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Meatloaf is one of my comfort foods. It is moist, tender and tasty. It evokes one memory or another every time I eat it.
While meatloaf is a common dish, it varies slightly from cook to cook making it unique to each of them. I grew up with the classic Campbell’s meatloaf recipe. Over the years I tweaked the recipe from my childhood but the Campbell’s soup stayed.
Chopped celery, onion and bell peppers are a must in my meatloaf. They add flavor and moisture to the meatloaf. When I make this recipe, I either use cream of mushroom or cream of tomato soup. One time I was out of eggs so in desperation, I add some of the soup to the meatloaf. This substitution was a hit so it became a permanent fixture in my recipe.
A huge meatloaf provides dinner plus leftover slices that can be individually wrapped and frozen for later use. Comfort food for dinner plus freezer stocks of comfort food – its a win-win strategy.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Ground turkey – I used 93% lean ground turkey. You can easily substitute ground turkey, chicken breast or lean ground beef.
- Onion, celery and bell pepper – I used a yellow bell pepper. For whatever reason, green bell pepper repeats on me but red, orange and yellow bell peppers are fine.
- Homemade bread crumbs made from low carb bread
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt-free Grill Mates steak seasoning
- Salt
Making the Meatloaf
- Chop the onion, celery and bell pepper.
- Place the ground turkey into a large mixing bowl. Add the bread crumbs and chopped vegetables.
- Next add the spices, seasonings, worcestershire sauce and a portion of the Healthy Request cream of tomato soup to the meat mixture.
- Use your hands to mix the meatloaf until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Pinch off a quarter size piece of meat and place it on a napkin and flatten it out. Microwave it until done and then taste it. Add more seasonings and salt if you think it needs it.
- If you are satisfied with the seasoning level of the meat mixture, shape it into a large loaf and place it into a baking pan.
- Frost the meatloaf with the remaining cream of tomato soup and add some water to the bottom of the pan to keep the meatloaf moist while it bakes. Cover it with aluminum foil and crimp it around the edges of the pan to form a seal.
- Bake the meatloaf for about an hour. Remove the foil and check the internal temperature with a digital thermometer. It should register 170°F. If the meatloaf isn’t quite done, cover as best you can with the foil and return to the oven for another 10 – 15 min.
- When the meatloaf is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for a short time. Then slice the meatloaf, serve and enjoy.
Serving Ideas
- A meatloaf sandwich and some fruit can be served for lunch.
- Pair meatloaf with a side salad or vegetable and dinner roll for a satisfying dinner.
- For dinner, serve soup and a meatloaf sandwich.
- You can’t beat meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy for the ultimate comfort dinner.
WW 0 pt per slice
Note: Pts updated 12/11/24 to reflect new zero foods.
Servings: 13 slices
Calories: 189kcal
Equipment
- chopping board
- Chef knife
- 9" x 13" baking pan
Ingredients
- 3 lb Shady Brook Farms 93% lean ground turkey
- ¾ c homemade bread crumbs
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large celery stalks
- ½ medium bell pepper, yellow
- 1 can Campbell's Healthy Request cream of tomato soup
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce, Heinz
- 3 tsp McCormick Grill Mates steak seasoning
- ¾ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Place the ground turkey and breadcrumbs into a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the onion, bell pepper and celery. Add to the bowl with the ground turkey.
- Add ¼ c of the cream of tomato soup, worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning and salt to the meat mixture.
- Use your hands and mix the ground turkey and all the added ingredients together until they are well incorporated. If the mixture seems on the dry side, add a couple more tbsp of the cream tomato soup.
- Pinch off a quarter size piece of meat mixture and flatten it. Place it on a napkin and microwave on high for 25 sec. Let it cool briefly and then taste it. Add more salt if you think it needs it.
- Shape the ground turkey mixture into a loaf and place it in the baking pan.
- Add about ½ - ¾ c of water to the bottom of the pan. You want about ½" of water on the bottom of the pan.
- Frost the top of the meatloaf with the remaining cream of tomato soup. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Crimp it around the edges of the pan making a seal.
- Place the meatloaf in the oven and bake. I normally check the meatloaf at the 1 hr mark with a digital thermometer. When it registers 170℉ it is done. If the meatloaf is not done, put the foil back on as best as you can and return to the oven for 15 min. I find a 3 lb meatloaf usually takes 1hr 15 min to cook in my oven.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven when it is done. Let it rest for 10 min and then transfer it to a platter.
- Slice it up and serve. Leftover slices can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap, placed into a freezer bag and frozen for later use.
Notes
If you do not want to mix the meatloaf with your hands, you can use the paddle on a kitchen aid or dough hooks on a handmixer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.2g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 7.8g | Trans Fat: 2.5g | Sodium: 401mg | Fiber: 3.6g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
