Easy Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

Hey, I’m John Canel and today we’re making an easy, delicious turkey meatloaf. So, let’s get started.

Prep Work

First off, you have a little bit of prep work to do. Grab an onion. We’re going to use about half of that. We’re going to give this onion a quick chop. I grew up with meatloaf on the regular weekly rotation. I love using ground turkey recipes. It’s really versatile. Set that aside. And the only other thing you need is four cloves of garlic minced. You could measure with your heart and add more if desired. And I don’t feel like mincing, so today I’m going to use a garlic press.

Preheat and Sauté

At this point, you should preheat your oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Grab a rimmed baking sheet and spray it with cooking spray. Grab a medium skillet and we’re going to place this over medium heat. Add about 2 tablespoon of olive oil to your pan. We want to heat this up so it’s shimmering. And then we can add the onions along with half a teaspoon of salt. You’re going to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they’re tender and a light brown color. If things got out of hand and your onions are on the cusp of burning, add a couple tablespoons of water in. Stir that up and it’ll deglaze the pan, cool things down, and steam the onions to soften. So, it’s kind of a little hack for people who get distracted in the kitchen.

A Little History

Meatloaf in one form or another has been popular since ancient times. Like, ancient Rome had their own version of meatloaf. But during the Great Depression and World War II, meatloaf became way more popular in the US in part because it was an easy way to feed families with limited resources and you can take the meat and add more breadcrumbs to it to kind of stretch it. So you’re using less of the inexpensive ingredients to feed the family.

All right, these are lightly browned. It’s time to get our garlic in. So pop that in. Cook the garlic for about 2 minutes until it’s fragrant. Stir constantly. You do not want this to burn. Onions and garlic, the way to my heart. After 2 minutes, take this off heat. And you can transfer this to a plate or bowl to cool down quickly.

Breadcrumb Mixture

While my onions and garlic cool to room temperature, we’re going to add 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs into a large bowl. Could you use regular breadcrumbs? Of course. That’s 60 g if you’re using a scale. To my breadcrumbs, I’m adding half a cup or 120 mls of whole milk. Stir together and let that stand for about 5 minutes so the panko breadcrumbs can absorb the milk and you’ll get a nice juicy meatloaf. Nobody wants a dry, flavorless meatloaf. That would be sad. While this soaks, your onions will cool and you’ll be ready for the next step. If you’re short on time, you don’t have to wait the full 5 minutes and your onions could be on the warmer side. So, don’t worry if you’re in a rush.

Seasoning Options

Meatloaf is so versatile. You could make it almost anything you want. Here, we’re going to add some herbs. You could add up to a teaspoon of thyme or rosemary. You could add a couple teaspoons of parsley. It’s really up to you. Like, what do you have on hand and what do you enjoy? I’m adding in some thyme today. If you want some sharpness or acidity, you could add a teaspoon or so of apple cider vinegar. You could add some lemon zest. Add your favorites in so the recipe feels like it’s your own. I’m adding a little lemon zest. When I make turkey patties for hamburgers, it’s a very similar setup. I add a lot of lemon zest, tons of herbs, and there’s Worcestershire there, too. Same thing for turkey meatballs.

Binding Ingredients

To help hold things together, I’m adding two large eggs in one. and two two more tablespoons of olive oil. A tablespoon or so of Worcestershire sauce. Or a full bottle. I really like it. So that’s where I’m at. I also would like a teaspoon of salt. If you went heavy on the Worcestershire sauce, you could use less salt. And a teaspoon of cracked pepper. I like ground turkey, but it needs flavor added to it. Break the eggs up. And we’re going to give this a good stir.

Add the Turkey

It’s time to add 2 lbs of ground turkey here. I suggest you use the fattier dark meat ground turkey, not turkey breast. That is too lean. And don’t forget your cooked onions and garlic. We need to mix this. The best way is with your clean hands. So, make sure they’re clean. And we’re going to give it a good mix without compressing the turkey. We want this to be kind of on the lighter side. So, not compacted together. Okay. I like to turn my hand into a large fork and just mix. Turn things around in the bowl. Just make sure that there’s no wall of bread crumbs on one side. You want this evenly mixed. Okay, that looks great. It’s going to look even better once it’s cooked.

Shape the Loaf

Plop this right onto your prepared baking sheet. And we’re going to shape this into our loaf. If you don’t like the idea of hand shaping it, spray a 9×5 in loaf pan and gently press that in. You will need to add about 5 to 10 minutes of bake time. Shaped into a beautiful loaf, it’s time to wash your hands.

Make the Sauce

For our sauce, 1 and 1/2 cups of ketchup. That’s about 350 g or so. We’re going to add one more tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Here you could add powdered onion, powdered garlic, more herbs, brown sugar. You’re making a version of barbecue sauce, so you could just use barbecue sauce out of the fridge if that’s more convenient or you like the flavor more. Give it a good mix. all mixed up. We’re going to pour half a cup of this onto our turkey meatloaf. Cover and reserve the rest. Brush that over the top. Get some nice coverage. This is giving us a good seal for baking so nothing dries out and we have extra flavor. Brushed all over. We’re ready to pop this into the oven 325 for 30 minutes. Then we’re going to pull it out and do some more brushing.

Final Glaze and Bake

Once out of the oven, we’re going to brush with half of the remaining ketchup mixture. If you wanted to, you could brush with the remaining and then just serve as is. The point is that we’re reserving some of it to serve with the meatloaf later.

Storage and Serving

Your turkey meatloaf will last 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container or up to 2 months in the freezer. Just make sure it’s well sealed. Once out of the oven, let your meatloaf rest for 15 minutes so it stays nice and juicy. Resting is also important so your meatloaf holds its shape after cutting. Then you can give it a cut. And just like that, it’s ready to enjoy. It’s juicy, full of flavor, totally moist, and really delicious. I hope you had a chance to make this easy recipe.