Turkey Meatloaf with Ketchup and Brown Sugar Glaze
A ground turkey loaf kept juicy with butter, Parmesan, quick oats and cornstarch, glazed twice and baked on a rack until it reaches 165°F.
English Wikipedia says the old Depression habit of adding fillers has turned toward lower-fat loaves with better binding, and turkey is the American way to get there. It is also the hardest meat to make into a good loaf. America's Test Kitchen's Lan Lam wrote in 2017 that ground turkey tends to be pasty and turns a standard recipe dense and mushy, so she threw out the usual bread and milk paste.
Her fixes read like a list of everything turkey lacks: butter for fat, Parmesan for savory depth, quick oats to loosen the tight texture, cornstarch to hold the thin juices, and egg yolks instead of whole eggs. The glaze goes on in two coats, the first baked until tacky so the second sticks. It is the American loaf rebuilt from the inside.
Why it works the kitchen science
Fat, starch and cheese
Butter and Parmesan add the richness lean turkey lacks, and cornstarch holds onto its thin juices, so the slices stay moist instead of weeping.
No panade
ATK found the usual soaked-bread paste made turkey even pastier; a few quick oats add chew and loosen the texture instead.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the upper-middle position. Line a wire rack with foil and set it in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Step 2
Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over low heat and stir in the baking soda. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp salt, raise the heat to medium and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until soft and just starting to brown. Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute, then the Worcestershire, 1 minute more. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool.
- Step 3
Mix the oats, cornstarch, the remaining 3/4 tsp salt and the pepper in a small bowl. Whisk the glaze ingredients in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves and simmer over medium heat about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Step 4
Stir the egg yolks and mustard into the cooled onion mixture. Add the turkey, Parmesan, parsley and oat mixture and mix with your hands until combined.
- Step 5
With wet hands, shape a 9-by-5-inch loaf in the center of the foil-lined rack. Brush half the glaze over the top and sides and bake 40 minutes.
- Step 6
Brush on the rest of the glaze and bake 35 to 45 minutes more, until the thickest part reads 165°F.
- Step 7
Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.
Turkey Meatloaf with Ketchup and Brown Sugar Glaze
Serves 6 · 1 free-form loaf, 9 by 5 inches (about 12 slices) · 2 hr 15 min total
Meatloaf
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- Pinch baking soda
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp quick oats
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 lb 85% or 93% lean ground turkey (not 99% lean)
- 1 oz Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Glaze
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the upper-middle position. Line a wire rack with foil and set it in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over low heat and stir in the baking soda. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp salt, raise the heat to medium and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until soft and just starting to brown. Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute, then the Worcestershire, 1 minute more. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool.
- Mix the oats, cornstarch, the remaining 3/4 tsp salt and the pepper in a small bowl. Whisk the glaze ingredients in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves and simmer over medium heat about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Stir the egg yolks and mustard into the cooled onion mixture. Add the turkey, Parmesan, parsley and oat mixture and mix with your hands until combined.
- With wet hands, shape a 9-by-5-inch loaf in the center of the foil-lined rack. Brush half the glaze over the top and sides and bake 40 minutes.
- Brush on the rest of the glaze and bake 35 to 45 minutes more, until the thickest part reads 165°F.
- Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.
Adapted from Lan Lam, "Turkey Meatloaf with Ketchup-Brown Sugar Glaze", America's Test Kitchen (May 2, 2017), as written for 4 to 6. ATK bakes it at 350°F for 40 minutes, then 35 to 40 minutes more to 160°F. We cook it to 165°F, the FoodSafety.gov temperature for all poultry, which takes about 5 minutes longer (our estimate). The seasoning amounts (1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper) are ATK's. We call it 6 servings and count 93% lean turkey; ATK allows 85% or 93%. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Don't use 99% lean turkey; ATK says it makes a dry meatloaf.
- The baking soda helps the onion soften and brown quickly in the butter.
- Baking on a foil-covered rack lets air reach the bottom, so the loaf cooks evenly (ATK).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Turkey meatloaf is done at 160°F. Disputed: ATK pulls it at 160°F; FoodSafety.gov says 165°F for all poultry, including ground. We use 165°F.
- Turkey meatloaf is always dry. Folklore: ATK's butter, Parmesan and cornstarch exist to fix exactly that.
- Every meatloaf needs bread soaked in milk. Disputed: ATK uses a saltine and milk paste for its beef and pork loaf (our Classic Glazed American Meatloaf recipe) but drops it for turkey.
- Glaze twice. Documented (ATK: the first coat bakes until tacky so the second coat sticks).
Every other meatloaf
Falscher Hase (German Mock Hare Meatloaf with Eggs)
Germany's "mock hare": a beef and pork loaf bound with soaked rolls, wrapped around three whole hard-boiled eggs, topped with bacon and served with a sour cream pan gravy.
1887 Veal Loaf (The White House Cook Book)
One of the oldest American meat loaves in print: ground veal mixed with eggs, cream, crushed crackers, pepper and sage, shaped by hand and basted with butter as it bakes. No ketchup in sight.
Polpettone Ripieno (Italian Meatloaf with Ham and Provolone)
An Italian beef and pork loaf made with Grana Padano and no bread at all, rolled around sliced ham and provolone, wrapped in parchment and roasted on a bed of rosemary potatoes.
Forloren Hare (Danish Mock Hare)
Denmark's mock hare: a pork and veal loaf bound with oats, covered in bacon, baked in milk, and served with a creamy sauce made from that milk and a spoonful of redcurrant jelly.
Embutido (Filipino Steamed Meatloaf)
Two foil-wrapped logs of beef, pork, ham, carrots and golden raisins, each built around a row of hard-boiled eggs and pimientos, steamed instead of baked and sliced into colorful rounds.
Bobotie (South African Curried Mince with Egg Custard)
Gently curried ground beef sweetened with apricot chutney and raisins, bound with milk-soaked bread and baked under a golden egg custard with bay leaves on top.
Classic Glazed American Meatloaf
The American classic: beef and pork bound with a milk and saltine paste, browned under the broiler, then painted twice with a tangy brown sugar and ketchup glaze and baked to a glossy finish.
Oatmeal Meat Loaf (The Stretch-the-Meat Classic)
A seven-ingredient loaf that stretches a pound and a half of lean beef with rolled oats and tomato juice, pressed into a loaf pan and baked an hour: the thrifty American meatloaf at its simplest.
Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf
A beef, pork and veal loaf brushed with brown sugar and ketchup glaze and covered with overlapping strips of bacon that baste the meat and bake up crisp.
30-Minute Mini Meat Loaves
Four small, tightly packed meat loaves seared in a skillet for a crust, spooned with brown sugar and ketchup glaze and finished in a 500°F oven in under 10 minutes.
Country-Store Meatloaf (Inspired by Cracker Barrel, Not Official)
A cheesy, tender beef meatloaf made with buttery crackers, onion, green pepper and cheddar, finished with a sweet ketchup, brown sugar and mustard glaze. Inspired by the Southern roadside chain; not its recipe.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.