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Meatloaf is a winner in so many families and this turkey meatloaf is a version you can make every month to lower the fat going into your body.

My family loves the taste of this homemade turkey meatloaf. They also like that it means they can have hamburger steak or loco moco made with ground beef when we go out without worrying about eating too much red meat.

Ground turkey health benefits

This poultry can be the star or your Sunday night dinner without having to wait for a major holiday. It is budget-friendly and provides lots of protein and minerals you need to keep your blood flowing without clogging your arteries. It may also help your body relax for sleep at night because of the Tryptophan it contains.

We all know people who have a strong preference for ground beef (or a strong dislike for ground turkey). You can try mixing small amounts of ground turkey into your ground beef recipes. Slowly increase the ground turkey and lower the ground beef over time and they may start to be okay with the taste of ground turkey without even noticing!

Why oats instead of breadcrumbs?

The oats are a great replacement for breadcrumbs in a long-cooking meatloaf recipe. The oats almost melt and disappear into the ground turkey. You can’t even tell the difference in the texture; it’s tender and holds together well. What’s even better is that the oats provide fiber and can possibly help lower your blood sugar levels. That’s a plus in my book when I know my family is likely going to eat meatloaf with rice! (We eat a lot of rice in Hawaii… Of course, you can eat this meatloaf with mashed potatoes or skip the carbs altogether and eat roasted vegetables.)

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Turkey Meatloaf

Katherine Park

Make a heart-healthy meatloaf with tons of flavor and without the saturated fat by using ground turkey.

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Prep Time 40

Cook Time 50

Resting Time 15

Total Time 1 45

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Equipment

1 large baking pan
aluminum foil
1 Large bowl
measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

olive oil spray
40 ounces ground turkey (2.5 pounds)
⅔ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
⅔ cup milk
3 large eggs
2 ½ tsp dried oregano (or dried marjoram)
5 tsp granulated garlic
5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¾ tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp ground black pepper
⅓ cup ketchup

Instructions

Take the ground turkey, eggs, and milk out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with the olive oil spray. (Alternatively, you can use a meatloaf pan if you already have one. If it’s non-stick, you can skip the oil spray.)
Put the ground turkey, eggs, oats, milk, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
Place the turkey mixture on the aluminum foil-lined baking pan (or in the meatloaf pan) and form the shape of two loaves. Top with ketchup and spread the ketchup all over the top.
Bake in the oven for 50 to 65 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the meatloaf cool for at least 15 minutes before you slice it or it will fall apart.

Video

Notes

Tips and Tricks

What if I don’t have old fashioned oats and only have quick cooking oats or breadcrumbs?

Don’t make a special trip to the grocery store to buy old fashioned oats. Reduce the milk to ¼ cup if you are using quick cooking oats or fresh breadcrumbs. This prevents the mixture from being too wet. Keep the milk amount the same with store-bought breadcrumbs.

This gross liquid has leaked out of the meatloaf. What is it?

That strange liquid that came from the meatloaf is a bunch of protein that leaked out of the turkey during the cooking process. It’s natural and happens whenever ground meat is still a little cold when you put it on a pan or in a hot oven. You’re supposed to be able to reduce this leaking and keep the protein in the meat by getting the meat to room temperature before you cook it. However, in Hawaii where it’s often hot and humid, I don’t feel comfortable keeping the meat out longer than 45 minutes because bacteria can start to grow.

Make sure your meat is not still a little icy/frozen when you mix the ingredients. What helps a little is to slowly bring the temperature of the meat up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit by putting the meatloaf in a cold oven, like what is done when cooking bacon. Reduce your cooking time once the oven comes up to temperature to 40 to 55 minutes. This doesn’t eliminate the leaching altogether, but if you know how to do it, let me know!

Cooking your meatloaf in smaller loaf pans will also help to keep the protein liquid inside the meat and prevent it from leaching out as much. However, it’s not worth buying loaf pans just to cook turkey meatloaf. Make sure you are going to use the loaf pans for multiple purposes, not just meatloaf.

Keyword affordable eats, easy recipe, ground turkey, kid-friendly meal, oats, turkey