Don’t run away, you can make this tasty recipe in any oven, but let me tell you that the air-fryer shines on this preparation. My friend Dorothy blogged about it not too long ago and urged me to give it a try. I made it three times in consecutive weeks. Yes, that’s how much we loved it. Simple to put together, and ready in 20 minutes thanks to the air-fryer environment, a blast of very intense heat concentrated in that small chamber. Pure awesomeness. It gets a nice crust, the meat inside is moist, with just the right amount of spicy heat. We inhaled them. Leftovers are wonderful too, by the way.
MEXICAN TURKEY MEATLOAF
(adapted from Shockingly Delicious)
1 egg
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped (I omitted)
1/3 cup almond flour
1 cup (about 4 ounces) grated Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup green salsa (I used La Victoria)
1 cup finely sliced spinach leaves
2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
A few grinds of black pepper
Spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick spray. If you have a perforated parchment sheet protector, lay it on the screen.
In a large mixing bowl, crack the egg and use a fork to beat it lightly. Add the turkey, onion (if using), almond flour, cheese, salsa, spinach, cilantro, and all spices. Gently mix with your hands.
Shape the turkey mixture into 4 loaves. Place them in the air fryer, turn the heat to 390F degrees, and set the timer for 20 minutes.
Remove basket from oven, and place each meat loaf on a dinner plate. Top with additional salsa — either green or red salsa, if you so desire.
You may also shape this into a single loaf and bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: The first time I made this recipe, I completely forgot to spray the basket of the air-fryer with some oil. I had the most epic mess to deal with later, as bits and pieces of crusty cheese bonded happily with the screen. I tell you, it was not fun. Having learned a painful lesson, I made it again and not only greased the basket, but I also protected it with a special perforated parchment liner that works like a charm both for bamboo steamers and air-fryers. I highly recommend those, although you could improvise with parchment paper and scissors. I am not very gifted with this type of DIY stuff, so I rather amazon-it.
My main modification of Dorothy’s version was to use almond flour instead of bread crumbs, which reduces the carbo-load a bit, and gives a slight nutty flavor which I love. You can definitely go for the traditional bread crumb option, in this case you should add about 1/2 cup.
Dorothy, thanks for the inspiration! Glad you are having fun with your air-fryer, I hope we’ll go on inspiring each other!
Note added after publication: it was brought to my attention a nice review on different brands of air-fryers. If any of my readers is considering such purchase, take a look here before you decide which one to get.
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Bewitching Kitchen 
Love your almond flour substitution Sally! Yours look wonderful! I made them again the other day. We never get tired of them. And you know what? They’re good cold, too.
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oh, I KNOW they are good cold… see? we are basically sisters! 😉
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These sound delicious. I make a similar meatloaf, sometimes individual ones in a muffin tin but I like the air fryer angle. There may be one in my future although I have managed to avoid another appliance.
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I have a tough time resisting new toys… but it’s ok, I think there are worse addictions! 😉
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These sound delicious! I love the Mexican angle, and they sounds so simple to make.
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super simple indeed! four are a bit crowded in the fryer, but still works…
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that looks good as does the tomato avocado salad. I use oatmeal in place of breadcrumbs in my meatloaf. I always have oatmeal on hand.
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good idea, I sometimes do that too.. In fact, I just remembered I have a meatloaf recipe made in the crockpot in which I used oats and totally forgot to blog about… I hope I did not discard the pictures… (sigh)
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Lots of great flavours, I think this might work with chickpeas?
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