Honey-Sesame Turkey Meatloaves are a great Asian twist on the classic American meatloaf recipes. Ground turkey is a leaner, healthier alternative to ground beef or pork. Serve with jasmine rice and a huge plate of your favorite veggies for a delicious complete meal! The entire family will love these mini meatloaves!!!
Sometimes I’m in the mood for a dish that’s light and easy to make for lunch or dinner. Ground Turkey is a leaner, healthier alternative to ground beef or pork. It’s also inexpensive and often on sale in the grocery store. These Honey-Sesame Turkey Meatloaves are a great way to make individual portions that make serving a breeze! They’re moist and packed with a ginger, garlicky flavor inside and a honey sesame glaze on the outside. So good!!!
As I was forming the mini meatloaves, I weighed each meatloaf at 4.5 ounces to form 9 mini meatloaves. If you want to make them a little larger with less servings that is great too! Or 1 large meatloaf of 8 to 9 servings also works great with this recipe. If you have a smaller family or just want to make a smaller portion, halving the recipe works great too. I point this out because sometimes halving a recipe does not work but I promise this one does.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HONEY-SESAME TURKEY MEATLOAVES
- Small onion
- Red bell pepper
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Fresh ginger or pickled ginger (*see notes)
- Olive oil
- Ground turkey
- Large eggs
- Panko bread crumbs
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Green onions, for to garnish (optional)
- Honey
- Toasted sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
HOW TO MAKE HONEY-SESAME TURKEY MEATLOAVES
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and the onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and ginger (*see notes).
- Sauté the onion mixture, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, onion mixture, eggs, panko bread crumbs, 1-2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp ground black pepper.
- Mix together with a fork until combined.
- Shape the turkey mixture into 9 (2 x 4-inch) loaves or 1 large loaf; place on a parchment-lined (optional) baking sheet.
- Roast the meatloaves for 15-20 minutes, until an instant read thermometer reads 160°F-163°F (it will go under the broiler for a few more minutes up to 165°F) and remove from the oven.
- Remove any fat that has formed around the meatloaves with a spoon.
- Preheat the oven to BROIL and move the baking rack to the top.
- Combine the honey, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a small bowl.
- Brush on top and sides of the meatloaves.
- Broil the meatloaves for 2-4 minutes until lightly browned on top.
- Spoon the pan juices over the meatloaves.
- Garnish with chopped green onions.
NOTES
- Ground turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F but at the end of this recipe the meatloaves are glazed, then put back in the oven under the broiler.
- For this recipe, I recommend first roasting the meatloaves to between 160°F to 163°F. After glazing and putting back in the oven to broil, the turkey meatloaves will be at exactly 165°F. This ensures that they will not be overcooked. No one likes dry meatloaf!!!
- PICKLED GINGER: If using pickled ginger, don’t sauté (cook) with veggies. Add it directly to the ground turkey-panko mixture.
- HALVE THE RECIPE: Makes 4-5 servings or 1 meatloaf
- 1 LARGE MEATLOAF: Makes 8-9 servings
Honey-Sesame Turkey Meatloaves
Ingredients
Meatloaves:
- 1 small onion, small diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, small diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger, peeled, minced or grated or 3-4 Tbsps pickled ginger, minced (*see notes)
- 2 Tbsps olive oil, divided
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup panko bread crumbs
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 2 green onions, chopped to garnish (optional)
Glaze topping:
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and the onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and ginger (*see notes). Sauté the onion mixture, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, onion mixture, eggs, panko bread crumbs, 1-2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp ground black pepper. Mix together with a fork until combined. Shape the turkey mixture into 9 (2 x 4-inch) loaves or 1 large loaf; place on a parchment-lined (optional) baking sheet.
- Roast the meatloaves for 15-20 minutes, until an instant read thermometer reads 160°F-163°F (it will go under the broiler for a few more minutes up to 165°F) and remove from the oven. Remove any fat that has formed around the meatloaves with a spoon. Preheat the oven to BROIL and move the baking rack to the top.
- Combine the honey, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Brush on top and sides of the meatloaves. Broil the meatloaves for 2-4 minutes until lightly browned on top. Spoon the pan juices over the meatloaves. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes
- Ground turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F but at the end of this recipe the meatloaves are glazed, then put back in the oven under the broiler.
- For this recipe, I recommend first roasting the meatloaves to between 160°F to 163°F. After glazing and putting back in the oven to broil, the turkey meatloaves will be at exactly 165°F. This ensures that they will not be overcooked. No one likes dry meatloaf!!!
- PICKLED GINGER: If using pickled ginger, don’t sauté (cook) with veggies. Add it directly to the ground turkey-panko mixture.
- HALVE THE RECIPE: Makes 4-5 servings or 1 meatloaf
- 1 LARGE MEATLOAF: Makes 8-9 servings
