Turkey Loaf Recipe

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This Turkey Loaf Recipe is a great substitute to a traditional meatloaf recipe! If you don’t want to cook a full bird, this is also a great alternative for Thanksgiving this year. A delicious meal that won’t leave you in the kitchen for hours, but will taste as if you did. It’s THAT good!

Ingredient Notes + Variations

This turkey meatloaf recipe keeps things simple but still packs in great flavor. You get a tender loaf with just the right amount of seasoning and a subtle crunch from pecans. Here are a few things to note about the ingredients.

• Turkey gravy – use a store-bought mix or make your own homemade turkey gravy.
• Ground turkey – I use 93/7 ground turkey for a perfect balance of moisture and lean protein.
• Plain Breadcrumbs – you can use regular or panko breadcrumbs. Italian breadcrumbs would also be really delicious with this recipe.
• Poultry seasoning – gives you that classic roast turkey flavor.
• Cinnamon – just a pinch for warmth (trust me, it works).
• Pecans – finely chopped for a bit of texture and a nutty bite.

How to Make Turkey Loaf

This is a super easy and healthy turkey meatloaf recipe. Simply sauté the veggies, then mix with everything else and bake. The result is a moist and flavorful dinner! For full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card below.

1. Preheat Oven + Prep Baking Sheet

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a small sheet pan (or loaf pan) with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

2. Sauté the Onions + Celery

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté onion and celery until tender.

3. Combine Remaining Ingredients, hen Add Sautéed Veggies, Forming a Loaf

While veggies are cooking, combine remaining ingredients (ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, salt + pepper, poultry seasoning, cinnamon, dried thyme, dried parsley, honey and chopped pecans) into a large bowl. Add in the sautéed onion mixture and stir to incorporate everything together.

Pro Tip: To make this recipe faster, divide the turkey mixture into four smaller loaf pans and bake for 20-30 minutes. Or you can even use your cupcake tin to make a ton of small, cute, delicious mini meatloaves. You can also make this meat mixture into turkey meatballs using a cookie dough scoop and bake for 15-20 minutes.

4. Bake + Serve

Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape on the prepared sheet pan or loaf pan.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until thoroughly cooked (use an instant read thermometer and look for an internal temperature of 165° F or higher).

Cool for a couple minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with some made from scratch turkey gravy or a packet of gravy or premade jar of gravy from the grocery store.

Tips for Success

• Double the recipe and freeze one loaf for an easy dinner later.
• Don’t skip sautéing the onion and celery. It adds flavor and keeps them from being crunchy.
• Use a thermometer… internal temp should reach 165° F for perfectly cooked turkey.
• Let the loaf rest before slicing so it doesn’t fall apart.

Turkey Meatloaf Sides

• Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Green Beans
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• See 20+ more Turkey Meatloaf Sides

This truly is the best turkey meatloaf recipe! It’s one that the whole family will love and who doesn’t love a little bit of comfort food during the holidays? It’s a simple healthy meal and has all the best flavors of Thanksgiving dinner. The printable recipe card is below. Have a lovely day, friends!

Turkey Loaf Recipe

Katie Cooksey

This Easy Turkey Meatloaf Recipe puts you in the mood for the holiday by tasting great! Make it before or for Thanksgiving. It’s THAT good!

4.73 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 423 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 1 rib celery finely diced
• 1.5 lbs. ground turkey 93/7
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• store bought turkey gravy*

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute onion and celery until tender, 5 minutes.
• While veggies are cooking, combine remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Add in soft veggies and stir to incorporate everything together. Form into a meatloaf shape on prepared baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
• Cool 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with turkey gravy.

Video

Notes

*I used the dry turkey gravy mix that you just add water to. Feel free to make your own from scratch. I obviously did not.

Leftovers. This turkey meatloaf recipe can last up to 4 days in the fridge and is great as leftovers.

Freezing. Make the turkey meatloaf recipe as directed. Cool and slice, then store in airtight containers in the freezer for up to three months!

Reheating. Thaw the meatloaf slowly. This is best done in the fridge the night before. Then in 30-second increments microwave that baby until it is warm and delicious.

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins. To make this recipe faster and cuter divide the turkey mixture into four smaller loaf pans and bake for 20-30 minutes. OR you can even use your cupcake tin to make a ton of small, cute, delicious meatloaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 44gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 228mgPotassium: 639mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 2.1mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2.7mg

Keyword How to Make Turkey Meatloaf, Turkey Meatloaf, Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

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More Delicious Turkey Recipes to Try!

Be sure to check out all of my turkey recipes here, but below are a couple of my favorites.

• Perfect Roast Turkey
• Turkey Salisbury Steak Recipe
• Turkey Taco Meat Recipe
• The Best Turkey Burgers Recipe
• Smoked Turkey

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.