One of my grandmother’s favorite recipes was for magic cookie bars made with cake mix.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 50 mins |
| Servings: | 5 |
| Yield: | 1 meatloaf |
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup quinoa
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring 1/2 cup water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
- Mix brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and 1 teaspoon water together in a small bowl until a paste forms.
- Mix turkey, cooked quinoa, onion mixture, egg, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, hot sauce, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until well combined; the mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread brown sugar paste over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 259 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 121 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 25 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 968 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
We enjoyed this! Had to improvise a few things ( ketchup instead of tomato paste, and bbq sauce on top ) much healthier than my old recipe. Will definitely use this recipe again!!
I thought it was very tasty……and not at all too hot as some complained. I used the “original” Siracha, and think without it the recipe would be quite bland. Everyone has a different heat tolerance, so…… The reason I gave a 4 star is because I’d prefer it had come out more like a loaf. Mine looked more like an oblong pancake. Probably the ground turkey I used (sorry Costco) and it may have just been too mushy to start with. Seemed to flatten out during baking.
I love this recipe so much!!!. I add chopped sauted vegetables and use barbecue sauce for the top. Otherwise do exactly as recommended. I cook once a week. Thank you so much for a staple recipe I use and love!!
This has become a staple in our weekly dinner menu! Our family has it once a week. I double the recipe but keep the hot sauce at half. I do add some ketchup to the sauce. I place it in cupcake tins and bake it at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Delicious!
It’s become a family favorite, though I do reduce the hot pepper sauce to 1 tsp and add 2 tsp basil. Delicious.
It was so awesome! This has become my new #1 meatloaf to go to. Loved it and made as stated. I am not a big vegetable eater however, I used my chopper to chop some carrots and string beans up fine, added them to the onions and garlic before adding them to the turkey. Added them to the turkey and baked. They didn’t change the flavor but an easy way for me to get my veggies. I used about a 1/2 cup of each.
Wow! This was bomb! The whole family, from age (picky & 5) 8, 14 and both adults all loved this recipe. They even went back for seconds. You def made me look good ;). I doubled the recipe-took out the hot sauce, and subbed it for bbq.. used a lil less brown sugar for the topping and hit it with a bit of liquid smoke…soo good! Definitely adding it to the rotation. Thanks a ton !
I made this with some hesitancy, but we absolutely loved the final result. I had to make some changes based on what we had on hand. I didn’t have garlic or onions, so it was essentially turkey, quinoa, cheese (1/2C (60g) – I wanted some, not a lot) and spices. In addition to the recipe, I added quite a bit of onion and garlic powder, a touch of cumin, used one tablespoon of barbecue sauce in place of the hot pepper sauce, and since I didn’t have tomato paste, I used one tablespoon of pasta sauce. I also rubbed a thin layer of barbecue sauce on the outside instead of the rub. I was worried the barbecue sauce (Montgomery Inn) would overwhelm, but it didn’t. I also cooked the quinoa in water with a chicken bouillon cube, and the one egg was plenty. Shaped it as suggested, plopped it into the center of a 9×13 dish, and 50 minutes later we had an extremely tasty, yet healthy, meatloaf! Thanks so much for the recipe, the quinoa really makes it!
I add siracha sauce, tasted good although I may have a bit too much. I’ll definitely make it again!
Always a favorite in my household! I make this recipe as is, and it turns out wonderfully each time. It’s never dry, and it is very flavorful. Eating healthy is delicious!
Very easy to make. Husband loved it!
delicious, no hot sauce
This was really good! Looking at the reviews, I used 2 eggs and halved the hot sauce. Will definitely make again!
I don’t review recipes very often, because I have to modify them due to nightshade allergies. Still, this recipe too good not to rate. I had to leave out the tomato paste and hot sauce, but the flavor and texture of the meatloaf was fantastic. I really liked the Worcestershire and brown sugar rub. I also added a chopped zucchini while sautéing the onion and garlic, a handful of fresh chopped basil, and a tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary. I’m definitely going to be making this again!
Perfect healthy meatloaf! We didn’t miss the breadcrumbs at all and felt so much better after eating this meatloaf as opposed to normal meatloaves. I have made this exactly according to the recipe with success. This time I couldn’t believe I ran out of tomato paste so I had to substitute with tomato sauce (3TBSP) which seemed to work well. I added an extra egg since I felt it might need extra binding. Also, left off the topping and made the mushroom gravy from this website. I used cornstarch to thicken to make it gluten free. My husband was over the moon about this meal!
This is my go to recipe for turkey meatloaf!!! It is the best! My family loves it. I make it accordingly to the recipe, the only thing I change is the sauce on top. I use one that I read in another review. It is 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/4 c ketchup, 1 tbsp mustard and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. So yummy.
This is one of our regular meals. The quinoa is a very good idea. Loaf stays together without the bread. Easy, quick to prepare and very tasty.
I already submitted a 5-star review. Really recommend this. Next time I’ll make a double batch so I can have it the next day at work for lunch.
I have been making this recipe for about one year now. It’s my new go-to. My husband was highly skeptical about the deliciousness of any meatloaf, particularly of the turkey or chicken kind, and laughed at me when I read aloud to him the reviews of other husbands begging for more. He is now a believer and requests this often. He slices and makes it into meatloaf paninis, which he pushes on all of his friends and coworkers. The only changes I make is to use 1 pound of ground white chicken breast, extra garlic, and the following topping: 1/4 cup ketchup, 3 Tbls brown sugar, 1 heaping teaspoon ground mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. This is my grandmother’s piquant sauce recipe and is delicious. I am making this today, and have used date sugar instead of brown sugar. I’m sure it will be as tasty.
Recipe was easy to follow. The brown sugar and Worcestershire did not make a paste but that did not effect the flavor. It was delicious and we will make this again.
It was delicious – we all had seconds. I’ll definitely make it again.