Unbelievably Moist Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
Learn the secret for making the best turkey meatloaf. Jump to the Turkey Meatloaf Recipe now or read on to see how we make it.
We never used to make turkey meatloaf. We make turkey meatballs all the time, but never meatloaf. I always had the idea that it would be dry and tasteless. Now though, we know we were making a mistake — a big one. You see, we’ve stumbled across a little secret. One that turned typical turkey meatloaf into something we crave and now make often.
The Secret to Crave Worthy, Moist Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
The secret to this meatloaf? It’s Mushrooms.
It’s true — thanks to tiny pieces of chopped mushrooms, our turkey meatloaf recipe is moist and has unbelievable flavor.
Mushrooms are chopped extra small — either by hand or in a food processor. Then, they are cooked down until soft and added mixed into the turkey.
This does add a little extra time at the beginning — a little more prep time than you may be used to seeing with our recipes. But, we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t believe it was worth it. And we really (really) do.
Not a mushroom fan? You don’t really taste mushrooms in the meatloaf, instead they are in there to add depth and a savory taste. We’ve done this before, in fact mushrooms are the secret ingredient to our Easy Go-To Turkey Chili Recipe and these Seriously Good Turkey Burgers. People love them!
A Few Simple Ingredients
The other thing we love about this recipe is that the rest of the ingredients are simple — onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, milk, egg and ketchup. We usually have all those ingredients in the kitchen and we’re betting you do too (or at least most of them).
You May Also Like These Easy Sides: Baked Sweet Potato Fries or our Simple, Everyday Mashed Potatoes.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: If you love this meatloaf, you will love these Easy Turkey Meatballs in a light tomato sauce. There’s no lengthy cooking times, no baking and no searing the meatballs. Easy and delicious.
Recipe updated, originally posted March 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne
Unbelievably Moist Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
- PREP
You would never guess this turkey meatloaf is packed with mushrooms, but that’s what makes it so darn delicious. Lots of finely chopped mushrooms add flavor and moisture, often missing from the typical turkey meatloaf. When choosing which mushrooms to add, white button mushrooms will work perfectly fine. For more flavor, try one or a combination of brown cremini, portobello, or shiitake mushrooms. The mushrooms need to be very finely chopped. You can do this by hand or use a food processor.
Makes 6 Servings
You Will Need
8 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and very finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
7 tablespoons ketchup, divided (try our homemade ketchup)
1 cup (60 grams) panko bread crumbs (see notes for gluten-free options)
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 pound ground turkey (92% lean)
Directions
- Prepare Meatloaf
- Bake Meatloaf
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet (or 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan) lined with aluminum foil.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened; about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the mushrooms, a 1/2-teaspoon of salt, and a 1/4-teaspoon of pepper. Cook until the mushrooms give off their liquid and it boils away; about 10 minutes.
Transfer the onions and mushrooms to a large bowl, and then stir in the Worcestershire sauce and 3 tablespoons of the ketchup. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl.
Stir the breadcrumb mixture and the eggs into the mushrooms and onions. Using a fork or your hands, gently mix in the turkey, a 1/2-teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. The mixture will be very wet.
Form the meatloaf into a 9-inch by 5-inch oval in the middle of the prepared baking sheet. Spread the remaining 4 tablespoons of ketchup on top.
Bake the meatloaf until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meatloaf registers 170 degrees F, about 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Gluten-free meatloaf: Try ground gluten-free hard pretzels, brown rice cereal, or gluten-free Chex cereal in place of the breadcrumbs. You should also make sure the ketchup used is gluten-free or use homemade ketchup.
- A note about salt: We use kosher salt in our recipes. It’s much easier to pick up with our fingers and gives us better control of our seasoning. Use what you have, but keep in mind that kosher salt has larger flakes compared to table or fine sea salt. If using a finer salt, you will need to reduce the amount of salt called for in our recipe by 25% to 50%.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving: Serving Size 1 slice / Calories 332 / Protein 23 g / Carbohydrate 23 g / Dietary Fiber 2 g / Total Sugars 8 g / Total Fat 17 g / Saturated Fat 4 g / Cholesterol 132 mg
Food Travel: Our Lives Outside the Kitchen
5 Days Exploring the San Juan Islands, Washington
We spent 5 days exploring the San Juan Islands in Washington State. See what we did and where we ate while we were there. Read More…
This is a massive hit with my family. I first tried this on a recent trip to New York. Back home in England I wanted to make my own. It is so nice I get requests every other week for it. Love it.
Adapted this for the instant pot. Cooked the mushrooms and onions on the sauté mode, hit cancel and poured in two cups of chicken broth and deglazed. Put in a short legged trivet and put four small potatoes and four chopped carrots. Put meatloaf in a disposable aluminum loaf pan (had to open it up a little bit to fit all the loaf ingredients in). Cooked for 22 minutes, natural release for ten minutes. Put it in the oven to broil for five minutes. Mashed potatoes and carrots with buttermlik, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. A full meal in the instant pot!
Use 1cup polenta instead of the Panko. Yummy.
Love your videos and recipes (you guys gave me the courage to make pho!!). I tried making this last night, and the flavor was great, but the texture was really mushy. I’m thinking it was because of the gluten free saltine crackers I used instead of bread crumbs. Any ideas how I might firm it up a bit. I had some of it cold today and was so much better LOL . Thanks
Hi Carolyn, You could try adding some chopped nuts for texture — walnuts would be nice.
That sounds really interesting to try! I was also thinking maybe grinding up a can of garbanzo beans too.
Wonderful recipe! We have family members who don’t like mushrooms but love this meatloaf. I add a bit a truffle salt to the mushrooms while they’re cooking (in place of the regular salt) and this adds some lovely depth of flavor. I also add some spicy BBQ sauce to the ketchup at the end. This is now a staple in our home.