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    Home » Dinner » Turkey Meatloaf with Spinach and Kale

    Turkey Meatloaf with Spinach and Kale

    Published: Sep 7, 2016 · Modified: Mar 19, 2022 by Erica Julson · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

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    Kale and Spinach Turkey Meatloaf

    So, what are your thoughts on meatloaf?

    I feel like it can go one of two ways:

    1. You absolutely love it and it brings up fond memories of childhood dinners (with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, of course).
    2. You loathe it with a passion and it reminds you of a big fat pile of mush (this probably depends on how great of cooks your parents were 😉 )

    Kale and Spinach Turkey Meatloaf Smothered in Ketchup

    I fall in the first camp, sort of.

    I don't think I really loved it as a kid, but now that I've tried tons of fancied-up adult versions, I'm a raving fan.

    Thanks to lots of yummy add-ins like caramelized onions, fresh or dried herbs, sharp cheeses, and flavor bombs like tomato paste or sun dried tomatoes, meat loaf is suddenly elevated to a whole new level. It's sophisticated, multi-layered, and dare I say it, worthy of company???

    Shocker!

    #meatloaf2016

     

    Kale and Spinach Turkey Meatloaf - a healthy twist on an American classic!

    One thing that meatloaf is great for is hiding vegetables.

    Okay, so you don't even NEED to hide vegetables, because they're freaking delicious... but hey, if you're going to bake a giant hunk of meat, you might as well up the nutrition factor by like 5000 by adding a bunch of veg.

    The typical meatloaf has onions in it... and maybe some bell pepper, but that's about it.

    This meatloaf has two awesome upgrades:

    • It uses ground turkey instead of ground beef, which gives the meatloaf a lighter flavor that pairs well with greens.
    • It shockingly contains two full bags of kale & spinach (10 oz total) and a bunch of dried herbs. Winning! Tons of vitamins and minerals in a really palatable package.

    These simple swaps mean tons of flavor and tons of nutrition.

     

    Kale and Spinach Turkey Meatloaf With Ketchup

    As you can see from the pics, each bite has a generous helping of greens.

    The secret to helping them blend in with the texture of the meatloaf (and not stay stringy or globby) is to chop them up into relatively small pieces (maybe ¾ inch) before cooking. Once they cook up, they become little pieces of greens that distribute easily throughout the loaf.

    I also like to sauté the onions before stirring them into the loaf. It gives them some extra flavor, & by cooking them first, it leaches out the extra liquid to avoid soggy meatloaf syndrome. 😉

    But hey, no matter how fancy I'm trying to get with the mix-ins, I can't abandon the classic ketchup topping. It's just so quintessentially 1950's America. I can't let it go.

    And let's be honest here, it's one of the best parts of meatloaf.

     

    Kale and Spinach Turkey Meatloaf Slices

    Recipe

    Turkey Meatloaf with Spinach and Kale

    5 from 3 votes
    Print
    Prep20 minutes mins
    Cook1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Total1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Servings: 8
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    Ingredients 

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 cups diced onion
    • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
    • 1 tablespoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 5 cloves minced garlic
    • 5 oz baby spinach, chopped into roughly ½ inch pieces
    • 5 oz baby kale, chopped into roughly ½ inch pieces
    • 2 ¾ lb ground turkey
    • 3 large eggs
    • 1 cup plain bread crumbs
    • ⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce
    • ¼ cup  chopped sun dried tomatoes
    • ⅓ cup milk
    • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
    • 1 cup organic ketchup

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large nonstick skillet. Add the diced onions, dried parsley, dried basil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper to the pan. Sauté over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until the onions are softened and just starting to turn golden.
    • Add the baby kale, spinach, and garlic to the pan and sauté, stirring frequently, for 2 or 3 minutes, until just wilted. Remove from the heat and let cool until just slightly warm.
    • While the greens are cooling, prep the rest of the meatloaf. Add the ground turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, sun dried tomatoes, milk, parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to a large bowl. Add the cooled greens and onion mixture to the bowl and use your hands to thoroughly mix everything together.
    • Once the meatloaf is well mixed, take out a large 8x16 inch Pyrex baking dish and form two 4 inch by 8 inch meatloafs on each half of the dish. Spread ½ cup of organic ketchup on top of each loaf and place in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the center of the meatloaf reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the ketchup topping has developed a nice crust.
    • Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing. Enjoy!
    • P.S. the leftovers make GREAT meatloaf sandwiches 😉
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Emily Raleigh

      April 19, 2025 at 8:14 pm

      5 stars
      Moist with good cohesive form and excellent taste!

      Reply
    2. Colleen

      November 18, 2021 at 8:55 am

      I added mushrooms and cooked it a little bit longer to where it wasn’t so soft. It was delicious

      Reply
    3. Melinda

      October 29, 2021 at 11:42 pm

      4 stars
      This was really good! My only problem with it is the amount... It's a bit strange that you had 2.75 lbs of ground turkey. From what I've seen, it either comes as 1 lb or as 2.5 lbs. I just used 1 lb, so I had to keep dividing by 2.75 for each ingredient. I would LOVE to see this as just a 1 lb recipe so people can follow it easier. 🙂 Other than that, all good!

      Reply
    4. Kathe

      March 11, 2020 at 5:12 pm

      5 stars
      Tweaked the recipe a bit. Only used 1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey and halved most of the other ingredients, used all kale no spinach, oats instead of breadcrumbs. It was a bit soft, didn't slice up as well as I would have liked but...PICKY kids every every bite and one asked for seconds. Definitely a keeper!

      Reply

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    Erica Julson Profile Picture

    Hi, I'm Erica! Food & wellness lover, cooking enthusiast, and registered dietitian nutritionist. 

    My mission is to help you reclaim the joy of cooking at home by providing you with jaw-droppingly delicious recipes you'll want to make again and again.

    More about me →

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