by Lily A. Thorns

Created on: July 02, 2007

Low Fat Meatloaf

Below you will find two meatloaf recipes. To get the lowest fat content you need to exclude the beef and opt for turkey. This is how we make the meatloaf at our house, and believe it or not, we have people who request our meatloaf when they are invited for dinner. I found this surprising because although the recipe is moist, savory, and has a good texture, most people really do prefer to have beef in the recipe. The first recipe is the one I serve to beef eaters, who just cannot do an all turkey meatloaf. The second, even lower in fat content, is the one that receives accolades from my guests who enjoy beef-less meatloaf. Try them both to add variety to your low fat diet. It is not necessary to sacrifice good taste, texture, and enjoyment to live vibrantly in good health.

Low Fat Italian Spinach Stuffed Meatloaf

The reason we can call this low fat, despite the cheese content, is because the cheese used is lower fat in smaller quantities, the ground beef is lean (less than 10 g. of fat per serving), and egg white is used in favor of a whole egg. The higher fat cheese used (Parmesan) is used in a very small quantity, a technique employed well with strong flavored cheeses because the quantity (only tbsp per serving) enhances the flavors of the other ingredients while still being small enough to not largely impact the fat content. You can have your beef and cheese in a low fat diet. Serve this meatloaf with a nice, low fat potato and asparagus salad with steamed baby carrots and a glass of merlot for a satisfying, low fat meal.

Ingredients:

Meatloaf:
1 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
2 medium egg whites
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
NOTE: Soft bread crumbs are made by putting soft bread, torn into small pieces, into a food processor and pulsing until you have a fine crumb.

Filling
2 cups of fresh spinach, rinsed well and stemmed.
cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
5 oz. can of tomato sauce

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350F. In medium bowl, combine the cheeses, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt; mix well. Set aside. In large bowl, combine meatloaf ingredients.
2. Place beef mixture on waxed paper and pat into 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread filling over beef, leaving 3/4-inch border around edges. Place the fresh spinach, in a thin layer, across the topping. Starting at short end, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Press beef mixture over spinach and filling at both ends to seal. Place seam side down on rack in open roasting pan.
3. Bake in 350F oven for 1 hour. Heat sauce before pouring over meatloaf (prevents the cracking of a glass or stoneware baking dish); return to oven and continue baking 15 minutes.
4. To serve, cut into 1-inch thick slices.
Makes 6 servings

Low-Fat Turkey Meatloaf

This is amazing, if you want to lower your fat content even further. You will NOT miss the beef. It is moist and satisfying.

1 lbs. ground turkey
1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
2 egg whites, beaten
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 small onion
1 1/4 tsps. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 cup of Gulden's spicy mustard
Topping:
5oz can of tomato sauce

In a blender or food processor puree the onion and garlic together. This adds a lot of moisture to your meatloaf. Then add to the other meatloaf ingredients (except for the sauce topping) and mix thoroughly. Shape into a loaf and bake in a baking dish at 350F for about 1 hour. Heat the tomato sauce before pouring over the meatloaf (to prevent a glass pan from cracking) and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Learn more about this author, Lily A. Thorns.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.