This Thanksgiving Stuffed Meatloaf is a tasty way to use up leftover stuffing and cranberry sauce. It can even be made gluten free or keto!
Not that there’s anything wrong with regular meatloaf, but if you were to ask me about my favorite meatloaf recipe, it’s going to involve an incredibly flavorful meat mixture, wrapped around *something*.
My first stuffed meatloaf recipe - Scotch Egg Meatloaf- was pretty simple, as far as homemade meatloaf goes. Something similar to my classic meatloaf recipe, just wrapped around hard boiled eggs!
It went on to inspire my - much more recent - Breakfast Meatloaf recipe.
Then there’s my Reuben Stuffed Meatloaf, Muffaletta Stuffed Meatloaf, Stomboli Meatloaf, and even a chicken meatloaf (Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatloaf)
Which is the best meatloaf recipe? No idea. It really depends on what we’re in the mood for at the time!
The thing is, I don’t really have a lot of holiday themed meatloaf recipes - just my Halloween Mummy Meatloaf. (Which is a delicious meal that the whole family will love, in addition to being Halloween appropriate!)
So, I’m setting out to change that.
One of my favorite comfort foods during the holiday season is the leftover sandwiches I’d make, AFTER Christmas. Just bread, turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
We’d have them in school, and I’d make them after our holiday dinners. I always make way too much turkey, specifically for those sandwiches.
This meatloaf is basically those sandwiches, in meatloaf form.
It’s also an easy weeknight dinner - serve some green beans or broccoli on the side, and you’ve got a complete meal!
Anyway, enough chatter, let’s get to that recipe!
Thanksgiving Meatloaf Ingredients
This turkey meatloaf recipe uses super easy ingredients - including leftovers! Whatever you don’t have on hand, you’ll be able to find in pretty much any local grocery store.
A few ingredient notes for you:
Ground Turkey
Ground chicken is a perfectly reasonable substitute for ground turkey.
While it may not be quite as thematic as turkey, the vast majority of people can’t tell the difference between the two - especially when seasoned.
Leftover Stuffing
You can use whatever stuffing you’d like - ideally on the drier end of things. You don’t need it to be *dry*, but really soggy dressings won’t work as well.
If your stuffing has really large chunks, you might want to chop it up a bit, for an easier time spreading it out.
To make this recipe gluten free, you can use my Gluten-Free Stuffing.
If you’d like a lower carb version of this recipe, I recommend my Keto Stuffing.
Summer Savoury
Summer savoury is an herb that’s popular in certain regions of Canada - especially in Newfoundland.
You may have seen it in some of my recipes, it’s a nice addition to things like Savoury Mushroom Chestnut Stuffing, Tourtiere, Cod Cheeks & Dressing, Cod Au Gratin, Hearty Beef Stew (and my Keto Beef Stew!), Replica Swiss Chalet Sauce, Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup, and - most recently - my Keto Cod au Gratin.
It’s a great herb, and - IMHO - it just makes any kind of poultry taste like Thanksgiving.
Mt Scio brand is the best, IMHO, but you can buy other brands - Penzey’s in the USA sells it, and you can buy it online.
That sais, if you CAN’T find it, you can use the same amount of Poultry Seasoning or 1 - 1 ½ teaspoon Dried Sage in its place.
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need:
Cranberry Sauce
Onion
Large egg
Olive oil
Ground Black Pepper
Salt
Garlic Powder
... but I have nothing to add, as far as these last few ingredients go. As I said - super simple!
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How to Make Thanksgiving Stuffed Meatloaf
The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through.
Preheat oven to 350 F, generously grease a loaf pan, set aside. I’ll usually spray it with some cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper.
Cook onions in olive oil until soft and translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together turkey, egg, and seasonings. Add cooled onion, mix well to combine.
Gently spread half the cranberry sauce over top of the meat, then evenly spread the stuffing over the sauce.
Be sure to pick up the paper on the end you’re rolling, going kind of up and over, rather than a straight roll. You want to keep the filling in, not push it across.
Transfer the whole thing to the prepared pan, seam side down.
Pour sauce over the meatloaf, brushing to coat the top surface.
If you’d like, you can place the meatloaf on a small baking sheet, if you’re at all worried about the chance of boil-over. It’s easier to clean a cookie sheet, than it is to clean an oven!
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer measures the internal temperature at 165 F, when checked with a meat thermometer. (I like to use an instant-read thermometer.)
Leftovers
Once cooled to almost room temperature, leftover meatloaf can be wrapped in plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Best served reheated.
Holiday Treats
Looking for some inspiration for your holiday goodies tray or Thanksgiving menu? Here are a few festive ideas for you!
Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake
Boozy Chocolate Haystack Cookies
Candied Orange Slices
Creme de Menthe Nanaimo Bars
Easy Pistachio Macarons
Egg Nog Sticky Buns
Festive Easy Fudge
Fruitcake Cookies
Gluten Free Candy Cane Cookies
Gluten-Free Fruitcake Cookies
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Noelles
Pecan Pie Cookies
Peppermint Patties
Traditional Cranberry Mousse
Traditional Pumpkin Mousse
Turkey Gravy - from Drippings
Ultimate Cowboy Cookies
Stuffed Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf
Equipment
- 1 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ Onion finely chopped
- 2 lbs Ground Turkey
- 1 Large egg
- 2 teaspoon Summer Savoury or 1 teaspoon Dried Sage
- ¾ teaspoon Pepper
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 cup Cranberry Sauce
- 3 cups Leftover Stuffing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F, generously grease a meatloaf pan, set aside.
- Cook onions in olive oil until soft and translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, mix together turkey, egg, and seasonings. Add cooled onion, mix well to combine.
- Spread turkey mixture out onto a sheet of parchment paper that’s been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. I like to aim for the length of my loaf pan (8"), by however long it ends up, when spread to about ¾" thick.
- Gently spread half the cranberry sauce over the turkey meatloaf, then evenly spread the stuffing over the sauce.
- Starting with one of the short ends, roll up the meatloaf along the length of it - the parchment paper will help with this.
- Be sure to pick up the paper on the end you’re rolling, going kind of up and over, rather than a straight roll. You want to keep the filling in, not push it.
- Transfer meatloaf to the prepared pan, seam side down.
- Heat the cranberry sauce to melt it slightly. Depending on your sauce, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to make it more pourable.
- Pour sauce over the meatloaf, brushing to coat the top surface.
- Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer measures the internal temperature at 165 F.
- Carefully drain liquid from the pan, before removing the meatloaf and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for Reading!... and hey, if you love the recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and comment! |
Marie Porter
We love making this Thanksgiving meatloaf, and hope you do, too!