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This Turkey Meatloaf Recipe is healthy, tasty, filling, and makes a perfect weeknight dinner. Plus spinach takes this dish to the next level.
Turkey Meatloaf Florentine Recipe
We all like classic meatloaf, but can we get on board with Turkey Meatloaf? I submit that this recipe is not just as tasty but tastier than the beef original. It’s really moist, really healthy, and tastes amazing. The ketchup really makes this meatloaf taste like meatloaf, with an extra nutritional bonus of spinach! If your kids can get over the green color, you’re golden because you literally cannot taste it. As long as you chop it well, you won’t notice it.
Main Ingredients Needed
For this Turkey Meatloaf Recipe, you start with ground turkey and stir in other ingredients like:
- Breadcrumbs – you can use regular breadcrumbs. Italian breadcrumbs would also be really delicious with this recipe too.
- Egg – this helps hold the meat together. Just think of meatloaf as a larger meatball.
- Ketchup – this adds flavor and texture.
- Worcestershire Sauce – hello to more flavor and texture along with that ketchup. You’re going to love this I promise.
- Sauteed Spinach – totally optional but also so totally delicious and healthy. If you have some picky eaters in the house (aka kids who hate green), feel free to leave them out and have some vegetables as a side dish.
- Sauteed Onions – so so so good as flavor and texture.
- Dred Thyme – a gentle flavor to add to your meatloaf.
- Salt and Pepper – to taste!
Love Meatloaf? Here are some more recipes for your arsenal: Simple Sunday Meatloaf Recipe, and Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf Recipe.
Turkey Meatloaf Variations
- Heat things UP. Try adding your favorite hot sauce to the mixture or to the ketchup that tops the loaf.
- Low-Carb. A lot of my readers have asked for a low carb version of this meatloaf, meaning no breadcrumbs. For a super simple substitution replace the breadcrumbs with quick-cooking or old fashioned oatmeal. This also adds a whole lot of fiber to this meal.
- Juicy Turkey Meatloaf. To make this recipe a little juicier use a fattier turkey! The recipe calls for 99% lean but you can go for 93% for all of that juiciness.
- Vegetables. You can easily sneak in more than just spinach into this recipe. Try shredding some zucchini, squeezing out all the extra juice and mixing it into the turkey mixture. But be careful! Too many veggies and your meatloaf will turn into a veggie loaf.
How to Make Turkey Meatloaf
This turkey meatloaf recipe is perfect for families! Simple cut and serve with your favorite side dishes for a super simple and delicious dinner. For full recipe details, see the recipe card down below.
- Preheat oven.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and sauté until they start to get tender. Stir in the spinach and cover to wilt.
- Remove from pan and chop spinach mixture up into small pieces and add it to a large bowl with the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Gently mix in the ingredients together until just combined.
- Press into a greased loaf pan. I lined mine with parchment paper because I use that stuff ALL.THE.TIME.
- Top with remaining ketchup and bake until thermometer reads an internal temperature of 165 degrees or higher.
- Let the turkey meatloaf rest, then slice and serve.
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.
Leftovers
This turkey meatloaf recipe can last up to 4 days in the fridge and is great as leftovers.
Freezing Turkey Meatloaf
The amazing thing about meatloaf is its versatility! It can indeed be frozen and can be made for meal prep! And to make it even better, make two. One for dinner and one to freeze for later. That way you will always have turkey meatloaf on hand.
To freeze make the turkey meatloaf recipe as directed. Cool and slice, then store in airtight containers in the freezer for up to three months!
To reheat, 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.
Side Dishes for Turkey Meatloaf
Serve with mashed potatoes and/or salad. Hello! That’s a full dinner! For more healthy side dishes try this Roasted Cauliflower Recipe or Best Pan-Fried Potatoes. Basically vegetables and starch are really good with this meaty dish. Enjoy!
More Turkey Recipes!
Be sure to check out all of my turkey recipes here, but below are a couple of my favorites.
- Healthy Turkey Salisbury Steak Recipe
- Turkey Taco Meat Recipe
- Baked Turkey Taquitos Recipe
- The Best Turkey Burger Recipe
The printable recipe card is below! Make sure to save this Turkey Meatloaf Recipe because it’s a good one 🙂 Enjoy!
Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 pound lean ground turkey 99% fat free
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup ketchup divided
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and sauté 5 minutes or until they start to get tender. Stir in the spinach and cover to wilt.
- Remove from pan and chop spinach mixture up into small pieces and add it to a large bowl with the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup ketchup, worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and press into a greased loaf pan.
- Top with remaining 1/2 cup ketchup and bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until thermometer reads an internal temperature of 165 degrees or higher. Sit for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
I made this turkey meatloaf today. It is SO delicious! I didn’t have breadcrumbs, so I used crushed saltine crackers instead. I also did not add ketchup. Even so, it was delicious. I will definitely remake this recipe.
Thank you for sharing this fantabulous meatloaf recipe! Who likes boring meatloaf? Not me. These are the changes I made – I doubled the spinach because why not? 😁 I molded 6 mini loaves on a sheet pan, kind of in an egg shape but tall. I used the end of a wooden spoon to create a hole in each loaf ( I cut 2 cheese stiicks in 3 pieces each) I put a piece of cheese longways into each loaf and sealed the loaves. I mixed 1/4cup each of bbq sauce and ketchup in a small bowl with a squirt of honey mustard and a few tablespoons of brown sugar and brushed it on each, I then baked them. Wow! I’m in love with this recipe! I will only make it this way forever now. Hubby had 3rds!
P.S. I have tried several of your recipes and they are all fabulous!
Soooooo good. So moist. So delicious. My one year old loves it too. So I’m happy.
I plan to make this for dinner tonight. We really hate ketchup – especially in Meatloaf so I thought about the ingredients and I think I’ll caramelize an onion or two and otherwise follow your recipe and instead of ketchup I will put in a couple tablespoons (depending on how much I have) of jarred Basil Pesto. I may add a sprinkle of Parmesan. Okay – I know it’s nothing like the original but I’m using yours for inspiration. Wish me luck!
A friend highly recommended this recipe to me. Her family loves it. I need to figure out which egg substitution due to allergy would work well for this so I can try it!
To substitute an egg in any recipe you can use Greek yogurt, unsweetened applesauce, a banana, or mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with 1 tablespoon vinegar. My all time favorite is I use 1/3 cup applesauce instead of an egg – Noone can tell the difference, you won’t taste any of these once cooked. I hope this helps. 🌲
I have been making this for over a year, easily once a month. It is hands down one of my favorite staple recipes. Thank you SO MUCH! I will often use Liquid Aminos if I am out of Worcestershire. It always turns out perfect.
I didn’t love it as much when I used oatmeal or Panko as the binder, just use good old fashioned bread!
Used 1/2 of the 2 pound container of spinach, Added 1/3 pound sweet Italian sausage; used a tomato pesto sauce instead of ketchup, used 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt – could have used less. Did not top with anything. .Baked in a loaf pan 60minute. Put a potato on the side. Great meal. thank you.
I doubled the recipe and it was absolutely delicious!!
I used Panko bread crumbs and wasn’t sure if they would cause it to be too dry, so I added 1/4 cup of milk.
For more flavor, I added a tablespoon of minced garlic and 1/2 c of chopped mushrooms, which I sautéed with the onions.
It was a huge hit!!
[…] Turkey Meatloaf […]
It is an heavenly treat for the for the tastebuds!
This is still one of my favorite recipes. My 17 mo old loves it too!
Where do you sign up for the mixer giveaway
Instructions for the mixer giveaway are in the picture of the mixer giveaway. But most likely not valid anymore. The post was from 2014.
[…] 5. Turkey Meatloaf Florentine […]
[…] 5. Turkey Meatloaf Florentine […]
I made this last night and its the best ground turkey recipe ever for my family. it was moist, seasoned well and I love spinach in anything.
Very good, I also added some feta cheese. Thanks!
Wow! I have never made lasagna without pasta before. the breadcrumbs seem like an interesting alternative. Thanks for the recipe!
[…] Megan & Nate’s house Monday-Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry with Brown Rice Tuesday-Turkey Meatloaf Florentine with Roasted Broccoli Wednesday-Pesto Chicken & Summer Squash Skewers with Rice Pilaf (these […]
This recipe is great! I made a few modifications so I could use what I had on hand. I sautéed my spinach in celery and onion, added garlic, used Italian bread crumbs, and used spicy ketchup. I made mini meatloafs in a muffin tin, because I don’t own a loaf pan. Can’t wait for dinner time!
How long & what temp for the mini loaves in the muffin tin?
[…] Turkey Meatloaf Florentine […]
Made this tonight and it was soooooo yummy!! 🙂
[…] dinner: Turkey Meatloaf Florentine. It is well documented that I. Love. Meatloaf. A florentine version incorporating yummy […]
You should see my very old recipe post for Turkey Meatloaf Florentine. Ugliest thing ever, and in fact, it looks like the meatloaf is throwng up! haha!
Yours is beautiful, though!! And, your kiddos in that video? LOVE.
I’m a firm believer that the “less pretty” and less photogenic a dish is the BETTER it really tastes!! High five for a healthy meatloaf – that really does looks incredible!!
I knew I had to go out and buy ingredients for supper tonight so all I needed was turkey, onion, and spinach. Easy-peasy! We are big meatloaf eaters but I wanted to change it up and your recipe came at a good time. Thoughts: I used frozen spinach I thawed and squeezed the water out of. It made the whole thing a little too moist?? Maybe more breadcrumbs would have helped. I like my meatloaf juuuust a little dry, even on the edges so we can pile on the sauce. Which by the way I make with ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar. Some add a dash of vinegar. Overall, pretty tasty and none of my 5 guys even mentioned the spinach so yes, I was golden! Served with a side of brussel sprouts and garlicky brown rice.
Try using either quick cooking or old fashioned oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs! It works just as well and adds a lot more fiber to your dinner!
Do you mean just the oats? Or actuall make the oatmeal? Making this today, so would love clarification. Thanks!
We love meatloaf! This looks awesome!
Trying to do the low-carb thing … is there anything you could substitute for the cup of breadcrumbs?
I’m also doing low carb. This is how I substituted. I baked until very firm, on 250, a whole head of califlower cut into small pieces. Once baked hard I pulsed in into crumbs in a processer. I kept some texture to it. It was super tasty and still low carb.
I also make pizza crust with the same method. Process dry califlower and add a egg, press into a pan a d lightly bake before adding your own toppings and bake again.
Oh yea – now that’s a meal!! Your pictures are delicious! Aaaaand ugly food ALWAYS tastes best!!
Such a cute video! Baby laughs are the best medicine! Also this meatloaf looks amazing! 🙂
One of my kids is really particular about eating meat..he doesn’t do it very often. But he looooves ketchup. I’m hoping to try this and pray that a little extra ketchup will do the trick!
Such a scrumptious meatloaf! I love how colorful and easy it is, too. Great job, Lauren!
This video made my heart happy! What beautiful (happy!) kiddos!
What a sweet video, those two cuties love each so much 🙂 I agree with Phi, that’s a beautiful meatloaf!
This. Looks. Amazing! I know you said it’s hard to make meatloaf look pretty, but you sure did! And I love trying different kinds of meatloaf so i’m definitely going to need to try this one!