Made with simple ingredients, this Turkey Meatloaf comes together quickly and easily. You'll love how moist, tender, and full of flavor this recipe is.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender and lightly browned around edges, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool while proceeding.
In a large bowl, stir together the panko and milk. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. (This allows the panko to absorb the milk for a juicy meatloaf.)
Stir the eggs, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt into the panko mixture. Add the cooled onion mixture and the turkey. Using your hands, gently mix together until all of the ingredients are just combined, being careful not to squeeze the turkey with your hands. Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and shape it into a 9x4-inch loaf.
In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup and the remaining 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Reserve 1 cup, cover, and set aside.
Brush the meatloaf with a third of the remaining ketchup mixture and place in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with another third of the ketchup mixture and return to the oven for 20 minutes. Repeat the brushing one more time, and continue baking until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 165°, about 35 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow the meatloaf to rest for 15 minutes. Serve warm with the reserved ketchup mixture.
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Notes
Do not skip resting the turkey meatloaf before slicing, as it can fall apart.
As ground turkey is so lean, I prefer to cook it at a lower temperature. This results in a better texture and juicier meatloaf. If you like a darker crust on the outside, turn the oven to broil when the meatloaf is done baking and broil until golden and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
Try to shape the meatloaf as evenly as possible, so it cooks evenly in the oven.
When shaping the meatloaf, gently squeeze the mixture into its shape, so you do not end up with air pockets.
Make sure there are no cracks on the exterior of the meatloaf before baking. The small cracks will grow into larger cracks as it bakes.
For a sweeter sauce on the meatloaf, you can add a tablespoon of brown sugar to the mixture before brushing it onto the meatloaf.
If you’d like to add extra vegetables to the turkey meatloaf, you can stir in some finely chopped sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, or carrots.
To correctly measure the internal temperature of the meatloaf, insert the instant-read thermometer into the center of the meatloaf and wait 30 seconds.