Meatloaf isn’t pretty. Let’s just get that out on the table. It’s so ugly, in fact, that I couldn’t stop giggling while taking these pictures. All I could think about were those silly post cards with retro pictures of jello molds and other hideous foods from the 1950s. But you know what? After one bite you forget allll about what it looks like. Even the smell is enough to change your mind. This loaf is insane (in a good way).
If you’re not into loaves of meat, I found that this mix makes a pretty excellent Thai turkey burger as well. To taste test the seasoning I had to cook a small dollop in a skillet and it turned into a little mini turkey burger. Quite delicious. Pop one of those onto a Hawaiian roll and you’re golden. Or, you can do it in meatball form.
I covered my mouth-wateringly delicious (yet ugly) meatloaf with a spicy Sriracha glaze. If you don’t like spicy, you can use a jar of sweet chili sauce (not spicy as the name may imply) or even a sweet and sour sauce. But, you know, I had to have my sriracha!
Oh, and this makes a pretty big loaf. It can easily be halved if needed.
Thai Turkey Meatloaf
thai turkey meatloaf
Servings 8Ingredients
LOAF
- 2 lbs ground turkey ($5.36)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 3-4 whole green onions ($0.38)
- 2 inches fresh ginger ($0.30)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.18)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.19)
- 2 large eggs ($0.46)
- 1.5 cups cooked jasmine rice ($0.26)
GLAZE
- 1/2 cup brown sugar ($0.12)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha sauce ($0.17)
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar ($0.04)
Instructions
- Place the ground turkey in a large bowl. Slice the green onions and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the bowl along with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Peel the ginger and grate it directly into the bowl using a fine cheese grater. Mix everything together well.
- Add the eggs and cooked jasmine rice (white rice will work in a pinch). Mix everything together thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Place the meat mixture onto the baking sheet and shape it into a loaf.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once preheated, place the loaf inside and bake for 30 minutes. While the loaf is baking, mix together the sriracha glaze. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, ketchup, sriracha, and rice vinegar.
- After it has baked 30 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven and spoon half of the sriracha glaze over top. Bake for an additional 30 minutes. Spoon the remaining glaze over top and bake for a final 15 minutes. A meat thermometer placed in the center of the loaf should read 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Allow the loaf to rest for ten minutes before slicing.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
This is the ground turkey that I used. It is 85% lean, 15% fat. The store did have a leaner ground turkey but it was about a dollar more per pound and I figured the fat would help keep the loaf moist. If you prefer the leaner turkey, it should also work just fine.
Place the ground turkey in a bowl and add the sliced green onions, minced garlic, peeled and grated ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix it all up very well.
Next add two eggs and the cooked jasmine rice. White or brown rice will work in a pinch if you don’t have jasmine rice, but just know that jasmine rice does add some flavor. Mix everything up really well again.
And this is your final Thai turkey mix. You can make it into burgers or meatballs at this point if you don’t want a loaf. It’s pretty wet and sticky, so if you’re making burgers, make sure to use some oil or non-stick spray.
If you’re going the meatloaf route, cover a baking sheet with foil and then spray with non-stick spray. Shape the mixture into a loaf. I prefer to bake meatloaf on a baking sheet rather than a loaf pan because it allows extra moisture to drain away. Loaf pans hold it all in and they often get soupy on the bottom.
Bake the loaf in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. This is what it looks like so far. Not so pretty, but you can see how some of that moisture is draining away.
While the loaf is baking during that first 30 minutes, mix up the sriracha glaze. Stir together the brown sugar, ketchup, sriracha, and rice vinegar.
Spoon about half of the glaze over the meat loaf and spread it all over the sides. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.
After a full 60 minutes of baking, my meatloaf had already exceeded the safety mark of 160 degrees internal temperature. I still had some glaze left so I spooned it over top and baked it for 15 more minutes.
And then it had a nice thick, sticky sriracha glaze! …smells SO good. The meatloaf should lift easily from the baking sheet. The glaze that dripped onto the baking sheet was burned, but none of the meatloaf or glaze on the meatloaf were even close to being burned.
I garnished with a few more sliced green onions and I just happened to have some fresh pineapple that I cut up that morning.
Make sure to allow the meatloaf to rest for at least ten minutes before slicing. This allows the steam pressure to reduce, which keeps the moisture in the loaf instead of driving it out.
my wife always made the absolute best meatloaf. since i have found this recipe, we both agree that it is the best meatloaf we have ever eaten. I have made it numerous times and each time we talk about its deliciousness the entire meal. once, i was forced to make it with ground beef and it, too, was fabulous. But, we both agree the turkey is better. thank you and i apologize for not giving th thumbs up earlier. This recipe is like the Gospel; i want to spread it to everybody!!
OMG, Beth – this was delicious! I’m only cooking for 2, so I halved the recipe, and I made the mistake of trying to bake it in a Corningware dish. It was a soupy mess, so about 40 minutes into the cook, I slid it out of the dish (I had put parchment paper under it, thank heaven) and transferred it to a sheet tray and that really helped. Plus, I turned up the heat to 400 and cooked it for another 15 minutes. It was still a little loose for a meat loaf, but at least it somewhat held together, and the flavor was FANTASTIC! I substituted Frank’s for the siracha and some maple syrup for the brown sugar. Sooooo yummy!!!
I would love to see you revisit this recipe, Beth!
I’ve definitely been thinking about it!! :)
Without a doubt, beside chocolate, this is one of the best things I ever put in me mouth. I followed the directions exactly. Have made this 4 or 5 times. I even use your sauce for my baby back ribs sometimes too. I, through you, have made momma happy and you know if momma happy…
I’ve been making this for a few years and love it…but has anyone made it with brown rice?
Can I use gochujang as a sub for sriracha? I know it’s Korean but It’s in my pantry a lot more often than sriracha
Yep, I bet gochujang would be awesome in the glaze. :)
Finally got a chance to make this – it was phenomenal and the gochujang worked really well! Even our 1yo liked it (the non-glazed parts of course!)
Hi there! I’m new to the world of cooking and have never made a meatloaf! However, here I am, ground turkey mashing through my fingers! Lol
After making the mixture, I realized I don’t have any foil! Will it be okay if I just use parchment paper instead?
Yep, these days I actually prefer parchment over foil (this is an older recipe from back when I used foil a lot).
I used the “turkey in a tube” from Aldi and it was delicious! I used 2 tbsp of minced ginger (from a bottle). The glaze seems like a lot at first but you definitely need all of it.
I made this tonight and it was a hit with the entire family! I did use half siracha and half sweet chili sauce because one of my kids can’t handle too much spiciness. We will definitely make it again!
I couldn’t find ground turkey at the grocery store so I am planning to use ground pork instead. Do you think it’s a good idea?
Yes the pork will be much higher fat content though, so if you can I’d try to use some ground chicken.
Pork also goes great with these flavors, so I think it will be great! And the rice should help absorb some of that extra fat that Kelly mentioned, so I don’t think it will be too much of a problem. :)
I love this meatloaf. Great flavor. The jasmine rice take the flavor to the next – great – level!
This would easily be a 5-star recipe, but I had trouble with the moisture/texture. The flavors were so excellent I’m going to try it again, but next time I’m only going to parboil the rice, and maybe it will pick up the extra moisture.
I’m also going to either grind my own turkey or buy a coarser grind. The turkey-in-the-tube was really smooth, almost like turkey paste.
I can’t speak high enough about the flavor.
Completely changed how I make meatloaf!!!
I thought you HAD to add water and cook it. Not this loaf! It’s perfect just exactly how you made it.
#1 doubled the glaze (what can I say – I like a lot of sauce)
#2 somehow it I couldn’t get it formed well – was pretty flat…husband said it looked like a fish. But still AMAZING!!
LOVE this so much. Adding to my dinner rotation.
Do you think I could swap quinoa in for the rice?
Hmm, honestly it’s a bit too hard to predict how that would turn out without testing it. Quinoa and rice have fairly different textures and properties, so they likely won’t act the same in the meatloaf.
My husband and I love this recipe, just wondering how to adjust the cooking time if I would like to make smaller mini meatloves rather than one large meatloaf. We want a little more glaze to meat ratio! Thanks in advance!
It’s hard to estimate the cooking time without testing it, but in this other BBQ Meatloaf recipe that I have I cooked these small meatloaves for 20 minutes. It will definitely depend on the size, though.