This is a turkey meatloaf that will convert you! It is full of flavor, filled with vegetables, sturdy yet moist, and covered with a delectable sticky sweet ketchup glaze. You will wanna make this again and again.
Listen up. Meatloaf doesn’t have to be some sad, dry, dense, flavorless dinner. It can be delicious and flavorful and moist (get over your hang-ups on that word, please!).
I use ground turkey (feel free to sub in ground chicken) here because it is a light meat that has an inherent sweetness to it. It really goes well in savoury-sweet dishes like meatloaf. In order to make sure that this isn’t dry -because poultry can get dry fast- I add in a lot of semi-cooked vegetables.
I don’t wanna dirty up a pan so I simply add the diced onion and grated carrots into a large microwaveable bowl (that we’ll use to mix up all the ingredients for the meatloaf) and let ’em rotate in the microwave until they’re softened. My sister-in-law likes the added texture of raw diced veg so if that’s something you like then simply skip that microwave step!
I add ketchup to both the inside of the meatloaf and the top of it because it not only adds flavor but also moistness. Like I’ve been saying this entire time there will be NO dry meatloaf around these parts!
I don’t have a loaf pan that is big enough to cook my meatloaf in so I just freeform it onto a pan. I gently pat it into an oval (specific measurements are in the recipe portion), cover it all in glaze, and bake. Some people have talked about the sides getting dried out when you freeform but I have never had that happen. Also the oval shape gives you a lot more surface area which means there is more of that sticky sweet ketchup glaze!
I really, truly love this recipe and I hope you make it soon. Ground turkey is a cheap ingredient and I’ve included subs in the recipe so that hopefully it is more friendly towards what you have on hand in your household. This veggie loaded turkey meatloaf is delicious and my boyfriend and I absolutely kill this every time I make it. Do the math because thats 1.5 POUNDS of meat divided between just 2 people! For normal people this will happily feed 4 adults but make sure you have a side to go with it.
Funny story time! My boyfriend is Mexican so he didn’t grow up eating meatloaf. He is a weight lifting meathead so he loves meat heavy dishes and absolutely loves my meatloaf – he straight up requests it for special occasions! At one of his old jobs they hosted a family meal every Friday (the joys of working for a private company!) and they were gonna have meatloaf and he was so excited! Come Friday afternoon I’m sitting in the old, janky teachers lounge (oh the non-joys of working for the public lol) and I get a text from him. Now this is already off-the-cuff because he legit never texts me but I open it to read about how the meatloaf they served was so bland, dry, and under-seasoned. He legit could not stop talking about how bad it was. He thought that everyone made meatloaf like me but oh boy how wrong he was! Anyways, I hope this story serves as a way to show you that delicious meatloaf is possible and that this recipe will raise the bar for every other meatloaf!
My other favorite dinner mains:
3 ingredient Russian Apricot Chicken Thighs
Green Bean and Turkey Casserole
Garam Masala, Curry, and Honey Roasted Chicken Thighs with Veggies
Veggie Loaded Turkey Meatloaf with Sweet Sticky Ketchup Glaze
This turkey meatloaf is loaded with vegetables to offer a more flavorful, moist, and nutritious meatloaf! The ketchup glaze offers a nice sweetness and acidity to lift up the savoury poultry flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion (about half a large onion or 1 medium) Note 1
- 1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots) Note 1
- 1 cup panko (81 grams)
- 1/4 cup ketchup (68 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2.5 tsp table salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano Note 2
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 lbs ground turkey (93/7)
Sweet & Sticky Ketchup Glaze
- 1/2 cup ketchup (136 grams)
- 2 tbs sugar (24 grams) white, brown, whatever you have!
- 1 tbs molasses (20 grams)
- 1 tbs oyster sauce (19 grams) can sub with soy sauce or Worcestershire
- 1 tbs bbq sauce (18 grams)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine the diced onions and grated carrots into a large microwaveable bowl, add 2 tbs of water, and microwave in 1 minute intervals (mixing between each interval) until the vegetables are softened. This should take 3-4 minutes.
-
Using the same bowl you microwave the ingredients in add the panko and use a fork to thoroughly combine the veggies and breadcrumbs. Add the ketchup and mix that in as well. Now add the eggs and all of the seasonings. You should have a moist paste.
-
The last thing to do is add the meat. Continue using the fork or you hands to mix the meat in gently, we don't wanna overwork the meat! Line a large pan with parchment paper. Plop the meat mix onto the middle of the pan and lovingly shape into large, low, flat oval (H: 1.5 inches, W: 6 inches -at it's widest-, L: 11 inches). I use my hands to gently pat it into this shape, you wanna be nice with the meat! Now move onto making the glaze!
-
In a bowl add all of your glaze ingredients, then whisk it real good!!! Add ALL of the glaze to the top and sides of the meatloaf. Place it to bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. The top should darken in color but the only way to ensure the meatloaf is thoroughly cooked is to use a thermometer. Use a thermometer to measure the middle-most part of the meatloaf, poultry has to hold an internal temp of 165° for 15 seconds in order to be safe to eat!
-
I usually serve this meatloaf fresh from the oven with mashed potatoes because that is my favorite way to eat it. I've also served it with cheap white bread and mayonnaise. Basically, serve this any way you like!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: You can replace the 2 cups of onion and carrots with whatever blend of vegetables you have on hand (zuchinni, bell pepper, celery, etc) just make sure you still soften them in the microwave.
Note 2: I almost always reach for dried oregano whenever I used dried herbs because it has to most flavor to me. Use whatever dried herb you have on hand.
Leftovers: There are never any leftovers when I make this meatloaf. It is just too dang good!!! But if you do have leftovers then please use common kitchen sense and store them in a covered container in the fridge and consume within a reasonable time frame.
Source: I was inspired to develop my own turkey meatloaf recipe after first making a turkey meatloaf using this recipe from Life is but a Dish. My recipe is very different than Laney’s but I think it is always important to source where we got our inspiration from!
