Barefoot Contessa’s Turkey Meatloaf

I’ve been making this Turkey Meatloaf recipe at least monthly for 16 years and I’m here to show you how to make the ultimate comfort food a little lighter and way more flavorful than any beef meatloaf recipe you’ve tried before. And if you’re at a loss what to serve with this dinner, I’ve got you covered with the best meatloaf side dishes too!

I know it’s still summer. I know that meat is still being grilled and pool parties are still occurring. 

Meatloaf has always been a cold weather food for my family. But honestly, we’re usually craving it most just as the summer starts to wind down.

What Makes This Meatloaf Recipe So Special

But you know what? By the end summer, I’m always ready for cool, crisp weather. And for the leaves to start changing.

And of course for all of the comfort foods associated with the fall and winter!

That’s why, when I first made Ina Garten’s turkey meatloaf recipe more than a decade and a half ago, I chose to make it in the middle of August.

Really, there’s no bad time to make this meatloaf recipe! It’s the perfect cozy comfort food!

It reminds me of those chilly fall nights around Halloween and the frozen ones in the dead of winter when all my mom wanted to do was to make a cheap meal that would warm us up and fill our bellies.

This meatloaf will do that for you, too.

When Turkey Meatloaf Shines

Comfort food enthusiasts, don’t even think about turning your nose up at the fact that this is a turkey meatloaf recipe. 

If my beef-loving husband didn’t know I was making a turkey meatloaf in advance, I could have totally passed this off as a meatloaf mixture recipe! I totally expected him to balk at this recipe and turn up his nose.

But being that just about every single Ina Garten recipe that I’ve made has been a complete success, I think he learned to trust the recipes as much as I have. And that’s a success story in and of itself!

Turkey Meatloaf Ingredients

Here’s the basic grocery list for the Barefoot Contessa’s turkey meatloaf recipe. Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card to find the full printable Ingredients list!

• Small yellow onion
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh thyme
• Worcestershire sauce
• Low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• Tomato paste
• Ground turkey
• Plain dry bread crumbs
• An egg, beaten
• Ketchup

How to Make This Easy Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

Here are the basic steps for how to make this meatloaf recipe. Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card for the full and printable Instructions list!

STEP 1: Heat the oven to 325° F with the racks in the center and lowest positions.

STEP 2: Cook the onions, salt, pepper, and some fresh thyme in a sauté pan in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth/stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

STEP 3: Mix the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and cooled onion mixture in a large bowl.

STEP 4: Shape the turkey mixture into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top of the meatloaf. 

STEP 5: Place a baking pan on the bottom rack of the oven and carefully pour boiling water into the pan. Slide the rack back into the oven.

STEP 6: Bake the meatloaf for 45 min to 1 hour on the center rack, until it is cooked through. Sprinkle the top of the meatloaf with the remaining fresh thyme. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold on a sandwich.

Meatloaf for a Crowd

The Barefoot Contessa developed this meatloaf recipe to make a TON of meatloaf. OK, maybe not a literal TON, but it certainly feeds a large crowd of 8 to 10 people.

Over the years, I’ve cut the recipe down by two-thirds – really, is a 5 pound of ground turkey? – and there is always plenty of meatloaf for two adults along with a fair amount of leftovers too.

If you want to make this meatloaf for a crowd, it’s an easy recipe to scale up, especially most of the ingredient amounts can quickly be multiplied by 3.

The full recipe will easily serve 8 to 10 people. The scaled down version will serve 4 to 6 people, and this is the version you will find below in the printable recipe card.

The Best Turkey Meatloaf Sides

If you’re looking for a little freshening up of your turkey meatloaf sides, let me suggest one of my all time favorite mashed potatoes recipes:

• cream cheese garlic mashed potatoes
• fresh herb mashed potatoes
• parmesan garlic mashed potatoes

Other than mashed potatoes, this creamed spinach, my insanely easy and delicious homemade creamed corn recipe, or these cheesy hasselback potatoes are also excellent choices!

And for rolls, which in my book are a requisite for meatloaf, these herbed fantail rolls are exactly what meatloaf needs on the side!

Any of those sides would also be perfect served with this meatloaf!