If you’ve ever been turned off by dry turkey meatloaf, don’t worry… I’ve got you covered. My gluten free turkey meatloaf recipe is incredibly moist with a flavor reminiscent of turkey soup. Plus, it’s free of eggs and dairy if they’re on your avoid list.
For the longest time after going gluten free, I avoided meatloaf because it was always made with eggs and breadcrumbs. But as I got more confident in the kitchen over the years, I’ve started making different types of gluten free turkey meatloaf that are actually better than the “normal ones” loaded with gluten.
This recipe is the most basic of gluten free turkey meatloaf recipes since the ingredients are pretty straight-forward. Because it’s so naturally moist, it makes for great leftovers since it reheats well. And you don’t have to worry about adding a lot of BBQ sauce or ketchup in order to eat it — the recipe has plenty of flavor in its own right.
Either way, my clients have loved making this for their husbands and kids (even if the rest of the family isn’t gluten free)!
Gluten Free Turkey Meatloaf Notes
Food processor
You’ll see the use of a food processor to process all of the veggies in this recipe. That is intentional.
I hate spending more time than I need to to get food on the table. And my clients appreciate that I come up with inventive solutions to make good, healthy food easier for them.
Using the food processor allows you to quickly process the veggies without having to chop everything finely.
Plus, the liquid that you’ll end up with from processing the veggies should be added to the recipe.
This liquid is part of the reason why the meatloaf comes out so moist.
Gluten Free Oats
I recognize that not everyone who is gluten free can tolerate them. If you know that gluten free oats also make you sick, you could try swapping them out for quinoa flakes.
That said, if you make this recipe, you MUST make sure that the oats are clearly marked “certified gluten free.”
If you want to learn more about why this is important, you can read more about gluten free oats here.
Use Dark Ground Turkey Meat
This recipe is made with DARK ground turkey meat. DO NOT use white breast meat.
White breast meat is drier and rather tasteless.
Even those who claim to not like dark turkey meat will like this recipe. I always use dark turkey meat because it has more flavor, retains more moisture, and is cheaper.
You can do what you want, but consider yourself warned. I cannot be held responsible if you insist on using white turkey meat and the recipe isn’t moist.
Recipe Pairings for Gluten Free Turkey Meatloaf
This recipe pairs really well with…
Red Lentil Soup (vegan)
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Moist Gluten Free Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey, dark meat
- 1 whole carrot
- 1 whole celery stalk
- 1 small onion
- 3 medium garlic cloves
- 1.5 tsp Coconut palm sugar I use http://amzn.to/2Amu7Jf
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats I use http://amzn.to/2zz22Bm
- 1/2 3oz tomato paste make sure this is marked GF
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/5 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1.5 egg replacer See explanation below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare the egg replacement or use 1 egg (if you can tolerate eggs).
- Cut up the carrot, celery, garlic and onion in chunks and use a food processor to mince/puree each. If you’ve got a small one, you’ll need to process each vegetable by itself. Add each veggie (and whatever liquid results) into a large mixing bowl.
- Add egg replacer, oats, sugar, tomato paste, mustard, vinegar and spices to the large mixing bowl and combine everything.
- Add in the turkey meat and fold everything together until it become a consistent mass.
- Place the entire turkey mixture in a baking dish and smooth out top. If using a metal pan, you may want to oil the pan before adding in the turkey mixture. If you use Corningware, you do not need to oil the sides.
- Smooth out the top of the meatloaf and cover with foil or ideally a lid, if you have one.
- Place the dish on the middle rack of your oven and bake for about 35 minutes.
- Remove the lid or foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove dish from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Note regarding the egg replacer in the Gluten Free Turkey Meatloaf --
You can certainly use a powdered egg replacer (just follow the directions to equal about 1 1/2 eggs) or use ground flaxseed or chia seeds to create a binder.
If you decide to use flax or chia, follow these instructions:
1. Buy ground flax or chia (or make it yourself in a spice grinder from whole seeds).
2. Mix 1 1/2 tbsp of ground flax or chia with 4 1/2 tbsp warm water in a small bowl.
3. Whisk the mixture with a fork for 15 seconds or so to evenly combine everything.
4. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes so that it can thicken.
5. Add to the recipe as recommended.