Easy Turkey Meatloaf

This classic meatloaf is everything you want in a weeknight dinner: juicy, comforting, and packed with flavor! It comes together fast, bakes up tender, and delivers that delicious, stick-to-your-ribs goodness. Perfect for busy nights, leftovers, or anyone craving real comfort food with minimal effort.

Variations

• This recipe uses ground turkey but you can use any meat like ground beef, pork, or lamb.
• You can also make this vegan by swapping out the ground meat for lentils and using a vegan egg substitute. 
• This meatloaf is served with a ketchup/BBQ glaze, but it can also be made with brown gravy.
• Use other vegetables like asparagus, corn, green beans, and/or peas and carrots to add variety. Be mindful of vegetables like zucchini or other types of squash that could potentially get too soggy during cooking.
• You can also serve these veggies as a side dish, like this delicious corn on the cob with cream sauce.

Tips

• Mix all ingredients until just combined! Be sure not to overwork the meat mixture or your meatloaf may come out tough and dense. 
• Meatloaf is considered fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Cook time will vary depending on oven settings.
• Let it rest! It doesn’t seem like much, but letting your meatloaf rest for 5 – 10 minutes before slicing into it will help to retain its moisture and flavor.
• I like to use hickory & brown sugar BBQ sauce, but any flavor will do. Feel free to use your favorite sauce, especially if you’re watching your sugar intake.

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Turkey Meatloaf

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• Butter or oil to grease pan
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup frozen onion & pepper mix
• 1 egg

Seasonings

• 1 tsp seasoning salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp thyme (optional)
• 1/4 tsp sage (optional)
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Glaze

• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease loaf pan with butter or oil.
3. In a large bowl, add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, pepper mix, egg and seasonings. Mix until just combined and take care not to overwork the filling.
4. In a separate bowl, combine ketchup and BBQ sauce. Mix well.
5. Transfer filling to loaf pan and top with glaze.
6. Bake for 1 hr or until internal temperature is 160°F and glaze is caramelized.
7. Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Frozen vegetables will release water during cooking. I usually drain the excess water (very carefully) after resting.
• You can also reduce water content by either using fresh vegetables or precooking the frozen veggies before adding to the filling.