BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

Can I just say yummy?  This was an awesome recipe that I can't take credit for.  I have to modify the recipe slightly because I made a smaller meatloaf, but this is Pat and Gina Neely's recipe.  Everyone loved it!  My 13 month old ate 2 full pieces!!!  Crazy!  Kept asking for more!  And my husband took one bite and said, "Wow!  This is good.  This is turkey?".   Love cooking a meal that everyone enjoys!  It truly brings me joy.  Tonight I served this with a large green salad and homemade sweet potato "fries", baked with only a couple tablespoons of olive oil and some salt & pepper.   Another recipe that will make my rotation.

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

BBQ Turkey Meatloaf
modified from Pat and Gina Neely's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/bbq-turkey-meatloaf-recipe/index.html 
20 oz of lean ground turkey
1 tsp BBQ seasoning (I used Dinasaur BBQ Cajun Seasoning - a famous BBQ joint based in Syracuse, NY but any should work)
 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 T plus 1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, plus 3 T for the top while baking (there is a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce in the link above, but I just used the store bought kind I found on sale)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (I used seasoned breadcrumbs because that's what I had)
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. 

Meanwhile, in a pan over medium-high heat, saute the onion in olive oil until translucent.  Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the BBQ seasoning, Old Bay, soy sauce, worchestershire, egg, and BBQ sauce until well incorporated.  Add the cooled onion/garlic mixture, the turkey, and the bread crumbs.  Mix with your hands (we used rubber gloves) until combined.  My toddler loved this part!  He got to "squish it together".

I forgot to take pictures of the steps in between, so this shot captured the layer of flavors under the turkey :  the "sauce" and onion/garlic mixture.

Ready to "squish" the ingredients together :)

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.  Top with 3 T of BBQ sauce.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Ready for the oven!  We prepared our meatloaf while the baby was napping and placed it in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes before baking time.  I didn't want to pan to be ice cold before going into the oven. 

And the finished meatloaf - smells awesome!  If your family likes BBQ  and likes meatloaf then you will LOVE this recipe.

Serve with your favorite meatloaf sides.  Tonight it was sweet potato "fries" and green salad.  Yummy!  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato "Fries"
4 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into desired french fry shape
2-4 T of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt or more to taste

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Toss the potatoes with olive oil an salt.  Lay them onto the baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes or until tender (depending on how thick your "Fries" are) and turn them half way through the cooking time.  Enjoy!

Before...

And after.  Yummy!