Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaf | THM E, Low Fat, Healthy - The Wholesome Recipe Box (2024)

Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaf is an easy entree your whole family will love. Serve it with your favorite sides for a healthy dinner you’ll make again and again.

This recipe is Trim Healthy Mama friendly (THM E), low fat and great for light meals.

I always though I don’t like meatloaf. But then I realized: Hey! I can just make it in ways I’ll actually enjoy it. Ding ding ding!

So I started playing with adding plenty of chopped veggies to beef-based meatloaf (which has definitely turned into a stand-by I keep stashed in my freezer!). But I wanted to go further and find a way to make a meatloaf with ground turkey that’s a) not dry, b) super flavorful and c) NOT DRY. And I think I hit gold with this ground turkey meatloaf!

• it’s extremely easy to make!
• it’s made from all-natural ingredients, even the meatloaf sauce on top is homemade
• with the shredded zucchini and the feta cheese, this is a yummy and most of all NOT dry meatloaf you’re going to absolutely love!

Best of all, my kids both love when I make this for dinner. Any time my little one asks for thirds when there’s ground meat involved, you’ll know it’s REALLY good 😉

Ingredient notes

• Cheese: Don’t like feta cheese? You can use pretty much any cheese here. Mozzarella, cheddar, goat’s cheese… Whatever you prefer! Just stick to the recommended amount to keep it in an E-setting (if you’re on the Trim Healthy Mama plan), and use a reduced fat cheese if you like.
• Meat: Can you use ground beef? Yes, absolutely! You can use lean ground beef in place of the ground turkey if you’d rather use that.
• Oats: Feel free to use an equal amount of breadcrumbs, if you prefer. This will change the nutrition facts.
• Make it low-carb/grain free: You can swap out the oats for an equal amount of THM Baking Blend (or my DIY baking blend recipe). You can also use plain almond flour.
• Sauce: Feel free to use ketchup or BBQ sauce if you’re not concerned about making your own.

Recipe tips

To save money:

I ALWAYS buy meat when it’s on sale! So to save money, I recommend buying turkey on sale . I buy a whole turkey breast and grind it myself, but I’m crazy like that.

You can either freeze the meat as-is and defrost when you want to make this recipe, OR you can assemble a few meatloaves and keep them in the freezer (freezer instructions further below).

To make it quick and easy:

Use a handheld mixer with the dough hooks attached to combine the meat with the egg and spices!

I hate kneading ground meat by hand (even wearing gloves – it’s the worst feeling). So whenever I’m making burgers, meatloaf or meatballs, I use my mixer to combine the meat. It’s easy, it’s WAY faster than kneading, and you won’t get your hands dirty.

Please note: Use your mixer on medium speed and don’t overdo it – otherwise you’ll get a tough meatloaf.

Turkey meatloaf FAQ

Freezer instructions

Freeze the turkey meatloaf unbaked, without sauce on top. I recommend flash-freezing on a lined baking sheet for about an hour or until firm before wrapping it.

• wrap well in foil, then either wrap in aluminium foil or put in a glass container (I avoid aluminium so I always use a container)
• label with the name and use-by date (the meatloaf can be frozen for up to 3 months
• Defrost in the fridge overnight. Remove the foil before baking and add another 10-15 minutes baking time if it’s not done after the time specified in the recipe.

Serving suggestions

I sometimes struggle with putting together full meals, so I thought I’d give you some inspiration.

Our favorite sides for an E-meal (low fat on the Trim Healthy Mama plan) include:

• mashed sweet potatoes(keep the butter low or it turns into a crossover – I shared the sweet potato recipe as a great healthy holiday option, where you’d be likely to cross over but maybe still want on-plan ingredients)
• steamed vegetables (green beans – yum!) and brown rice with a fat free sauce
• Greek chopped salad (we would make it with chickpeas instead of feta cheese to stick to E)

If you’re not concerned about fat content, a regular Greek salad and sautéed green beans are wonderful!

More healthy dinners

PSIf you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/ora review in the comment sectionfurther down the page? I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.Sign up for my email list, too!

I first published this recipe on 09/09/2018. I updated it on 05/29/2020 to make it more helpful to you.