Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
This deliciously moist Healthy Turkey Meatloaf has lots of hidden sauteed mixed vegetables and “Meaty” Mushrooms. This meatloaf will become a family favorite in your home.
Even in swanky restaurants like the Meat Market in Palm Beach, I’ve been seeing meatloaf show up on the menu more and more often these days. But for whatever reason, nobody seems to want to make a healthy turkey meatloaf recipe. Actually, I think the meatloaf lovers just assume it’s simply not possible to make a rich-tasting, ultra-moist meatloaf that is also healthy. Never mind one made with turkey instead of meat.
And yet ironically, the very thing that makes a healthy turkey meatloaf recipe ultra healthy also happens to be what gives it both lots of flavor and a serious moisture boost…
The Secret to a Deliciously Moist Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
It’s the vegetables. It’s always going to be the vegetables, because I think we can both agree that turkey alone doesn’t have much of a flavor.
The sauteed mushrooms used in the recipe below contribute incredible moisture. While the savory-umami meaty flavor that you just can’t get just from beef, let alone turkey. I also add in a hefty dose of garlic, onions, thyme and carrots.
Yes, Vegetables are the New Meat
I’ve come to realize with just about every single recipe you can image that adding in either vegetables or fruit—whether hidden or visible—inevitably adds more flavor. I’m not the only one who has come to this conclusion either. Real chefs have too. Vegetables are the new meat.
So even if you don’t care a thing about whether you make your turkey meatloaf healthy or not, we all want it to taste good! And trust me, adding the veggies does the trick. More veggies = more flavor + fiber + flavonoids. So it’s a win-win for both the clean eating and foodie enthusiasts alike.
A Quick Word About the Other Ingredients…
You know how we are around here at Clean Cuisine. We love clean, plant-forward and healthy foods. So, here’s some quick pointers on three main ingredients.
Skip High Fructose Corn Syrup Ketchup
You can’t really use Heinz Ketchup made with high fructose corn syrup in what is supposed to be a healthy turkey meatloaf recipe. Of course you can always make your own homemade ketchup sweetened with fiber-rich and whole-food-based date paste.
But if you don’t have the time or inclination to do that then Sir Kensington’s is a divine alternative. It’s the only ketchup I have ever tasted that I actually like better than Heinz. It’s organic, it has no high fructose corn syrup and has half the sugar of regular ketchup. You can Sir Kensignton’s ketchup at Whole Foods or online at Amazon.
Choose Pasture-Raised Turkey
You can’t make a healthy turkey meatloaf without the absolute healthiest and cleanest turkey either. The number one thing you want to look for when buying the best turkey is that it be pasture-raised.
The second thing to look for is that it be organic. But if you had to choose between pasture-raised or organic, it would be best to buy pasture-raised. If you are confused about how to buy the healthiest turkey click HERE.
Homemade Hemp Milk or Almond Milk
Whole milk definitely adds a very desirable rich texture to any meatloaf recipe. But again, I wouldn’t use dairy milk–whether it is whole or skim milk (read more here!) –in what is supposed to be a healthy turkey meatloaf recipe. But hemp milk is the bomb.
Hemp milk is loaded with good fats that give your meatloaf the richness of whole dairy milk along with a number of other health perks (including the anti-inflammatory “super fat’, GLA). You can either buy hemp milk or make your own in less than 5-minutes by mixing 1/4 cup hemp seeds with 1/2 cup water. See the notes in the recipe section below for more details on how to make homemade hemp milk.
Of course if you don’t have hemp seeds or hemp milk — use another nut-based milk like creamy almond milk.
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf: This Way & That…
One of the things I love about making meatloaf is that it only takes about 30-minutes to prepare but one loaf makes enough to last our family for three nights of leftovers. But if you want to mix things up a bit, you can always make the recipe below using organic, pasture-raised ground beef, bison or even lamb.
I also have another healthy meatloaf recipe on the blog that has lots of hidden vegetables, but uses ground beef instead of turkey. But again, you can substitute any meat you like in either of the recipes.
You can also try making mini meatloaf muffins with the recipe below by baking the meatloaf in a muffin tin. This is a great option if you are in a hurry because it cuts the cooking time down by about half. Little meatloaf muffins look cute too (wink).
Kitchen Favorites
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
Deliciously Moist Healthy Turkey Meatloaf has lots of hidden sauteed mixed vegetables and “Meaty” Mushrooms. A family favorite.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 10
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup fresh thyme
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened store-bought or homemade hemp milk (see notes below for homemade hemp milk)
- 2 tablespoons organic Worcestershire
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup organic ketchup
- 1 organic egg, such as Vital Farms
- 1 pound organic ground turkey
- DRESSING: Combine 1 cup organic ketchup and 4 tablespoons worcestershire
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the onions, carrots, garlic and thyme in the bowl of a food processor. Process until minced but be sure to stop before the mixture turns into a paste. Transfer onion-carrot mixture to a bowl.
- Add the mushrooms to the the food processor. Process until just minced. Set mushrooms aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion-carrot mixture and cook for about 6 minutes, or until onions begin to soften. Add the minced mushrooms to the skillet, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook for about 5 or 6 minutes, or until both the onions and shiitakes are soft. Set the sauteed vegetable mixture aside in a large mixing bowl to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine the oats, hemp milk, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of the ketchup, egg and remaining 2 teaspoons of salt and whisk.
- To the large mixing bowl with the sauteed vegetables, add the ground turkey and the oat mixture and using your hands, combine.
- Place the turkey meatloaf on the baking sheet and shape into a rounded rectangle. Brush the top with the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup and bake for 50 to 55 minutes.
- Remove turkey meatloaf from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
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Notes
Making homemade hemp milk takes less than 5-minutes; simply combine 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup hemp seeds and process in a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix) until rich and creamy. That’s all there is to it!
Looking for More Everyday Healthy Dinner Recipes?
If you liked the Healthy Turkey Meatloaf Recipe with Lots of Hidden Vegetables, be sure to check out a full month’s menu of delicious healthy dinner recipes (including weekly shopping lists!) in our Clean Cuisine Dinners digital cookbook.
Can you make the hemp milk with an Osterizer? That’s what I have.
Hmmm….I’m not totally familiar with an Osterizer. Is it similar to Blendtec? As long as it is a high speed blender it should definitely work!
Hemp milk is hard to find. I know you said I can make it but would almond milk work?
Hi Florence, Oh sure, unsweetened almond milk should work just fine!
I am looking for a way to use up Umani paste. I love the look of your meatloaf recipe. What ingredients would I omit and how much paste should I add instead?
Hi Kathleen, I haven’t cooked with umami paste (I actually had never heard of it until now! I just looked it up though and looks like as long as you get one that doesn’t have MSG it should be an amazing flavor booster!!) I think I might just try adding 1 teaspoon at a time and tasting as you go. I don’t think I would omit anything though. If you do try, please let me know how it turns out! Also, I would love to know what brand you use.
I’ve been making a version of this just from my own attempt to get my picky toddler to eat more veggies. I grate the carrots so they’re less visible and I also include grated zucchini. It usually turns out to be about 1/3 meat (turkey) and 2/3 veggies. I might add white beans or lentils next time, too, to get those additional healthful legumes into her diet–but they’ll need to be sufficiently smooshed beyond recognition. But what I really love about your recipe is the addition of oats and hemp milk–especially the recipe for making your own hemp milk since I have hemp seeds on-hand. Great way to add healthy fat and protein, which the addition of vegetables tends to reduce.
And if baked on a sheet pan next to some potatoes and broccoli, you’ll have yourself a one-pan super-food meal (with no clean-up if you use parchment paper.) Some berries in coconut cream for dessert, too. Man, you really inspired me!
I LOVE your idea of the zucchini and baking it all on the same sheet pan with potatoes and broccoli. I will definitely have to try that =) Thank you so much for sharing and for your positive feedback. I am so happy to hear your toddler eats it too =)
Cannot wait to make this tonight, thank you so much for sharing!
Oh I SO hope you like it Chelsea =) Do let me know!!
PS: When I made this again last night, I didn’t have any gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, so I added an extra teaspoon of Dijon mustard and an extra tablespoon of ketchup and it was so flavorful. Our local Moms Club organizes a meal train for members when new babies are born, family members are very ill, etc.–whenever there is a need for help.
Oh SO good to know about the substitution Kimberly! And I so love the idea of the Moms Club. I could have definitely used something like that back in the day…
P.S. I just saw your email about the frosting too–I fixed the links and emailed you back, so all should be good now =) thank you for catching that!
Another fabulous recipe that my entire family (husband, preschooler, and toddler) loves! Next time, I’ll make a double batch as it freezes well. This is also my new go-to meatloaf for delivering a meal to family and friends, especially new moms. Thanks, Ivy!
oh yay!! so so happy you all like it Kimberly =) I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to let me know. And yes, great idea about taking it to new moms too. I wish we had lived close enough to friends and family who could have done that for me back in the day 😉