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The secret to super moist and flavorful Turkey Meatloaf is here! This turkey meatloaf recipe is made with a surprise ingredient that keeps it so flavorful and not at all dry! Plus, that sauce on top is sweet and tangy – a definite family favorite!
We love a good comfort food meal and nothing screams comfort food like our turkey meatloaf!
It’s the Sweet Tangy Sauce For Me!
I love a good home cooked meal and nothing screams home cookin’ like a meatloaf!
Our cheeseburger meatloaf has been a family favorite for years, but we really have been trying to eat less red meat these days.
Thankfully, this turkey meatloaf hits all the right notes! We use a secret ingredient (Psst…it’s Stove Top Stuffing!) to keep the turkey from drying out and to add savory flavor.
The sauce on top? You’ll find yourself swiping a finger through it when no one is looking just so you can have a little taste.
We’ve also noticed that ground turkey tends to be quite a bit cheaper than ground beef, which is always nice, but especially right now when the price of everything seems to be skyrocketing. Love a good budget-friendly meal!
Serve this with a pile of our Instant Pot mashed potatoes and some broccoli cheese casserole and you have one of my family’s favorite dinners!
What Readers are Saying!
“I make this once a month. This is the best turkey meatloaf recipe I’ve found. It’s seasoned so well, you don’t miss the beef. My entire family loves it, even those who don’t usually like ground turkey. The only thing I change is the sauce topping – I omit the brown sugar, as we don’t like the sweet taste. Love the bread tip too!” – Sarah
Turkey Meatloaf Ingredient Notes:
Ground Turkey – A bit more lean and more economical than beef! We’ll season it well so that it’s packed with flavor.
*Secret Ingredient* – We use dry Stove Top Stuffing as the binder in this meatloaf. Makes it super moist and adds flavor. While you could sub with bread crumbs or oats, the turkey meatloaf won’t be as moist or as well-seasoned.
Veggies – I’m adding some diced onion and green pepper to this turkey meatloaf. Chop them pretty small to avoid big chunks.
Seasoning – Keep it simple with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder! The stuffing is already seasoned and we’ll add a sweet and tangy sauce on top for even more flavor.
Meatloaf Sauce – You’ll need ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Bakes up thick, sweet, tangy, and irresistible.
Bread – After shaping, we’ll place the meatloaf of bread slices to soak up any liquid that releases. Optional, but keeps the pan looking nice and the bread can be eaten or discarded.
Step by Step
Add ground turkey, stuffing mix, milk, Parmesan, onion, pepper, egg, salt, and garlic to the bowl and combine with your hands until well mixed!
Place two slices of sandwich bread on a sheet pan. This is going to soak up any grease/liquid that the meatloaf has as it bakes.
Form the meatloaf right over the bread. Bake for 30 minutes.
Spread the sauce over the top and continue baking for another 30 minutes or until cooked through.
How To Soak Up Grease From Meatloaf:
We’re using a simple trick to absorb the grease and liquid that releases as the meatloaf bakes!
Two pieces of sandwich bread placed under your meatloaf while baking will soak up all that extra liquid and fat. They easily peel right off after slicing.
- Arrange two slices of bread on a sheet pan in a row.
- Form the meatloaf over the bread.
- Bake as usual.
- Slice meatloaf and discard the bread before serving (or go ahead and eat it – it’s actually quite tasty).
Leftover Meatloaf:
There are loads of options for using up that leftover meatloaf. My personal favorite is just a simple meatloaf sandwich (white bread, loads of mayo, cold meatloaf sliced thick!), but it’s easy to get creative.
Meatloaf Quesadillas – Gets dipped in extra dipping sauce and it’s to die for!
Stuffed Peppers – Crumble or dice leftover meatloaf and use it in place of beef in your favorite stuffed peppers.
Meatloaf Spaghetti – Crumble your meatloaf and add it to a jar of marinara on the stove. Heat through and toss with spaghetti.
Mac and Cheese & Meatloaf – Our crockpot mac and cheese is beyond cheesy and creamy. Serve it up with crumbled meatloaf stirred in for the ultimate meal.
Meatloaf Sub – You’ve had meatball subs, but how about meatloaf subs?
FAQs:
I do this so that the bread soaks up any liquid/fat that the meat releases. It works well for any meatloaf, whether it’s turkey meatloaf or beef meatloaf!
After cooking and slicing, I just pop the pieces of bread off of individual slices. Easy peasy and you’re not left with a meatloaf that’s been sitting in a pile of grease!
You can refrigerate this turkey meatloaf in an airtight container. It should last for 3-4 days!
Yep! This meatloaf should freeze as well as most other meatloaf recipes. Let it cool before wrapping it tightly or storing in a freezer safe bag. It’ll keep for at least a couple of months.
MORE TURKEY RECIPES!
- Easy Turkey Tetrazzini
- Turkey Taco Recipe
- Turkey Meatballs
- Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
- Air Fryer Turkey
- Hot Turkey Sandwich
Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 3/4 cup dry stuffing mix such as Stove Top
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup powdered Parmesan cheese
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 small green bell pepper finely diced
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 slices bread optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine turkey, stuffing mix, milk, Parmesan, onion, pepper, egg, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a large bowl and mix well with your hands.
- Place two slices of bread on the bottom of a baking sheet. Spoon mixture onto the bread and shape it into a loaf.
- Bake for 30 minutes and remove from the oven for the sauce.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meatloaf and return to the oven for 30 minutes or until loaf is cooked through.
- Let sit 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Remove the bread from the bottom of each slice of meatloaf before serving.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in 2016. It was updated with new photos in July 2022. Original photos below.
Stephanie says
Do you think this would freeze well? Would it be better to slice before freezing or after? I’m only cooking for one and don’t think I can eat that much meatloaf!
Karly says
I’ve never frozen meatloaf before, so I can’t say. I imagine it will freeze like any other meatloaf you’ve made though, if that helps.
Melissa Luna says
Tried this tonight and the whole family loved it! Including my super finicky 17 year old. Thanks!
Em says
I just finish eating this & it’s DELISH!
Karly says
Glad you enjoyed!
Cory says
Made this last night for my family everyone loved it so delicious…defiantly will make ie again.. One thing i fo recommend is using the bells stuffing mix we dont like stove top stuffing and we used the bells and it was awesome also i recommend using a little more the 3\4 i used 1 cup and probably could of used 1 1/2…thanks for the great recipe!!
Karly says
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bell’s mix before. I’ll keep an eye out. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Kim says
I love turkey meatloaf and will be giving this a try! I’m curious why the recipe says to put bread on the bottom and remove it before serving….Never heard of that before. Is that just to avoid greasing the baking dish?
Karly says
Ground turkey and chicken always seem to release a lot of juice when I cook them, so I use the bread as a way to soak it up. It also works great on beef meatloaf as it soaks up the grease. I just discard the bread before serving.
Kaelin Brutscher says
I make this recipe all the time, my family loves it!!! But I’ve recently started tracking my calories a little better and was wondering if you had the nutrition facts for this?!
Karly says
I don’t, but there are lots of free online calculators you can use. 🙂
Angie Edmiston says
Just made this, and it was amazing!! I didn’t have any parmesan, so I added some colby/jack instead. Didn’t do the green pepper, because neither my husband or I likes cooked green pepper. But I have never thought to use stuffing mix as meatloaf binder, it’s brilliant! Gave the meatloaf great flavor, and it was very moist, especially for a turkey meatloaf! Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper.
Karly says
Yes!! Stuffing mix is the best binder! 🙂 Glad you guys liked this one!
Ivy says
This recipe is phenomenal! I make this almost once per week, and coworkers are always asking for the recipe!
Karly says
So glad to hear that!
Linda says
I made this dish today. It was one of the best meatloafs I have ever made. Used 1 pound each hamburger and turkey. Substituted brown mustard for regular mustard. Used Pyrex dish and added all ingriedents instead of putting ketchup sauce on top (got ahead of myself). Came very moist.
Karly says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Marie says
I wish I could post a picture- AMAZING! Thanks for the recipe. I doubled the sauce so it’s moist for leftovers 🙂 First time making a meatloaf & will again!!
Karly says
Yay! Glad it was a success! Great idea on doubling the sauce!
Fiona says
This was SO good, my husband preferred it to regular meatloaf. Thanks for sharing !
Karly says
Glad he approved! 🙂
Pat Tewalt says
What flavor of stuffing did you use? Can’t wait to try this!
Karly says
I use the chicken flavored stuffing.
Sally says
This looks SO good! Can I make it into two separate loaves? 4 servings each. I cook for another family as well as my own, would love to make two at a time. Thank you!
Karly says
Sure! Just adjust the baking time as needed.
Stormy says
You are hilarious! Love reading your stuff.
Sounds like a good recipe!
Karly says
Thanks, Stormy!
Teria M says
This was Simply Amazing! My first time making me loaf and I nailed it ! Thank you so much for sharing!
Karly says
Yay! Welcome to the world of meatloaf! 🙂