Best Ever Healthy Meatloaf Recipe

Name: Best Ever Healthy Meatloaf Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil; ½ onion, (finely chopped); ½ red bell pepper, (finely chopped); ½ green bell pepper, (finely chopped ); ½ lb. ground turkey; ½ lb ground beef; 1 cup chunky salsa; 1 egg, (beaten); ¾ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 clove garlic, (minced); ½ cup brown rice, (cooked)

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This homemade meatloaf is easy to make and packed full of flavor! Made with lean meats, chopped fresh vegetables, and whole grain rice, this is the absolute best healthy meatloaf recipe you'll ever eat!

Slice of meatloaf topped with salsa with a side of potatoes.

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✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
🙋🏼 Frequently Asked Questions
💭 Expert Tips
🍽️ More Meatloaf Recipes You'll Love!
Best Ever Healthy Meatloaf Recipe

✔️ Quick Recipe Overview

Why This Is The Absolute BEST Healthy Meatloaf: A wholesome and family-favorite dinner, this recipe takes a classic comfort food meatloaf recipe and turns it into a healthy version without sacrificing any of the flavor!

How Long It Takes: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Equipment You'll Need: loaf pan

Everyone loves a homemade classic meatloaf because it's full of flavor and typically topped with a deliciously saucy and rich ketchup glaze. And most meatloaf recipes are full of carbs and fat. That's what makes them so good!

But this healthy meatloaf recipe tastes just as good (if not better!) than any traditional recipe out there! The difference is that this version is full of healthy nutrition and is made with simple ingredients. An original family classic, this version is one of the most nutritious dinners you will ever eat!

Baked meatloaf on a plate topped with parsley.

ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works

1. It's packed FULL of nutrition!

2. A turkey loaf mixed with lean ground beef, it's low in fat and a great source of protein.

3. Tender and juicy, this healthy turkey meatloaf is easy to make, comforting, and wholesome!

🛒 Ingredients You'll Need

The meatloaf ingredients used in this recipe are super common and easy to find at your local grocery store. You may already have these ingredients in your kitchen! For the meat, I used a mixture of lean ground turkey and lean ground beef. Instead of using the typical breadcrumbs or crackers in this recipe, I use cooked brown rice. It acts as a binding agent with the egg while also providing nutritional benefits such as high fiber. And the brown rice still has the nutrient-rich germ remain still intact.

I substitute the sugar packed ketchup with chunky salsa for the meatloaf sauce. Not only does it provide flavor, but it's also rich in vitamins. I also sauté fresh chopped vegetables in olive oil and add them to the meatloaf mixture.

Ground beef, turkey, cooked brown rice, fresh peppers, onions, egg, and oil on counter.

📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

Making meatloaf is so simple! Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife, finely chop the onions, garlic clove, and bell peppers. Expert Tip: Using a vegetable chopper will speed up the chopping process and make the prep a lot easier!

Chopped red and green pepper on a cutting board, knife on table.

Once the vegetables are chopped, heat the olive oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, put the chopped onions, garlic, and peppers into the skillet and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

Skillet filled with sauteed chopped onions and bell peppers.

In a large bowl, combine the uncooked ground beef, ground turkey, salsa, egg, salt and black pepper. Then, add in the sauteed vegetables and the cooked brown rice and mix with a spoon until well combined.

Bowl with ground turkey, beef, rice, veggies, and salsa.

Place the mixture in a meatloaf pan and spread evenly until level. Place the pan into the oven an allow the meatloaf to cook.

Loaf pan filled with meatloaf mixture ready to be baked.

Bake for 50 minutes or until the center of the baked meatloaf reaches 165°F. Expert Tip: You can check the internal temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the center of the loaf.

SLiced meatloaf topped with chunky salsa, roasted potatoes on dish.

After cooking the meatloaf, remove it from the oven and place it on the counter to cool for 5-10 minutes. Top with additional salsa, slice, and serve. Tender, juicy, and flavorful, this really is the best ever meatloaf and is one of our family's favorite dinners...especially when I serve it with these marinated potatoes. And the flavors in these green beans with balsamic vinegar and parmesan are out of this world delicious!

🙋🏼 Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my meatloaf fall apart?

The most common reason meatloaf falls apart is due to the lack of binding agents. The binding agents used in this healthy meatloaf recipe is cooked brown rice and egg. Since these ingredients don't bind as well as crackers or breadcrumbs, this meatloaf tends to crumble, especially when it has not had an opportunity to cool long enough.

Should you sauté vegetables for meatloaf?

For this recipe, yes. The sauté process helps soften the onions and peppers. When cooking the meatloaf, they will continue to soften even more. To avoid a slightly crunchy texture, don't skip the sauté step.

Is meatloaf a healthy meal?

This is a healthy meatloaf recipe because it contains salsa instead of ketchup, lean ground turkey and ground beef instead of a higher fat ground beef, and brown rice instead of breadcrumbs.

Cooked turkey meatloaf served with a side of potatoes.

💭 Expert Tips

Any loaf pan will work when making this recipe, but I like using a large loaf mold flexipan. I find that it cooks more evenly and it's easier to clean.
When you remove the baked meatloaf from the oven, excess liquid will remain on top. This is the natural juices surfacing to the top from the cooked vegetables and salsa. After 5-10 minutes of cooling, the cooked meatloaf will absorb the liquids, which contributes to the juiciness.
With a traditional version, you'll get those perfect slices when you cut into the meatloaf. Don't expect perfect slices with this version. This recipe calls for fresh and healthy ingredients and if the meatloaf has not cooled long enough, it will crumble when slicing. If this happens, combined the crumbles into a round shape and top with additional salsa. Regardless how it looks, it's still amazingly delicious!
Instead of using part ground turkey and part ground beef, this recipe can be made using all ground turkey, all ground beef, or all ground chicken. Ground chicken is also a good substitute when using two types of meat.
Use a chunky salsa instead of a thin restaurant style version. Pace picante sauce works well.
If you want to add a bit of spice, use a medium or hot salsa. You can also add in chopped jalapeno peppers when sauteing the vegetables.
Cook the brown rice before adding it to the mixture. If you use uncooked rice, it won't cook all the way through while baking. You can use boil-in-a-bag rice or instant-cooked rice. Feel free to also substitute with wild rice, quinoa, or white rice.
Other vegetables you can add are chopped fresh mushrooms, zucchini or squash.

Fork on a plate of sliced meatloaf serves with potatoes.

🍽️ More Meatloaf Recipes You'll Love!

A traditional meatloaf recipe is great, but I love to mix things up sometimes! I especially love making this wrapped and smoked stuffed meatloaf. It's wrapped in bacon and stuffed with multiple types of cheese. Topped with a delicious barbecue sauce recipe, this meatloaf is packed with amazing flavor! If you're looking for another simple turkey-based version, try making this turkey meatloaf with feta and sun-dried tomatoes! If you like recipes by Giada, you'll love this one because it's inspired by one of her originals!

Love this recipe? Leave a 5-star rating and a review of how it turned out in the comment section below!

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NOTE: This post was published in April 2012, but was republished with an updated step-by-step instructions, pictures and tips in February 2022.

Recipe Inspired By: South Beach Diet

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