Sweet Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf: A Home Cooked Favorite
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If you’re a meat and potatoes kind of family, this recipe for home-cooked Sweet Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf will soon be on your list of favorites.
When people think of comfort food, home-cooked meatloaf is often one of the first meals that come to mind. It certainly is for me! Today, I’m sharing my spin on this traditional favorite with this recipe for Sweet Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf.
Meatloaf – A Comfort Food
The Atlantic had an interesting article several years back on the origins of meatloaf. The article includes details on the rise of meatloaf as comfort food during the Great Depression due to its low cost and the flexibility of filler ingredients.
How to make turkey meatloaf
The endless variations in meatloaf have continued to make it a mainstay in many recipe rotations. For our family, the primary deviation from tradition is replacing the ground beef with ground turkey. While ground turkey has significant health benefits over ground beef, on its own it doesn’t have a lot of flavor.
How to Make Turkey Meatloaf Taste Better
What you need:
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Kitchen Tools Needed:
Ingredients Needed:
Here’s what you’ll need from the store. The exact amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
I realized that a meatloaf made out of turkey needs some additional spices and flavorings.
To spice it up for this meatloaf recipe we’ve added:
Plus you’ll need:
- Ground turkey
- Beef bouillon cubes
- Water
- Eggs or egg substitute
- Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce
- Yellow mustard
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion
- Cooked brown rice
- Ketchup, optional
Do you cook turkey meatloaf just like beef meatloaf?
Yes, the entire process is basically the same. Both types of meat cook at the about the same temperature and cooking time.
Sweet Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf: A Home Cooked Favorite
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 2 eggs or 1/2 cup of egg substitute
- 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 Medium Onion finely chopped
- 1 cup of Ritz crackers crushed (1 sleeve)
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- ketchup optional
Instructions
- Put bouillon cubes in water. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Use a fork to break up the cubes and stir to dissolve them in the water. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add eggs, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, brown sugar, salt, pepper and chili powder. Stir until well blended.
- Next, stir in the onion, Ritz crackers and brown rice.
- Add ground turkey and mix thoroughly.
- Transfer the ground turkey mixture into an ungreased loaf pan.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 80 minutes. Top with ketchup and bake 5-10 minutes longer.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions for Sweet Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf
You can serve this with all of your favorite dinner side dishes.
When I think of having meatloaf, I always think of potatoes. We paired the Sweet Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf with broccoli and Roasted Potato and Onion Wedges.
It would also be great with mashed or scalloped potatoes. Who am I kidding? Just about any kind of potato side dish tastes delicious with meatloaf!
If you’re avoiding potatoes for some reason, I’d also suggest Creamy Garlic Parmesan Quinoa with Sun Dried Tomatoes, rice or your favorite pasta.
If you have any Sweet Turkey Barbecue Meatloaf leftover, try serving it for lunch the next day. I love to have meatloaf on toasted bread with melted provolone cheese and ketchup or barbecue sauce. It’s delicious!
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What’s Next?
While you’re here, be sure to check out these easy dinner recipes on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –
- Barbecue Meatloaf Recipe Shaped Like a Mini Football
- Asian Turkey Meatballs: A Lightened Up Recipe
- Easy Turkey Sausage Quinoa: Only 3 Ingredients!
If you enjoyed this barbecue turkey meatloaf recipe, please share it with your friends or pin it for later:
Originally published May 2014, updated February 2020.
Man I love home cooked meals like this. I also love that turkey was used. I don’t eat a lot of red meat, it sits so heavy in my tummy. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Leslie. We love replacing ground beef with ground turkey whenever we can. Hope you enjoy the meatloaf.
Ground turkey is the best way to make a meat loaf! Thanks for sharing again with us at the #WWDParty – have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks, Antionette! Hope you have a great weekend too!
This looks like it’s worth a try, I’m always looking for good turkey recipes.
Me too, Maria! Enjoy – and thanks for stopping by!
We love meatloaf. My father in law, when he was alive, made a wonderful meatloaf, but I am up for trying other versions too! This looks great, and definitely a little healthier than the one I usually make! Thanks for sharing it with us at Foodie Fridays!
Thanks, Michelle. I hope your father-in-law shared his special recipe with you so you can enjoy it and think of him often. Amazing how food can connect us with those we love and bring back memories!
I’ve never had meatloaf but this one looks really good. I love the sound of combining turkey and barbecue flavours and I especially love that thick layer of sauce on top =)
Oh wow. You’ve never had meatloaf? It was a staple growing up in our household, though my mom never served it like this barbecue turkey meatloaf. Hope you enjoy it, Laura!
Yum, I love meatloaf and love the idea of using turkey instead of the usual beef!
Thanks, Joy! We try to use ground turkey in place of beef most days. It especially works great in recipes that spice it up like meatloaf. Enjoy!