Just because you’re watching what you eat doesn’t mean you have to cut out your favorite fall comfort foods.

Take this meatloaf makeover, for example. A simple swap of ground turkey for ground beef helps save some calories and fat, but it’s anything but bland.

I even snuck some greens in (shhh, don’t tell Hubby!) to kick it up a notch in the nutrient category.

Hide Yo’ Veggies Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 20-ounce package lean ground turkey
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 leaves kale, julienned
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup ketchup, divided

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, onion, garlic, kale, breadcrumbs, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup ketchup.
3. Press turkey mixture into a loaf shape in a 13×9 baking dish.
4. Bake one hour (or until internal temperature of meatloaf is well-done, 165ºF).
5. Remove from oven, spread remaining 1/4 cup ketchup on top.
6. Return to oven, and bake for 10-15 more minutes.
7. Let stand at room temperature for five minutes (to retain juices) before slicing.

Here’s a peek at the process…

First, gather all the ingredients.

No fresh garlic on hand? We keep a tube of pre-minced garlic in the fridge, so three squirts (roughly the size of cloves) did the trick.

Because I was adding kale to this, I threw in an extra egg (meatloaf recipes usually only call for one) to ensure that the mixture would bind properly.

Feel free to tweak the amounts of ingredients…or add more/different kinds of veggies!

Pat it into the loaf; if you’re feeling fancy, make a fun heart shape or even individual “cakes.”

Baking it a bit more after coating the loaf with ketchup gives it a nice carmelized effect and helps keep it moist.

Slice, and enjoy!