During January Tammie and I are doing some “makeovers” of favorite recipes to make them just a little bit healthier. I substituted ground turkey and reduced the breadcrumbs and found that this “meat”loaf actually tasted better!
2 ½ lbs ground turkey
1 16 oz jar of salsa (separated into two 8 oz portions)
2 eggs
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon cumin
1 cup plain bread crumbs
- Reserve 8 oz of the salsa.
- Mix the remaining ingredients well and put in a large meatloaf pan.
- Bake at 365 degrees for 1 hour.
- Remove and top with the remaining salsa.
- Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Serves 6
Ground turkey is a great substitute for beef or pork. Here’s a recipe from last year for Turkey Chili.
The other day, we saw ground turkey in the market and it said “85% lean”. Well we can get ground beef that is 90% lean! So instead of the ground turkey we bought ground chicken, which had 50 less calories per serving and cost the same. I love the thought of topping with salsa, which has zero points plus on the Weight Watchers diet. We use fresh salsa from a chain called Aldi’s – it has a lot less sodium than the jarred variety. We would add more chopped veggies to the mix, and would use egg white as a binder to capture moisture, in addition to the bread crumbs (we would use whole grain crumbs, though.) Will need to try this.
Sound yummy Alana…. too bad you’re cooking it so far away
Hi Alessa,
Your Turkey Loaf looks delicious, we would just love it. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks and glad to share! Have a great week!
I like the idea of making recipes healthier and I’m a fan of turkey loaf. I like it best in sandwiches the day after I bake it. Be sure that when you purchase the ground turkey that it states “ground turkey breast” on the package. If it just states “ground turkey” it can have any part of the bird ground into it. That can include items that can be just as unhealthy as the beef you are replacing. The salsa replacing the ketchup is a great move. More taste with less sugar. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I’m looking forward to your next adventure in the kitchen.
Thanks for the comment AND the “heads up” about the specification of breast. I agree – should be the way to go! I love salsa to replace many things including salad dressing!
We are working on replacing beef in our diet so this is great.
Excellent! Glad we can help!