It’s been awhile since I brought you a really good, deliciously savory meatloaf recipe. Growing up my mama always used to make us fun meatloaf flavors that, little did we know, were filled with tons of nutrition from sneaky veggies.
Years later, meatloaf recipes like this incredible veggie-packed chicken meatloaf are some of my favorites to serve my kiddos because they’re getting lots of vegetables in without even knowing it! They absolutely DEVOUR this for dinner even when they’re in their various picky eater phases. My husband Tony, of course, gives it a 10/10 as well, because it’s the ultimate comfort food.
You know I had to jazz it up even more by stuffing it with melty cheddar cheese because it truly takes meatloaf to the next level (the OG readers will remember my Cheddar-Stuffed Sweet Potato BBQ Turkey Meatloaf from YEARS!) Serve this protein-packed meatloaf with your fav veggie sides or salads, or go for a super cozy meal with mashed potatoes (our favorite). I included tons of ideas for sides in the post, plus great ways to customize and meal prep this wonderful dinner!
Everything you’ll need to make the best chicken meatloaf
The ingredients for this ground chicken meatloaf recipe are super simple, and it’s a great way to use up pantry staples along with the vegetables lurking in the back of your fridge. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground chicken: I like to use 93% lean ground chicken (rather than 99%) because the little extra fat gives it the perfect amount of moisture. You can also use ground turkey, or opt for traditional ground beef!
- Veggies: we’re adding shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, red bell pepper, and onion to load this meatloaf up with nutrients and extra moisture. Kiddos won’t even be able to tell they’re in there.
- Spices: add delicious flavor with a blend of garlic powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, turmeric, coriander, salt, and pepper.
- Egg: you’ll need 1 egg to help the meatloaf stay together.
- Bread crumbs: panko bread crumbs also hold the meatloaf together and give it structure.
- Sauce: choose between ketchup or your favorite BBQ sauce for both the meatloaf mixture and for the glaze on the meatloaf. Who doesn’t love a good sauce-y flavor?!
- Cheese: make this chicken meatloaf extra special by stuffing it with cheddar cheese. Next-level delicious.
Easy ways to customize your meatloaf
There are a few ways to really make this healthy chicken meatloaf your own:
- Keep it gluten-free: simply use gluten free breadcrumbs in the meatloaf mixture.
- Add a kick of heat: not serving kids and/or just love spicy food like I do? Mix in a seeded, diced jalapeño, use a spicy BBQ sauce, and add your favorite spicy cheese like pepper jack or habanero cheddar to the middle!
- Pick your cheese: speaking of cheese, feel free to get creative here! I love cheddar in this, but you could use any I mentioned above or Monterey jack, colby jack, etc.
- Or skip the cheese: keep the meatloaf dairy-free by simply omitting the cheese.
Veggie-packed chicken meatloaf in 4 steps
- Prep the zucchini. An important first step! After shredding the zucchini, be sure to squeeze out ALL of the extra moisture and then add it to a large bowl.
- Add the meatloaf mixture. Add the rest of the meatloaf ingredients to the bowl with your zucchini and use clean hands to mix it together.
- Shape the meatloaf. Place half of the ground chicken mixture onto a foil-lined baking sheet, then shape it into a meatloaf rectangle/oval. Top with the cheese (leaving 1/2 inch around so that it doesn’t spill out), then shape the rest of the mixture on top. Don’t forget to smooth and seal the edges! Brush the top with ketchup or BBQ sauce.
- Bake & devour. Bake your meatloaf, let it cool, then slice it up and enjoy!
How to tell when chicken meatloaf is done
Use a meat thermometer! This veggie-packed chicken meatloaf will be done when the internal temperature on your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
Delicious sides to serve with this meatloaf
- You can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes, my famous crispy smashed potatoes, or homemade garlic bread.
- Enjoy a veggie side like these Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts or these Caramelized Garlic Carrots.
- Try a fresh salad like this Asiago Arugula Pear Salad, this Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad, or this Roasted Sweet Potato, Pear & Pomegranate Spinach Salad.
- Make it an extra comforting, kid-friendly meal with my Stove-Top Mac and Cheese, or my Better-For-You Homemade Spaghetti-Os.
Freezer-friendly chicken meatloaf
There are actually two easy ways you can freeze this healthy chicken meatloaf!
- Freeze unbaked meatloaf: simply shape the meatloaf, wrap it will with plastic wrap and a layer of tinfoil and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To cook from frozen, let the meatloaf thaw in the refrigerator before baking as directed.
- Freeze baked meatloaf: bake as directed and let the meatloaf cool completely. Then wrap it well and freeze it for up to 3 months. To reheat it simply let it thaw in the refrigerator, remove the wrapping and then bake as directed until heated through.
How to store leftovers
Got leftover meatloaf? Make sure it’s completely cooled, then place it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More cozy dinners you’ll love
- One Pan White Wine Chicken Sausage White Bean Bake
- Cheddar-Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs with Cilantro Coconut Pineapple Rice
- Mom’s Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Sheet Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Veggie Glow Bowls
Get all of my dinner recipes here!
I hope you love this veggie-packed chicken meatloaf! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Mama’s Veggie-Packed Chicken Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken or turkey
- 1 small zucchini, shredded (about ¾ cup shredded zucchini)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1 small red bell pepper, VERY finely diced (minced)
- ½ yellow onion, VERY finely diced (minced)
- 1 large egg
- ½ heaping cup panko breadcrumbs, gluten-free if desired
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or subbing adobo seasoning is wonderful!)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of ketchup or bbq sauce (whatever your preference!)
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
- For the topping
- ¼ cup ketchup or bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- First, use a cheese grater to shred the zucchini, then place shredded zucchini in a clean dish towel or cheese cloth and squeeze out ALL of the moisture/water. This is very important to get all of the excess moisture out and discard the ‘zucchini water’ first!
- In a large bowl combine chicken, shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, bell pepper, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, turmeric, ketchup, salt and pepper. Use clean hands or a large spoon to mix until well combined. (I find that it's much easier to combine the ingredients if you use your hands.)
- Place half of the meat mixture on a foil-lined pan and shape into a 10x6 inch rectangle/oval type of shape with round edges. Top meat half with cheddar, leaving about an 1/2 inch of room on the sides. Top with the remaining meat mixture, enclosing the cheese completely and smoothing/sealing the sides/edges together with your hands.
- Use a pastry brush to spread ¼ cup of the ketchup or bbq sauce on top of the meatloaf.
- Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the meat thermometer reads 160-165 degrees F. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into slices. We love eating this with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes and a side salad/veggie for a full meal.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
15 comments
Delicious and moist. And full of veggies!
The perfect dinner!
This was absolutely delicious, so flavorful! I used Cabot 50% less fat cheddar to make it a little leaner and it worked fine. My daughter was not impressed, but meatloaf is one of her favorite meals and she said this didn’t taste like meatloaf at all. I might have got better results calling it something different.
I used ketchup in the meat mixture and Stubbs bbq sauce on top. I will say there was a lot of grating that went into this.
Sorry to hear she didn’t love this one, but I’m glad you enjoyed!
rave reviews!! This was so good!! I left out the cheese (since we were having cheesy potatoes on the side) and subbed the zucchini for broccoli since it’s what I had (steamed the broccoli heavily then mashed it with a fork before adding). inspired me to make a homemade ketchup. it was delicious. Definitely going to make again 10/10
Amazing! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 So glad it was a hit!
This is our first time using ground chicken, we were nervous. The recipe came together quickly, cook time exactly 50 minutes. Absolutely delicious, we would not change one thing about the recipe. So flavorful and excellent meatloaf texture. We topped it with some Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. Planning to make it again and again!
This was our first time cooking with ground chicken and we were nervous. We followed the recipe exactly and topped the loaf with Swwet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce. Baked for exactly 50 minutes. It was absolutely delicious! Looking forward to leftovers. We will definitely make this recipe again and again!
The perfect dinner! So glad you gave this one a try 🙂
The texture and flavor of this meatloaf are perfect! I added a small pinch of salt to the zucchini to draw the water out while I chopped the other veggies and prepped the other ingredients, and it worked perfectly. We had ZERO leftovers. Big hit, and I’ll definitely be making it again!
Amazing! So glad it was a hit!
Any reason why you wouldn’t use a loaf pan?
I find it easier to just shape it on a baking sheet!
This was a win! I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while but it has gotten bumped from my meal plan each week because I have been missing one ingredient or another. I finally just went for it. I did not have zucchini so I used a medium sized bell pepper and an extra carrot, and ground beef instead of chicken. It came out so well! My husband said it was the best meatloaf he’s had and my 4 and 2 year old really enjoyed it as well. I will make again for sure, next time with chicken and zucchini.
Amazing! This one’s great for customizing with whatever veggies and ground meat you have on hand 🙂 So glad you all loved it!