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Bring meatloaf back into your meal rotation without sacrificing your health goals with this Healthy Turkey Meatloaf. It’s gluten-free, egg-free, and contains 30 grams of protein per serving.
Meatloaf dinners happen monthly in our house because it’s one of my favorite easy, but healthy dinner recipes! I make meatloaf on a sheet pan so I can add veggies and have dinner cook in a single pan with minimal cleanup.
This ground turkey meatloaf is made with blended oats instead of breadcrumbs and uses olive oil instead of eggs as the binder. The whole family is sure to love this recipe, and you’ll love it even more knowing it helps your health goals.
If you enjoy meatloaf, you’ll also want to try my ground chicken meatloaf recipe and healthy ground beef meatloaf!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy Comfort Food: Who says your favorite comfort foods can’t be good for you? This healthy turkey meatloaf recipe is lower in calories, sugar-free, gluten-free, and has 30 grams of protein per serving.
- Made without Breadcrumbs and Eggs: One of the health benefits of this meatloaf is that it uses ground gluten-free oats instead of breadcrumbs. Oats are high in fiber and help stabilize blood sugar levels. Using olive oil instead of eggs reduces the saturated fat in meatloaf and boosts nutrient absorption.
- One Pan Meal: Instead of using a loaf pan, this recipe calls for a sheet pan so you can bake the meat loaf alongside vegetables to make a whole meal in one pan.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: It’s best to use ground turkey at is only 93% lean instead of 99% lean, as it won’t dry out as much as it bakes. You could also use ground chicken instead of turkey.
- Gluten-Free Rolled Oats: Use gluten-free rolled oats blended into a flour-like consistency to act as a binder instead of breadcrumbs.
- Ketchup: This low-carb turkey meatloaf recipe uses lower sugar ketchup not just to decrease the amount of calories but also to help your blood sugar and avoid the excess sugar activating hunger hormones. You can buy sugar-free ketchup or make your own low-sugar ketchup.
- Olive Oil: Replace eggs with olive oil, which has less saturated fat, helps stabilize blood pressure, and aids with nutrient absorption.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Add More Veggies: This turkey loaf recipe only contains onions as it stands, but it’s a great base for mixing in more vegetables. Try it with finely diced bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, or carrots. My zucchini and carrot meatloaf is packed with veggies.
- Swap Out the Spices: Change up the flavor of your high-protein turkey meatloaf by using different seasonings like smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or even taco seasoning.
- Make Mini Loaves: Instead of making one giant meatloaf, you can divide this into 4 small mini loaves, which are great for meal prep or freezing.
How to Make Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
This healthy ground turkey meatloaf is the perfect busy weeknight dinner. It only takes 45 minutes to make, and all you need is a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and an oven preheated to 425°F.
Step 1: Combine Ingredients. Blend the oats into a flour-like consistency. Transfer them to a mixing bowl with the ground turkey, white onion, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and 2 tablespoons of ketchup. Combine the ingredients with your fingers until everything is evenly dispersed.
Step 2: Form a Loaf. Transfer the mixture to your prepared sheet pan and form the meat mixture into a loaf shape. Brush the remaining ¼ cup of ketchup over the top of the meatloaf. Bake it for 15 minutes at 425°F. Then add the green beans to the pan and bake for another 15 minutes until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Expert Tips
- Don’t Overmix the Meat: Use your hands to combine the meat, blended rolled oats, onions, and other ingredients. Be sure to mix them so the ingredients are well dispersed throughout the meat, but don’t keep mixing or the meat will turn tough.
- Blend the Oats Smooth: Blend your gluten-free rolled oats into the consistency of flour before combining them with your meat.
- Let it Rest Before Slicing: Allow your baked meatloaf to rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before slicing into it.
Storage & Reheating
- Storing: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also slice the meatloaf into individual servings and wrap them in plastic wrap. Freeze the slices for up to 60 days.
- Reheating: Reheat leftover meatloaf in the microwave in 60-second intervals until heated to 165°F. You can also cover the meatloaf with foil and bake it at 325°F for 10-15 minutes. Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating them.
Serving Suggestions
Nothing beats recapturing the flavors of childhood in a grown-up and healthy way that we can enjoy regularly. Pair your ground turkey meatloaf with a simple salad, or create healthy spins on your favorite classic side dishes. No matter what you pair it with, this is sure to be a favorite meal for everyone you serve it to!
- Nothing beats the pairing of meatloaf and mashed potatoes! Try these low-calorie mashed potatoes or this roasted garlic cauliflower mash for a lower carb option.
- Lighten up your meal by pairing your meatloaf with a fresh, low-calorie Caesar salad.
- Ramp up the nostalgia and have some healthy lemon bars for dessert after enjoying meatloaf for dinner.
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf Recipe FAQs
If you want your low-calorie turkey meatloaf to be shaped more like a traditional loaf, then you can line a loaf pan with parchment paper and bake it that way instead. You may need to cook the loaf for longer, so be sure to monitor the internal temperature.
There are a variety of reasons why your turkey meatloaf turned out dry. One could be that it was overbaked. Be sure to keep an eye on the internal temperature and remove it from the oven when it reaches 165°F. The other factors could be too many oats or not enough fat. If your meat mixture feels dry, add a few teaspoons of olive oil to moisten it.
If your oil and meat mixture becomes too warm while you’re mixing and shaping, then it may not hold its shape. Try popping it into the refrigerator and chilling it for 10-15 minutes before reshaping the loaf and baking it.
Sure thing! Speed up the dinner-making process by mixing the meat, blended oats, onions, olive oil, and ketchup the day before. Cover the mixture and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake the meatloaf.
More Delicious Healthy Comfort Recipes
If you tried this Healthy Turkey Meatloaf recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lb Ground Turkey 93%, or ground meat of choice
- ⅓ cup Rolled Oats, or gluten free rolled oats
- ⅓ cup White Onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce, or gluten free worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dried Parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups Green Beans
- ¼ cup Ketchup, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with tin foil.
- Place the rolled oats in a blender. Blend on high 1-2 minutes until it becomes a flour-like consistency.
- Transfer the blended oats, ground turkey, white onion, 2 tablespoons of the ketchup, extra virgin olive oil, Worcestershire, dried parsley and salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the mixture in the bowl with your fingers until all ingredients appear evenly dispersed. Transfer the meat mixture to the prepared sheet pan. Form the meat mixture with your hands into the shape of meatloaf.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining 1/4 cup of ketchup on top of the meatloaf. Bake 15 minutes in the oven.
- After 15 minutes, add the green beans to the sheet pan and spray lightly with avocado spray and add salt and pepper. Bake another 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and slice into 8 slices. Serve immediately with the green beans.
Video
Notes
- Don’t over mix the meat mixture or your meatloaf will turn out tough and chewy. Be sure to stop mixing once the ingredients are well dispersed.
- Blend the oats into a flour-like consistency so they are evenly dispersed throughout the meat mixture. You can use oat flour instead or any regular flour.
- Let the meatloaf rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before slicing it so it will hold its shape.
- You can only make the meatloaf omitting the green beans by baking the meatloaf at 425 F for a total of 30 minutes.
- Store the meatloaf in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 60 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it ok to mix it up and then leave in the refrigerator for next day?
Yes!
I would like to add lentils as suggested. Please advise the quantity for this recipe. Thanks
I would add 1/2 cup cooked lentils to the ground turkey.
Hi there! I love your recipe but was wondering if the nutritional values you added at the end included the green beans with it? or is it just for the meatloaf itself. Thank you!
Everything listed under the ingredients is included in the nutrition calculation!
I haven’t made this yet but I would like to know what size is a serving ? Seems to be 1/4th of the entire thing but how much is that ? ( if you know it would help)
Thanks
There is 1.25 pounds of ground turkey used in the recipe. 1 pound equals 16 ounces so 1.25 pounds divided by 4 equals 5 ounces of meat per serving. Generally, I eyeball recipes by dividing into fours but if you are trying to be perfect (which I never recommend with my clients) then you have to do a little math and use a food scale.
No egg?
Correct, no egg. The olive oil takes its place.
Hi there! I don’t see the parsley anywhere in the recipe. Can you advise on the quantity? Thanks!
It should be one tablespoon. I just updated it. Thanks for the catch!
This is one of my favorite recipes! I make it all the time now. Healthy and delicious
This was so filling and wonderful. Substituting the oats for breadcrumbs is genius! I never would have thought of it. I also can’t believe I’ve never not used a bread pan for a meatloaf before-I like it way better on a sheet pan. Tasted delicious, and it was even more fabulous without the guilt. Comfort food for sure, and I know I’ll use this recipe again and again. Thank you!
Amazing recipe! I’ve never liked meatloaf much growing up but this… Moist, flavorful, AND low calorie?! I had 3 lbs of turkey meat so I made two 1.5lb loafs. I added some season salt, Tony’s, thyme, garlic, subbed italian breadcrumbs, and served with roasted green beans. My boyfriend will love this as soon as he gets home, thank you!
I made this for the 1st time last night and it was AMAZING! I’m very picky on my meatloaf and so is my boyfriend and we both loved it! I didn’t even blend my oats just mixed them in and didn’t have to use salt or pepper! Definitely a keeper recipe!
I absolutely loved this recipe! Was easy to put together and turned out delicious! Will keep this for future use! Thank you!