pregnant me). I added some different seasoning and used cheddar, bc it was what I had. Left out honey from sauce and added more mustard. But literally everything I’ve made for dinner off this site gets rave reviews – from toddler and husband (who is sometimes more picky than the small guy!)

This meatloaf was so tender and delicious! My husband and I both loved it and I’ve already recommended it all my friends 🙂

5 stars
This recipe was so good! Loved this different version of a classic dish. It was perfect for dinner tonight! Thanks!

5 stars
Wow! This came out great for my family. I’ve been making healthier dishes for dinner and everyone loved it. Added some diced mushrooms to sneak in some more veggies I didn’t want to waste. Definitely saving this recipe for future dinners.

5 stars
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will Share your Rrecipe with my friends. Hope they will love it too.

5 stars
Great recipe!.
Made a mistake and put the mustard in the turkey mixture. Didnt have honey or ketchup so just used sweet chilli sauce on top.
Will be making this again
Made 3 meals for one person?

5 stars
Since most of the time ground turkey is sold in 1 LB do you think I can still use the same measurements for all the ingredients?

5 stars
Okay so I usually don’t like meatloaf… but this was GOOD. I added celery to the sauteed vegge mixture and omitted the cheese because I can’t eat it, but kept it the same otherwise.

My picky 18mo LOVED IT. My only complaint is that I should have made more! He ate so much that my husband and I didn’t get enough hahaha. Truly great. On the rotation. THANK YOU!

4 stars
It came out great! I brushed a little of the sauce on top before baking, and used Italian Blend Shredded cheese since that’s what I had, but otherwise followed..
Delicious with mashed sweet potatoes ?

5 stars
Love this recipe! I have made it 2 times and shared it with my neighbor! Question can this be prepared ahead and frozen or is it best to cook first and then freeze.

So glad you like it! You can do either- just be sure to thaw in the fridge before baking, whichever way you choose to do it. 🙂

I’ve written down the ingredients and I’m going to try to prepare it soon; trying to eat healthy…

This is the best meatloaf I think I ever had! Thank for this recipe! I think the only additional change I made was adding celery, and some onion salt, basil, and parsley since I didn’t have Italian seasoning. Thanks for sharing!

5 stars
My family lives this meatloaf. I add zucchini in place of the cheese since we are dairy-free due to allergies. The zucchini keeps it moist. I also add a few dashes of hot sauce to the ketchup mixture so it has a little kick.