This Ground Turkey Meatloaf is the answer to every dry or bland turkey meatloaf you’ve ever tried. This version bakes up moist, tender, and full of savory flavor—thanks to a combination of sautéed vegetables, fresh bread crumbs soaked in milk, and a touch of barbecue sauce for richness. It’s a lighter take on classic meatloaf to create a healthy turkey meatloaf, but it’s still hearty enough to satisfy everyone at the table.
The texture is soft and sliceable, the flavor is comforting and homey, and the leftovers make excellent sandwiches. It’s the ultimate easy weeknight dinner that also works beautifully for weekend meal prep.
Why This Ground Turkey Meatloaf Turns Out So Moist:
- Veggie boost: Sautéed carrots and mushrooms lock in moisture.
- Breadcrumb + milk mixture: Helps bind and tenderize without making the loaf dense.
- Lean ground turkey done right: Still juicy, not crumbly or dry.
- Barbecue sauce: Adds flavor + a glossy finish.
This is the best turkey meatloaf recipe. It’s a meatloaf you can feel great about serving—wholesome, balanced, and reliably delicious.
🛒Ingredients needed:
- onion and garlic
- olive oil
- carrots and mushrooms
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
- fresh parsley
- barbecue sauce
- fresh bread crumbs (can sub panko)
- nonfat milk
- eggs
- lean ground turkey
✏️How to make Turkey Meatloaf:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Sauté vegetables: Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add carrot and cook 3 minutes more. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are very tender and any liquid evaporates.
- Flavor boost: Stir in Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and some of the barbecue sauce. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cool.
- Make the binder: In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the egg and egg white, then add to the cooled vegetables.
- Add the turkey: Add ground turkey, remaining salt and pepper, and mix gently with your hands. Don’t overwork it.
- Shape and bake: Form into a 9×5-inch loaf in a lightly-oiled 13×9-inch metal baking pan. Brush the top with remaining barbecue sauce. Bake 50–55 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 170°F.
- Rest: Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
➡️Recipe Tips:
- In this recipe, I use 93% lean turkey. If you try to use the 99% lean turkey, I fear that it will come out much too dry and inedible. This is a turkey meatloaf that’s not dry!
- The recipe calls for cremini mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever mushrooms are your favorites.
- You could also experiment with other vegetables like celery or zucchini.
- Brush on an extra thin layer of barbecue sauce during the last 10 minutes of baking for a glossy, flavorful finish.
✔️What to serve with Turkey Meatloaf:
- Keep it light with some delicious asparagus or green beans.
- Thick Cut Oven Roasted Fries make a perfect side dish for almost anything!
- Roasted garlic mashed potatoes or homestyle baked macaroni and cheese are also perfect side dishes for meatloaf and they help to create the perfect comfort food dinner.
★How to Store:
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap slices individually and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, warm gently with a splash of broth to keep it moist.
Leftover slices make the best meatloaf sandwiches—especially on toasted sourdough with a swipe of barbecue sauce or dijon mustard.
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- I’m happy to have a recipe for turkey meatloaf without ketchup. I just love that sweet spread of barbecue sauce on top. It finishes it off quite nicely.
- When we have leftover meatloaf, I like to thinly slice it and make meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next day. It’s a competition to see who gets one.
- Of course I love a recipe that is both healthy AND delicious. Win – win!
The Best Meatloaf Recipes!
Turkey Meatloaf
This Ground Turkey Meatloaf is moist, tender, and full of flavor—never dry! It’s made with lean ground turkey, sautéed vegetables, and a savory barbecue glaze. A healthy, family-friendly dinner that reheats beautifully and makes great leftovers.
Equipment
- nonstick skillet (for sauteing veggies)
- 13×9" Metal Baking Pan (for baking)
- Basting Brush (for brushing the BBQ sauce)
- Meat Thermometer (for checking the temperature)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into ⅛-inch dice
- ¾ pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and very finely chopped in the food processor
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 5 tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided
- 1 cup (from 2 slices firm white bread) fine fresh bread crumbs (can substitute panko bread crumbs)
- ⅓ cup nonfat milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 1¼ pounds 93% lean ground turkey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the onion and garlic in oil in over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the carrot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 more minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid that the mushrooms give off is evaporated and they are very tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce, then transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and cool.
- In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and milk and let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the egg and egg white, then add to the vegetables. Add the turkey and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the vegetable mixture and mix well with your hands. (The mixture will be very moist).
- Form the mixture into a 9×5-inch oval loaf in a lightly oiled 13x9x2 inch metal baking pan and brush the meatloaf evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce. Bake in the middle of the oven until a thermometer inserted into the meatloaf registers 170°F., 50 to 55 minutes.
- Let the meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- In this recipe, I use 93% lean turkey. If you try to use the 99% lean turkey, I fear that it will come out much too dry and inedible.
- The recipe calls for cremini mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever mushrooms are your favorites.
- You could also experiment with other vegetables like celery or zucchini.
- Brush on an extra thin layer of barbecue sauce during the last 10 minutes of baking for a glossy, flavorful finish.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap slices individually and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, warm gently with a splash of broth to keep it moist.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 394kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 132mg, Sodium: 954mg, Potassium: 740mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 2202IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 156mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
