Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf
Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf is sure to become your family’s new favorite weeknight dinner! It’s a healthier alternative to classic meatloaf, as this entree is made with turkey and loaded with plenty of veggies. Once it’s topped with my favorite homemade enchilada sauce, this meatloaf becomes pretty irresistible!
Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf
I’ve never been and never will be a meatloaf hater. I was raised on meatloaf for dinner, served nice and hot with some Mashed Potatoes and corn, usually! While traditional meatloaf is deliciously nostalgic for me, I don’t indulge in it too often in my adulthood. Instead, I like to make versions of it that are slightly healthier, like this easy to make Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf!
When I first starting whipping this meatloaf up for dinner, it was because I needed a sneaky way to get my vegetable hating daughter to eat some veggies. It worked! Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf is packed with mushrooms, peppers, corn, and a little jalapeño. While it’s loaded with nutritious veggies, it’s also slathered in flavored enchilada sauce and made with an array of seasonings that make this healthy meal all the more delicious, and inconspicuous.
Another great benefit of adding that many vegetables to the meatloaf is that they keep the turkey from drying out during cooking, which tends to happen with a lot of ground turkey dishes. Oh, and to save even more time on your busy weeknight, the vegetable mixture can be sautéed in advance and stored in an airtight container until you’re ready to make dinner. I also used my Easy Enchilada Sauce which I always have on hand!
How to Make It
Cook the veggies. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over med-high heat and add the onions. Saute the onions until they begin to soften, add the bell pepper and continue cooking until the onions are translucent. Stir in the corn and continue cooking for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables begin to caramelize. Stir in the garlic, jalapeño, and black beans, and cook for 2 additional minutes.
Cool. Add the chili powder and remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
Preheat. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Make the mixture. In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground turkey, cilantro, salt, pepper, egg, Panko, and vegetable mixture using your hands or a pastry blender. Be careful not to compact the mixture too much or the meat will be tough.
Top and bake. Form the meat mixture into a loaf in a large baking pan and top with half the enchilada sauce coating the entire surface. Sprinkle the top with the cheese and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through.
Rest, then enjoy! Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces and serve. Serve with the remaining enchilada sauce and top with sour cream or greek yogurt if desired.
Why turkey?
Turkey is a healthier option that beef for a number of reasons. First off, it’s got less saturated fat, which is something you’ll want to avoid if you’re trying to be health-conscious with your meals. If you specifically use fat-free ground turkey, you’ll also get a higher protein level than ground beef with fewer calories.
Overall – fat-free ground turkey has less saturated fat then ground beef, as well as more protein and fewer calories. This is much better for you than your grandma’s meatloaf!
Is Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf spicy?
While the jalapeños and chili powder add a little kick to the meatloaf, it’s not an overly spicy recipe at all. You can make it spicier if you’d like by adding more jalapeños and a dash or two of cayenne powder.
Dig in to more of my all time favorite meatloaf recipes!
- Easy Crockpot Meatloaf
- Easy Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
- Mini Meatloaf Cupcakes with Cranberry Glaze
- Double Glazed Turkey Meatloaf
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Get the Recipe: Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large Vidalia onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over med-high heat and add the onions. Saute the onions until they begin to soften, add the bell pepper and continue cooking until the onions are translucent. Stir in the corn and continue cooking for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables begin to carmelize. Stir in the garlic, jalapeno and black beans and cook for 2 additional minutes. Add the chili powder and remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground turkey, cilantro, salt, pepper, egg, panko and vegetable mixture using your hands or a pastry blender. Be careful not to compact the mixture too much or the meat will be tough. Form the meat mixture into a loaf in a large baking pan and top with half the enchilada sauce coating the entire surface. Sprinkle the top with the cheese and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through.
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces and serve. Serve with the remaining enchilada sauce and top with sour cream or greek yogurt if desired.
- Nutrition facts based on 8 servings.
16 Comments on “Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf”
This recipe looks so simple!! I am going to try it this sunday! Great post
Thank you! I hope you love it….definitely needs a photo reshoot. LOL!
Very practical and easy to do!! Excellent article!
I was looking for a turkey loaf recipe and found this site. I liked the idea of making something ‘loaded with veggies’. I tweaked the recipe a bit to me and my DH’s tastes. Added a lot more garlic, an extra egg, a celery stalk, cup of rice, cayenne pepper. I substituted Green Mountain Salsa for the enchilada sauce and baked it for 55 minutes. Served it on a bed of Arugula dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and S+P. My DH rated it a 10!
Kellie, you have a great website! I like that you aren’t afraid to use butter! Thanks for sharing your food ideas with the rest of us. I’ll be back. Cheers!
Thank you so much, Lisa! This is a favorite….I definitely need to give the photos a refresh. 🙂 And I love butter with all my heart. LOL!
Fantastic recipe, seems to be a delight, I’ll do it today, sure my family will love it, congratulations and thank you for the recipe!
Thank you!
I loved the recipe, I find it very easy to do. Thank you for sharing.
Perfect recipe, looks like it was made for me, I have to do it urgently, I was looking for something like that, thank you very much for the recipe.
You’re very welcome!
Very practical and easy to do, I did not know it was that simple, I’m sure to do.
Thank you!
Perfect, exactly the recipe I was needing, I’ve seen this in some places but I’ve never done it because I thought it was difficult but now that I’ve seen in your article that it’s simple to do, that’s great thank you.
Thank you so much! This is a favorite in our house.
Oh girl this looks dynamite! Can’t wait to try it! I am visiting from the SITS challenge. I just followed you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. I would love for you to follow back. My blog is For the Love of Food on FB and my name is FLChefNicole on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Also if you can invite me to any of your group boards on Pinterest that would be great! Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! I will definitely follow your blog, I already love your IG!