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This turkey meatloaf with oats is super tender, loaded with flavor, and smothered in a lip-smacking glaze. It rivals the beefy classic!

Turkey meatloaf sliced over parchment paper, garnished with parsley.

Why You’ll Love This
What to Serve With Turkey Meatloaf
Quick Tips
Ingredients
How to Make a Turkey Meatloaf With Oats
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating Turkey Meatloaf
Have You Made This Recipe?
More Ground Turkey Recipes You’ll Love
Easy Turkey Meatloaf With Oats Recipe

Why You’ll Love This

If you thought meatloaf was only meant to be made with ground beef or sausage, this recipe will change your mind. Sure, a leaner spin on a classic cozy home cooked meal doesn’t sound exciting, but I can assure you this turkey meatloaf with oats can rival its classic. It’s tender, flavorful, nicely textured, and slathered with that must-have ketchup-y glaze (we love using homemade ketchup for this).

It’s also great for a weeknight fix. Not only is it quick, but you could make it the night before and pop it into the fridge until cook time!

What to Serve With Turkey Meatloaf

You know I’m a sucker for mashed potatoes. For me, this completes the nostalgia around meatloaf.
These little crispy roasted potatoes are also fantastic with a meaty main.
I love these air fryer green beans because I can just pop them in a few minutes before dinner and work on other things while the air fryer does the work.
Another air fryer side dish to make your life easier is this broccoli! If you don’t have an air fryer, this roasted broccoli recipe is just as good.

Slice of meatloaf on a plate with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Quick Tips

You can skip sautéeing the diced onions prior to adding them to the turkey meatloaf mixture, you’ll just have a more potent onion flavor—which some folks like! I like it either way. Use your best judgement based on your own taste.
If the ketchup-based glaze isn’t your thing, you could replace it with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce. If you like spicy, consider adding a little hot sauce!
In this recipe, I’ve used oats in place of breadcrumbs to add extra heartiness and nutrition. You could use breadcrumbs instead.
Blend the oats into a fine breadcrumb-like consistency in a small blender before adding it to the mix.
If you’d like to add chopped veggies to the mix, you totally can! We’ve already got tomatoes from the tomato sauce, but you could easily incorporate chopped spinach, red pepper, a grated carrot,

Ingredients

*Exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Ground Turkey. For something like meatloaf, go for a 93% lean / 7% fat ratio.
Onion. I like using a sweet yellow onion in this to add a little sweetness, but any onion will do.
Garlic.
Oats. Rolled oats or quick oats are fine.
Egg. This helps add extra moisture.
Marinara. Another ingredient that adds more moisture, plus a nice savory flavor!
Worcestershire sauce. I always find that this stuff brings out a nice umami beef-y flavor, so you certainly don’t have to worry about a bland meatloaf.
Salt & pepper. My rule for seasoning ground meat is 1 teaspoon of salt per pound.
Thyme. Fresh is nice, but you can totally use dried thyme or Italian seasoning if that’s what you have.
Ketchup. The base of our sweet and savory glaze.
Balsamic glaze. This adds a bit more richness, tang, and depth to the glaze.

How to Make a Turkey Meatloaf With Oats

Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the onions and sauté them for 3-5 minutes or until they’ve softened a bit and are translucent. When done, set them aside to cool.
Tuck some parchment paper into a loaf pan and set it aside.
Put all of the turkey meatloaf ingredients into a large bowl and mix it until it’s well blended. Then transfer the mixture to your loaf pan. Tap the loaf pan flat onto the counter a bit to ensure it’s set into the pan, then lightly press down on the top of the meatloaf with a spatula. (Don’t squash it.)
Set the meatloaf in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. This helps keep it together.
After 30 minutes, remove the meatloaf from the fridge and set it on the counter to come to room temp—about 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350º F with the rack in the middle position when it’s time to cook.
In a small bowl, mix the ketchup and balsamic glaze and spread it evenly over the top of the meatloaf with a spoon or pastry brush.
Pop the meatloaf into the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160-156º F.
Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Garnished with chopped parsley and serve.

Close up of sliced meatloaf on parchment paper.

Storage, Freezing, & Reheating Turkey Meatloaf

You can store (cooled) leftovers in an airtight container, or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for 3-4 days.
To freeze, give the meatloaf time to cool, then pop it into an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, transfer it to the fridge to thaw overnight.
Reheating meatloaf is most efficient in the microwave. Just run it in 25-second increments so that you don’t overdo it.

Have You Made This Recipe?

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Easy Turkey Meatloaf With Oats

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