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When I first found a recipe for Turkey Meatloaf I thought it would be a brick of Thanksgiving Day turkey mooshed together…not very appetizing! But then I decided to give the recipe a try because it had cooked vegetables and a lot of seasonings in it.
Turkey meatloaf with carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and onions.
*Disclaimer* When using any type of ground poultry there are two options. Ground turkey/chicken or ground turkey/chicken breast. I recommend getting the ground turkey breast because the ingredients are water and turkey breast. If you look at the ingredients of ground turkey you will find both dark and white meat, skin and fat. So you can either have turkey (ground turkey breast) or turkey with other things ground into it (ground turkey). Your choice!
The recipe is quite a bit different than traditional beef meatloaf because it had sauteed carrots, onions, zucchini and yellow squash in it. That’s one of the reason I decided to try the recipe! But once the vegetables are prepped the rest of the recipe is pretty much the same as a traditional meatloaf recipe! You mix in the vegetables and spices like garlic powder, salt, cumin, mustard, bbq sauce, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. One of the reasons I may have loved this recipe sooo much is because both the mustard and bbq sauce I had in my refrigerator were branded as Jack Daniels flavored so that added a nice kick to the mixture!
The recipe also called for an egg to keep the mixture together after cooking but I forgot the egg and everything turned out fine. So if you want to take the calories count down even more not including the egg is definitely an option. After baking the inside of the meatloaf was moist and the outside was brown and crunchy! The flavor was a great combination of the vegetables and spiciness. And it wasn’t as greasy as beef meatloaf because ground turkey has a lot less fat than ground beef. I recommend turkey meatloaf for anyone who likes the heartiness of meatloaf but doesn’t like how greasy it tends to be. If you don’t like carrots or onions or zucchini you can substitute any of those for your favorite vegetables! Turkey meatloaf is the perfect combination of contrasting flavors; the heavy spices, and the light turkey and vegetables. And since the vegetables are already in the mixture I just ate it with some couscous or other cooked grains.
Everyone’s turkey meatloaf could taste different based on the variations of ingredients they use. What vegetables would you use in your turkey meatloaf? What’s your favorite type of BBQ sauce and mustard (Jack Daniels?)?
Small Town Tourist 