Easy Turkey Meatloaf

By Melissa Knific

Published July 9, 2024

Easy Turkey Meatloaf
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
5(83)
Notes
Read community notes

There’s really no reason not to celebrate meatloaf — it’s simple, budget-friendly, cleanup is a breeze and there are almost always leftovers for next-day sandwiches. While beef is often the go-to choice for the meat, turkey is a flavorful alternative that can take on a slew of mix-ins. Here, seasoned bread crumbs, garlic powder and Worcestershire do the work, but a teaspoon of Italian seasoning or a palmful of fresh, chopped thyme or sage can be added for an extra boost. Grated apple ensures the meatloaf isn’t dry; use any variety you have on hand. A sweet, slightly vinegary sauce is spooned over the meatloaf after it’s formed, caramelizing when baked (if you have a favorite bottled or from-scratch barbecue sauce feel free to use ⅔ cup of it instead). Serve this meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Meatloaf

    • Nonstick cooking spray
    • 1large egg
    • 1½pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean)
    • 1medium apple, cored and grated (6 ounces)
    • 1small yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
    • ¾cup seasoned panko bread crumbs
    • 2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1¼teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • ½teaspoon black pepper
    • 1teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)

    For the Sauce

    • ½cup ketchup
    • 1tablespoon packed brown sugar
    • 1teaspoon vinegar (cider, distilled, or white or red wine)
    • 1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ¼teaspoon black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

283 calories; 12 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 482 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the meatloaf: In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add ground turkey, apple, onion, panko, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, if using. Using hands, combine until everything is well mixed. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and form into a football-shaped loaf, about 9-by-5 inches.

  3. Step 3

    Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire and pepper until well combined. Pour evenly over the top of the meatloaf, allowing the sauce to drip down the sides.

  4. Step 4

    Bake meatloaf until the temperature in the center registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Ratings

5 out of 5
83 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Diane Haworth

I smash a small - medium avocado and add it to my turkey meatloaf to combat dryness. I get a tender and juicy loaf every time.

Steve Selck

I use finely diced mushrooms to all my ground turkey dishes. They add moisture without adding flavor. I use roughly 1/2 cup per pound of turkey.

Jennifer

Grated carrots were called for in a recipe I had and used for years. Now I use left over sweet potatoes or yams. Squash would also work.

Anita M

I make turkey meatloaf in my bread maker at heat only setting, 1 hour. Kitchen stays cool.

Janice

Why waste paper????????? Bake in a loaf pan or small roast pan and use the gravy made from drippings?

Gil

Ground turkey by itself is very bland. We add a chopped adobe chili to spice up the meat. Love the apple ingredient. We add chunks of apple to our turkey chili, that provide a great contrast to the spicy base.

Gil

As my wife always tells me, cook it until it's done, which is the correct temperature on the meat thermometer. Not sure why it's 160 in this recipe when 165 is the typical minimum temp for poultry.

Linda

I have been skeptical of turkey meatloaf because ground turkey contains more moisture than ground beef, and I was concerned about soggy meatloaf. This meatloaf was perfect. I even included a mashed avocado as mentioned in another comment. I used gluten free panko breadcrumbs. I did not have any Italian seasoning, so used my jar of Fines Herbes. Spooned some Carolina Gold BBQ sauce (my favorite) on top. Cooking time was 65 minutes.

Mark

Instead of grating an apple I used apple sauce. The resulting meat loaf was moist.

Robin Newman

Made the recipe as directed. It was delicious and moist. Will make this one again.

Cali Jane

Pesto is a great addition to turkey meatloaf!

Lilly

I could not believe how moist this turkey meatloaf is. I attribute this to the grated apple. Instead of Italian seasoning, I used fresh basil and oregano from my garden. Delicious.

Lisa

Best turkey meatloaf yet. Added mushrooms and a bit of left over avocado so this was moist. Otherwise followed the recipe .

Cathy

Excellent recipe that guests went back for seconds. I think it will be great as leftovers as well! Easy. Started dinner prep 75 min before guests. Meatloaf out of oven rested 20 min after guests arrived. Perfect for toasting President Bidens courage and patriotism

Mollie

Followed directions. Moist and tasty.

Katie

This meatloaf was so good! I made a double batch and we’ve been having meatloaf sandwiches plus froze some for another dinner. It’s a total winner!

easy turkey meatload

Do you peel the apple before grating it?

mrlukens

Many other turkey meatloaf recipes rely on the addition of sausage and bacon to keep them moist and to zhuzh up the flavor (I'm looking at you, Julia Child), but this one is moist without any help from pork. I used a Pyrex loaf pan rather than baking it on a sheet pan, which also helps the loaf to retain juices and cook evenly. The resulting loaf slices neatly, so it's great for sandwiches. For when you want to make a simple, no-drama turkey meatloaf, this recipe succeeds brilliantly.

JJD

Replaced the egg (allergy) with yogurt. So moist and flavorful. This has moved to the top of the meatloaf recipe pile. Without considering how much healthier it is.

Will

It's been over 100 degrees here for 2 weeks. I made meatloaf in an Instantpot. It was the most moist meatloaf we have had. I'll never cook one in the convention oven again.

bonnie

could chop mushrooms and onion finer.

Marcia J

I always make my meatloaf in individual serving size. I freeze them uncooked, and always have a handy dinner ready.

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