Healthy Hidden Veggie Meatloaf

Hey mamas, be proud to serve the family this Healthy Hidden Veggie Meatloaf!

It's chalk full of healthy stuff, yet tastes delicious.

Oh....meatloaf.

Growing up I was not a fan, but now as an adult I really love it.  In fact there are many foods that I didn't like growing up - onions, broccoli, tator tot casserole, juicy red tomatoes from the garden, beans in any form, cabbage, peaches - just to name a few, but now I love them all.

Bon Appetit has a great article about our ever-changing taste buds.  As children we are loaded with them and they are as strong as they will ever be {hence, why kids sometimes have such a strong dislike to a food or smell}, but then as we grow up they get milder {hence, why we tend to start liking more foods}.

All of this is telling me why I can now handle onions, broccoli, tator tot casserole, juicy red tomatoes, beans, cabbage and peaches.

The family LOVES meatloaf.  Especially the men of the family.  I mean, isn't meatloaf a "man's meal" anyway?  I kind of feel like it is.

I'm currently working on a healthy meal plan for a company behind-the-scenes, and this hidden veggie meatloaf is a part of the plan.  I wanted to take out some of the fat from the ground beef {using ground turkey} and amp up the filling by basically stuffing every veggie I had on hand into it.

I'm happy to report it worked.

Charmingly.

I can never get by, by just using one pound of any ground meat anymore {these kids can eat!}, especially with meatloaf.  If you've made it before you know that, that beauty can shrink.  Quickly.  You put it in the oven all beautiful and loaf-like and it comes out the size of a hockey puck.

And hockey puck sized dinners do not feed my hungry family.  Do yourself a favor and use two pounds of meat.

Plus, if you do have leftovers {pleeeeeeease}, you can take a slab between a slice of bread and have a killer sandwich for lunch the next day.

Oh, and can we talk about this glaze?  You cannot have meatloaf without a ketchup-y glaze of some sort on top.

Growing up my mom would simply take the ketchup bottle and squeeze out a cute saying in letters on top.

"Go Trojans!" {our school mascot}

"Hi, Ally!" {duh, my name}

These random little sayings were fun, but I'll be honest I'm a bit of a sauce junkie.  I like a lot.  I want that stuff slathered all over the top and dripping down the sides.  I cannot have meatloaf without a rich, tangy glaze.  So please, do not skip this crucial step.

Make this one a day or two ahead and your dinner is ready to go for a busy week!

Healthy Hidden Veggie Meatloaf

Print this Recipe!

2 lbs ground turkey

1 egg

1/4 c. Italian style breadcrumbs

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. pepper

2 cloves garlic

1 c. fresh spinach

1 zucchini

1 c. broccoli

1 c. ketchup

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 T. Worchestershire sauce

1.  In a large bowl place the ground turkey, egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder and pepper.  Set aside.

2.  In a food processor pulse together the spinach, garlic, broccoli and zucchini until it is finely shredded.  If needed add a bit of water to help it come together.  Remove the mixture, place it on a paper towel, wrap up and squeeze out any excess water.  Add this mixture to the meatloaf mixture and combine.

3.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a baking pan.  Shape the meat mixture into a loaf size and place in the pan.

4.  In another bowl combine the ketchup, brown sugar and Worchestershire sauce.  Spoon this generously over top the meatloaf, leaving a little bit to baste later.

5.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to one hour, until juices are clear.  Towards the end add the remaining glaze to the meatloaf.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Interested in another meatloaf recipe?  I also make them into burgers.  Yes, you heard me right!  My Mom's Meatloaf Burgers are awesome on the grill in the summer.  Something fun and different!