Gluten-Free Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Hello! ICYMI, the blog is featuring a series of women who shared their biggest barriers to cooking. See Kelly’s Mediterranean meal-prep here, and Wendy’s almond-crusted fish with caramelized lemons and browned butter here.

This week on the blog we have Jocelyn, a pediatric occupational therapist and lover of all things non-toxic (follow her amazing non-toxic journey on instagram @reaching_holistic_bliss). Jocelyn eats gluten and dairy-free, and is always looking for new ways to eat healthily at affordable prices.

For Jocelyn, I wanted to 1) create a recipe with foods that are (relatively) inexpensive to buy organic, and 2) lighten up a classic savory meat dish with some healthy swaps and added veggies. These mini turkey meatloaves are the perfect solution. Oatmeal and carrots add fiber and heft, while a completely scratch-made glaze keeps less-desirable additives out of the picture.

These meatloaves can be served with veggies or a salad (as pictured), stuffed in a (gluten-free!) sandwich, or used in place of meatballs with pasta or rice dishes throughout the week.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (we used certified gluten-free)

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing the baking sheet

• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

• 1 cup carrots, peeled and finely chopped

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 1/2 cup quick-cook oats (we used certified gluten-free because regular oats can be cross-contaminated with gluten-containing grains)

• 1 egg

• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, soy sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and chili powder to create the glaze. Set the glaze aside.

3. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onions and carrots and saute until the onions are translucent. Remove the vegetables from the heat.

4. While the vegetables cool, add the turkey, oats, egg, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Add all but two tablespoons of the glaze to the turkey mixture, as well as the onions and carrots once they have cooled for four-five minutes.

5. Mix the turkey mixture together with your hands until just combined. Make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed, but do not over-work.

6. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil.

7. Form the turkey mixture into two or four loaves on the baking sheet (we made two).

8. Brush the loaves with the remaining two tablespoons of glaze, then bake for 40 minutes (for four loaves) or 45-50 minutes (for two loaves). The loaves should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center when checked with a meat thermometer.

9. Allow the loaves to rest for five minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy.

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to tag us on instagram @theprotopantry and use the #protopantry hashtag. Happy cooking!

Everything on protopantry.com is made using our 50-ingredient minimalist pantry list. We have recipes from all over the world and for most dietary needs—explore here.