Turkey Meatloaf Help

moleighsmom
moleighsmom Posts: 59 Member
Let me start by saying, I am not a cook. I don't even play one on T.V. , but I am trying. I tried following a Biggest Loser recipe for low carb meatloaf made with Jennie-O ground turkey (93/7), but after it cooked the pan was swimming with watery fat. So here's the question...can the turkey be browned, even a bit, in a pan to drain off some fat before adding other ingredients and turning it into a loaf? Or, can I keep pulling it out of the oven to drain it off while it's baking?

Told ya, I know ZERO about cooking :)

Replies

  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    There shouldn't be much fat at all with the ground turkey. Whenever I make turkey meatloaf, there is no liquid afterwards. What all are you putting in it?
  • 123Linz
    123Linz Posts: 80
    I can give you my recipe but I put rolled oats i it, so it isn't low carb.

    I would suggest buying different ground turkey, I get 93% fat free from Costco, (I'm sure other supermarkets must sell it) so there's hardly any oil to start with and I have never noticed it in the pan after cooking.
  • I copied this for you. I have tried it and it is very good !


    1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups) 2 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 3 tablespoons ketchup

    1 3/4 pounds ground turkey, 97% lean 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

    Preparation
    1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, broth, and 1 tablespoon ketchup; transfer mixture to a large bowl, and cool.
    2. Add turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, egg white, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mixture in bowl, and mix well. (Mixture will be very moist.)
    3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat lightly with cooking spray. Form the turkey mixture into a loaf, and place on the pan. Brush meatloaf evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup. Bake 1 hour or until thermometer inserted into center registers 170°. Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
    You can get a little stand to put in your loaf pan that raises your meatloaf above the fat. That lets the fat drip out of the meatloaf and you just remove the meat loaf and drain the fat. Barring that, use a leaner ground turkey.

    Edit- I make turkey meatloaf all the time-only kind I make. I've gotten the fat issue sometimes and other times not. It's always been an issue of how lean the turkey is.
  • Josee76
    Josee76 Posts: 533 Member
    I sit my meatloaf on a baking rack sprayed with no stick cooking spray (but if your recipe is saying to make it in a loaf pan you can't do that).
  • krisrpaz
    krisrpaz Posts: 263 Member
    What are the ingredients? My meatloaf always has a little fat at the bottom but I promptly remove it from the pan once it is done cooking. Also, what turkey are you using? Just like ground beef, you can buy regular or lean or extra lean. For ground turkey, there is 85/15. 93/7, 99/1. The last number is the percentage of fat. Keep in mind the more lean it is, the more it crumbles so you may need to add more "filler" like parmesan cheese or ground up pork rinds and an extra egg or two.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I learned this trick from my mil: instead of using a loaf pan for meatloaf use a pie plate or other larger dish. Build your meatloaf on the outside of the pan and place a small glass cup or bowl in the middle of the pan. Bake as normal and remove from over to allow to cool. As everything cools you should find bubbles escaping from the cup/bowl, continue to allow to cool without touching the cup/bowl, this is the expanded hot air escaping. Once the air inside the cup/bowl starts to cool this creates a vaccum and should start sucking the fats/juices under the cup/bowl. If you find that the air has stopped escaping but the fats/juices are not being sucked up slide just the tip of a sharp knife under the cup/bowl very quickly to get things going. once the process is over, remove all the meat from the pan before lifting off the cup/bowl. This works great, but in order to keep your meatloaf moist you then need to use a glaze, otherwise you've just sucked all the juices out of your meat along with the fats and the whole thing is pretty dry. I like to use a turkey and beef combination, and Alton Brown has a meatloaf on the food network that incorporates pureed veggies which seems to help with moistness. Look at the two recipes and see if you can incorporate some of the veggies from his recipe into the BL recipe if you find you're meat is dry.
  • moleighsmom
    moleighsmom Posts: 59 Member
    Thanks all! I think I will look into a small rack for the bottom of the pan. Here is the recipe that I was using..


    Turkey - Ground Turkey Lean 93/7 , 16 oz.
    Eggs - Whole, raw, 1 large
    Lipton - Recipe Secrets - Onion Soup, Mix, Dry, 0.5 container
    Sargento 80 Cal - Low Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 1/8 cup
    Ketchup, 4 tbsp

    Basically mix it all together and toss it in a loaf pan. Cover with marinara sauce the last few minutes of baking and serve.

    Allabtim - Your MIL is very creative. Cool trick.
  • squishycow7
    squishycow7 Posts: 820 Member
    I think if you browned it first, it would not stay together as a "loaf."

    you could drain it periodically while you're cooking, but it sounds super lean anyway so I wouldn't be too concerned :)
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    I'm not a ground turkey fan, but use ground chicken instead. When I make meatloaf, I use Stovetop Stuffing for the bread/spices. It taste yummy.

    BTW. Lean turkey and chicken usually don't brown up in the oven. It's the fat that makes it brown, so maybe spray it with pan spray or brush a little olive oil on before baking.
  • Silvercivic
    Silvercivic Posts: 156 Member
    I'm in love with skinnytaste.com

    Gina walks you through all of her delicious and nutritious recipes with beautiful pictures and helpful suggestions. She has all of the nutrition information listed for her recipes as well.

    Last week I made "skinny meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting" for the first time. It was SO EASY and SO DELICIOUS. The meatloaf is a turkey meatloaf which is why I'm replying to you!

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/08/skinny-meatloaf-cupcakes-with-mashed.html

    Try it, you will love it! :)
  • Sabresgal63
    Sabresgal63 Posts: 641 Member
    If you made it from one of those frozen chubs, then yes it draws alot of water and fat. Buy some fresh ground turkey or chicken and try it that way. I used to put my food up on a small rack (like a cookie cooling rack and then put a pan under it. That way, the excess moisture drains off.
  • emmamcc1981
    emmamcc1981 Posts: 133 Member
    i just drain it all out of the tin at the end, and tip the loaf out onto a rack - covered over the top with tin foil to keep warm - and let it drain some more while i plate up. never tried a turkey loaf (but i will now!) but this works with other meatloves i've made before.
  • Natty0506
    Natty0506 Posts: 103 Member
    When using ground turkey for meat loaf, there should be almost no excess fat drain. If mine does, it's very VERY minimal. I buy the 6 lb pack from Costco, and I get pretty much no fat. And here's my recipe (it's always delicious and moist).

    2 lbs ground turkey (I'm feeding a family of 5)
    1 egg
    Enough breadcrumbs so that the meat sticks together and isn't too mushy (I like the Italian or the Garlic bread crumbs)
    I stick it in the oven at 450 for 45 minutes (more or less depending on how thick the loaf is)
    Voila! Even my 2 year old will eat it.
  • sandiburn
    sandiburn Posts: 149
    I LOVE LOVE LOVE turkey meat loaf. If you want to give it a kick, top it off with salsa before you bake it. Its amazing. I also take
    a pc of bread and wet it. Then squeeze the water out. Its like glue to hold it together. Not low carb, but really good
  • bllowry
    bllowry Posts: 239 Member
    You're probably getting liquid from the cheese as well as the meat. I use lean turkey, ground flax and oat bran in equal parts instead of bread crumbs, granulated garlic and onion (the onion soup mix has a ton of salt in it), minced onion and a tablespoon of tomato paste thinned out with salt free vegetable broth as catsup has a lot of sugar in it. I press the mix in a loaf pan and then turn out the molded loaf on to a cooling rack set on a baking tin. I let it brown before brushing on the tomato paste in the last half hour of baking.
  • Usbornegal
    Usbornegal Posts: 601 Member
    My basic recipe - lots of substitutions can be made

    2 lb meat (turkey, beef, combo, pinto or kidney beans can be substituted for part)
    1/2 c rolled oats, whole wheat bread crumbs, left over cooked rice, cracker crumbs, whatever is handy
    1/2 c chopped veggies (celery, carrots, gr pepper, kale, mushrooms)
    1/2 c liquid (catsup, bbq sauce, milk, combo)
    1 egg (whole, eggbeater, egg white)
    2T dried onion flakes
    Seasonings to taste, (garlic powde, salt, italian seasonings, chili powder, bbq, all depends)


    Mix all together, divide into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place in a muffin tin. Bake at 235 for 30 to 45 minutes. Using the recipe builder and the muffin tins, it makes it really easy to get a calorie count per actual serving.
  • jesss5885
    jesss5885 Posts: 187 Member
    I never have that issue -

    i use 93/7 lean ground turkey
    fat free heinz turkey gravy
    2 egg whites
    1 1/2 c whole wheat season bread crumbs

    i shape into a "loaf" and put in on a baking sheet in the oven
  • katya143
    katya143 Posts: 313 Member
    Thanks all! I think I will look into a small rack for the bottom of the pan. Here is the recipe that I was using..


    Turkey - Ground Turkey Lean 93/7 , 16 oz.
    Eggs - Whole, raw, 1 large
    Lipton - Recipe Secrets - Onion Soup, Mix, Dry, 0.5 container
    Sargento 80 Cal - Low Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 1/8 cup
    Ketchup, 4 tbsp

    Basically mix it all together and toss it in a loaf pan. Cover with marinara sauce the last few minutes of baking and serve.

    Allabtim - Your MIL is very creative. Cool trick.

    U dont have a filler like breadcrumbs or oats to absorb excess "juice" when i dont use a filler it gets watery like u had described!
  • moleighsmom
    moleighsmom Posts: 59 Member
    Thanks again guys, lots of great ideas! Will have to try using muffin tins.
  • tammyopolin
    tammyopolin Posts: 98 Member
    Line your baking dish with a few slices of bread. They'll soak up any grease/moisture while the meatloaf is cooking, and you just throw them away when you take your meatloaf out.
  • NNAhuja
    NNAhuja Posts: 669 Member
    So you are trying to drain the fat right? If so, I picked up this product from Walgreens but you can pretty much get it anywhere.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CVFEBM
    It drains all the fat, juices, drippings, etc from my meatloafs without making it super dry.
  • MrsLong1980
    MrsLong1980 Posts: 181 Member
    It's not fat, well there's a tiny amount of fat, it's just the cooking juices - if you leave the meatloaf in the tin to rest (10 minutes covered with kitchen foil or a tea towel) the loaf will soak up the juices and you will be left with a delivious, moist meat loaf - perfect accompanied with salad or assorted cooked veggies and leftovers for delicious sandwiches! :D
  • 123Linz
    123Linz Posts: 80
    Thanks all! I think I will look into a small rack for the bottom of the pan. Here is the recipe that I was using..


    Turkey - Ground Turkey Lean 93/7 , 16 oz.
    Eggs - Whole, raw, 1 large
    Lipton - Recipe Secrets - Onion Soup, Mix, Dry, 0.5 container
    Sargento 80 Cal - Low Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 1/8 cup
    Ketchup, 4 tbsp

    Basically mix it all together and toss it in a loaf pan. Cover with marinara sauce the last few minutes of baking and serve.

    Allabtim - Your MIL is very creative. Cool trick.
  • 123Linz
    123Linz Posts: 80
    Let me start by saying, I am not a cook. I don't even play one on T.V. , but I am trying. I tried following a Biggest Loser recipe for low carb meatloaf made with Jennie-O ground turkey (93/7), but after it cooked the pan was swimming with watery fat. So here's the question...can the turkey be browned, even a bit, in a pan to drain off some fat before adding other ingredients and turning it into a loaf? Or, can I keep pulling it out of the oven to drain it off while it's baking?

    Told ya, I know ZERO about cooking :)

    Are you sure it isn't some water coming from the marinara at the bottom, you are already using very lean lean I don't see how it would leave fat in the bottom
  • inkslady
    inkslady Posts: 5
    Mine usually has liquid in it.. but I drain it when it's done cooking... and I've never found it dry or bland.. even the next day..
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    You can get a meatloaf pan that will drain all that out. Or in a pinch I have lined the bottom of the pan with a thick bread. That soaks up the fat then I just remove that part and eat the meatloaf. I usually do that when I'm making it in the crockpot as the pan won't fit in that. If it is a dense bread it works better to soak up the fat without falling apart.
  • pat6250
    pat6250 Posts: 90
    You are using a lean ground turkey. Let it rest for ten minutes before you cut it, and it will re-absorb the juices. Then cut and serve it. Also. I would not use the soup mix, as it is LOADED with salt. I would season it with a teaspoon of seasoned salt. If you use a fatty ground turkey, then you could pour the cooked out fat off before you serve it, but don't pour it down the drain, or it will clog it up as soon as cold water goes down the drain (that will turn the fat hard) :tongue:
  • rachelblank427
    rachelblank427 Posts: 180 Member
    You can get a rack to put over your pan or what ever dish your cooking it in so the meatloaf doesn't sit in the drippings. That's what I do. :)