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Thick slice of baked turkey meatloaf with dark ketchup glaze on a white plate beside green beans and potatoes

Baked Cottage Cheese Turkey Meatloaf with Ketchup Glaze

A 1.5 lb turkey meatloaf made with cottage cheese, oats, Parmesan and zucchini, baked at 175 C / 350 F and glazed with ketchup. Each of the 4 thick slices has about 46 g protein.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, American comfort, Tex-Mex, Italian-American
Calories: 501
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meatloaf
  • 680 g ground turkey, 93% lean (1.5 lb)
  • 226 g cottage cheese, 2% small curd (1 cup); drained in a sieve
  • 2 large eggs
  • 40 g rolled oats (1/2 cup)
  • 30 g Parmesan (about 1/2 cup); finely grated
  • 1 yellow onion medium (150 g); finely diced
  • 1 zucchini small (about 200 g); grated and squeezed dry, leaving about 150 g
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp kosher salt cottage cheese and Parmesan add salt too
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
Glaze
  • 80 g ketchup (1/3 cup)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F and line a 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch rimmed sheet pan with parchment. Spoon the cottage cheese into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and let it drain while you prep. Grate the zucchini, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze until it stops dripping.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a 26 cm / 10-inch skillet over medium heat (I use my garage-sale cast iron). Cook the onion for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant. Scrape into a 4-quart / 3.8 L mixing bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the drained cottage cheese, zucchini, eggs, oats, Parmesan, Worcestershire, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir to combine. Add the turkey and mix with your hands for about 1 minute, just until evenly combined. The mixture will feel soft and tacky but should hold a shape.
  4. Turn the mixture onto the lined pan and shape it into a loaf about 25 x 12 cm / 10 x 5 inch and 7 cm / 2.75 inches tall. Bake for 50 minutes.
  5. Stir the ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar together and spread the glaze over the loaf. Bake 15 minutes more, 65 minutes total, until the center reads 165 F / 74 C and the glaze is sticky and dark at the edges.
  6. Rest the loaf on the pan for 10 minutes. Cut into 4 thick slices of about 6 cm / 2.5 inches with a serrated knife and serve.

Notes

  • Use 93% lean turkey, since 99% lean turkey bakes up dry.
  • Mix by hand for about 1 minute and stop once the meat looks even.
  • Check the thickest part of the loaf for 165 F / 74 C, not by color.
  • Cut with a serrated knife after the 10-minute rest for clean 6 cm slices.
  • Protein of about 46 g per slice comes from turkey, cottage cheese, eggs, oats and Parmesan.