Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

Published · Last updated · By Martha McKinnon · 82 Comments

Jump to Recipe

WW Recipe of the Day: Light & Healthy Homestyle Meatloaf

This healthy Weight Watchers meatloaf might just be my new favorite meat loaf! This meat loaf bakes up moist and delicious thanks to the addition of lots of finely chopped vegetables and turns out 4 very generous 2-slice servings.

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (1)

Weight Watchers Meatloaf

I decided it was time to get back to basics last night and serve up some meat and potatoes. Rod is a good sport about everything I cook and never complains. But he's a midwest born-and-raised guy who prefers his food simple and straightforward.

Instead of going with what has become my standard meatloaf—Paula Deen's Meat Loaf recipe, I wanted to try something new. After checking out a few options, I decided to try the healthy Weight Watchers meatloaf recipe from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (affiliate link).

How Many Calories/WW Points in this WW Homestyle Meatloaf Recipe?

According to my calculations each serving has 243 calories and:

7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

WW Friendly Meatloaf Recipe Notes

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (3)

Fresh chopped carrots and mushrooms

Chopping all the vegetables requires a little extra work, but I think it was worth it. I find chopping kinda therapeutic, but you could always speed up the process by using a food chopper or food processor (affiliate link).

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (4)

Weight Watchers Favorite Meatloaf

WW Meatloaf Variations

BBQ Cheeseburger Meat Loaf:
Add ½ cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese to the meat loaf mixture and substitute favorite BBQ sauce for the ketchup.
(9 SmartPoints)

Italian Meat Loaf with Roasted Red Peppers:
Add ¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers (not packed in oil) to the mushroom mixture in step 1. Add ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup chopped fresh basil to the meatloaf mixture.
(7 SmartPoints)

Spinach-Feta Meat Loaf:
Add 10 ounces thawed frozen chopped spinach (drained and squeezed dry) and ½ cup reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese to the meat loaf mixture.
(7 SmartPoints)

Enjoy!

Are You Ready To Firmly Plant YourselfOn The Path To Lasting Weight Loss Success?

If you liked this easy meatloaf recipe, you'll want to check out:Skinny Mini Meatloaf Muffins, , WW Homestyle Slow Cooker Meatloaf, , Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew and Skinny 3-Ingredient Sloppy Joes

If you've made this Healthy Meatloaf, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (5)

Save Recipe Pin Recipe Print Recipe Rate Recipe

4.02 from 199 votes

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe

My favorite meat loaf recipe, healthy and delicious that can be varied all kinds of ways. Just 7 Freestyle SmartPoints and works with Simply Filling/No Count Technique.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 4

Calories: 243

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped white mushrooms
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (7% or less)
  • ½ cup quick cooking or old-fashioned oats (not instant)
  • 2 large egg whites (I use 1 whole egg instead)
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup (plus more for brushing on top)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (not ground thyme)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 teaspoon minced fresh)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 4-½ x 8-½-inch loaf pan (affiliate link) with cooking spray.

  • Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet (affiliate link) set over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl.

  • Add the remaining ingredients to the vegetables in the bowl and mix well. Press the meatloaf into the prepared loaf pan (affiliate link).

  • Bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes. Brush additional ketchup on top of the loaf, if desired.

  • Cook until done, an additional 30 to 45 minutes. (An instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should read 160F degrees.)

  • Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Cut into 8 slices.

Recipe Notes

Meatloaf Recipe Variations:

Spinach-Feta Meatloaf:
Add 10 ounces thawed frozen chopped spinach (drained and squeezed dry) and ½ cup reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese to the meat loaf mixture. (7 Freestyle SmartPoints)

BBQ Cheeseburger Meatloaf:
Add ½ cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese to the meat loaf mixture and substitute favorite BBQ sauce for the ketchup. (9 Freestyle SmartPoints)

Italian Meatloaf with Roasted Red Peppers:
Add ¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers (not packed in oil) to the mushroom mixture in step 1. Add ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup chopped fresh basil to the meat meat loaf mixture. (7 Freestyle SmartPoints)

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

6 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe

Amount Per Serving (2 slices)

Calories 243Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Protein 26g52%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy meatloaf, veggie meatloaf

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

Source: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (affiliate link)

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

More Easy + Healthy Low Calorie Meatloaf Recipes for Weight Watchers

For a fun variation, you could bake your meat loaf mix in muffin cups like Hungry Girl did here in this great video...

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (6)Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.

A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.

She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.

A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.

More about Martha McKinnon

This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!

Subscribe to Get: Top 10 Reader Favorite Recipes

The Top 10 Most Popular Recipes (PDF) on Simple Nourished Living + Weekly Support Emails with Tips & Easy Healthy Recipes Not Found Anywhere Else!

Weight Watchers Meatloaf Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

FAQs

What does adding an extra egg to meatloaf do? ›

Eggs Add Structure

Egg yolks, which are mostly water but contain a good amount of protein and fat, add flavor, richness, and moisture. They also help bind the meat together and get the loaf to set in a stable form without the need to overwork the meat.

What is the secret to keeping meatloaf moist? ›

Fat Is Your Friend

This is the reason most cooks choose ground chuck since it has this ideal proportion of fat to meat. During cooking, the fat will liquefy, making the meatloaf moist.

Is meatloaf ok for weight loss? ›

Meatloaf is undoubtedly delicious, but it's not necessarily known for being healthy. In fact, when made using 80% lean ground beef, one pound of meatloaf contains roughly 1,152 calories. But when you cut that down to a serving size of about 4 ounces, it's 350 calories, which seems a lot more reasonable.

What is the best binder for meatloaf? ›

If you don't have any bread, you can substitute it for breadcrumbs, crackers, cereal grains, oatmeal, instant rice, instant barley, or even potato flakes! However, bread is still the best choice of all the potential options.

What not to put in meatloaf? ›

Onions, garlic and celery do pose one problem though: they don't cook down easily. Little bits of crunchy onion or celery or potent, hot garlic will spoil the comforting aspect of eating meatloaf.

What does adding milk to meatloaf do? ›

The wet ingredients you add to meatloaf make it juicy. Using whole milk will add more richness and fat that keeps it from going dry. Along with ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, it gives meatloaf a marvelous texture.

Is it better to bake meatloaf in glass or metal? ›

Metal pans are great conductors of heat; in other words, they heat up quickly, but in turn, they also cool down more rapidly once removed from the heat source. Additionally, metal pans can withstand higher temperatures than glass.

Is it better to cook meatloaf covered or uncovered? ›

Should I cook my meatloaf covered or uncovered? The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

What is the basic meatloaf formula? ›

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

What makes meatloaf unhealthy? ›

Meatloaf, traditionally made with ground beef or a mix of ground beef, pork and veal, is often too high in fat and sodium to be considered healthy.

Is meatloaf bad for a diabetic? ›

Traditional meatloaf is a favorite comfort food, but it's not exactly healthy. This roasted vegetable meatloaf is delicious, and it contains diabetes-friendly foods such as zucchini, peppers and olive oil. It also has a lower fat content than traditional meatloaf while still retaining the flavor of ground meat.

Why does my meatloaf fall apart when I cut it? ›

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs.

Should I use parchment paper in my meatloaf pan? ›

Parchment paper is a great option to line your pan the next time you cook meatloaf. It prevents the meat from sticking to the pan resulting in a meatloaf that is evenly cooked all the way through and looks ready to eat.

What happens if you put too much eggs in meatloaf? ›

Fewer eggs will create a denser and firmer meatloaf that will be more compact and easier to slice, but more eggs can create a more tender and light texture that allows the meatloaf to melt in your mouth.

How does an extra egg affect baking? ›

Too much yolk can overwhelm a dish with "eggy" flavor, and their tenderizing function weakens a cake's structure. Too much white, on the other hand, will create an awkward batter and a dry cake. Using the whole egg gives you the best of both worlds.

Why did my meatloaf turn out mushy? ›

But what causes this to happen in the first place? The most common reason meatloaf is mushy is too much liquid added to the mixture.

How do I make my meatloaf hold together? ›

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Zonia Mosciski DO

Last Updated:

Views: 6207

Rating: 4 / 5 (51 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Zonia Mosciski DO

Birthday: 1996-05-16

Address: Suite 228 919 Deana Ford, Lake Meridithberg, NE 60017-4257

Phone: +2613987384138

Job: Chief Retail Officer

Hobby: Tai chi, Dowsing, Poi, Letterboxing, Watching movies, Video gaming, Singing

Introduction: My name is Zonia Mosciski DO, I am a enchanting, joyous, lovely, successful, hilarious, tender, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.