Cheesy BBQ Turkey Meatloaf
“A moist turkey meatloaf that’s perfectly seasoned, loaded with Colby jack cheese and brushed with BBQ sauce! Serve with potatoes and roasted veggies for an amazing dinner!”
What is the one homemade meal you turn to when you’re not in the mood for cooking? For me, here lately it’s been meatloaf. I’ve never really been a huge meatloaf fan, I mean, I like it but it’s not something I make often. However, this cheesy turkey meatloaf has been in heavy rotation.
I know what some of you are thinking, “ughhh turkey meatloaf…dry, bland, boring… booooo!” . I can assure you that this turkey meatloaf is none of that!
It’s full of savory spices, sweet and smokey BBQ sauce and cheese…baby it’s got flavor! And adding whole milk and olive oil to the mix creates one juicy, moist meatloaf with a tender texture.
Like seriously what do you have to lose here!? Try it!
This cheesy turkey meatloaf pairs up well with so many side dishes and creates such a wholesome filling meal! Here are some of my favorite side dish combinations for this turkey meatloaf.
- Potato salad, green beans, dinner roll
- Fried potato rounds, sweet peas, molasses roll
- Corn on cob, rice, baked zucchini
- Mac n cheese, broccoli, honey butter yeast roll
Did I mention how quick this comes together? Sure you have to saute the onions and garlic but after that, it’s all one bowl. It’s even great the next day. I usually have to double the recipe so that my husband can make his beloved meatloaf sandwich.
If you’re feeling creative try changing up the cheeses a bit. Smoked cheese is so good in this OMG!
Enjoy!
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/2 -3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed (or seasoned bread crumbs)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, use your fav.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 2 teaspoons parsley, plus more for grnish
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3/4 - 1 cup Colby Jack cheese, cut into tiny cubes
- Favorite BBQ sauce, to spread on top (I used Stubb's Sweet Heat BBQ sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Lightly grease an 8.5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onions and saute until tender.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl add the cooked onion & garlic, ground turkey, crushed croutons, and egg.
- Mix together ketchup and BBQ sauce and add to the bowl.
- Add in salt, pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, sage, and parsley.
- Add in milk and mix JUST until combined. Do not overwork the meat.
- Fold in cheese.
- *optional*Fry up a tinyl test patty if you want to check the seasonings.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out.
- Brush the top with BBQ sauce and sprinkle with a bit of parlsey.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes (may need more time depending on the type of pan you use. See note*)
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
This meatloaf was good. Made this with Jack Daniels barbecue sauce. Perfect!
With more than a bit of trepidation I made this for my kids husband and grandkids. Usually we use the meatloaf blend pork beef veal so turkey? Hmmm…oh my good freaking lord this was probably THE BEST meatloaf EVER! It was a snap to put together and yes you have to check the temperature to be sure it’s done but let me tell you…once you make this there’s no going back absolutely delicious!
Delicious, thank you! I think we can even call this fool-proof, because it’s one of the first dishes I’ve cooked on my own!
This meatloaf turn out really great. My family just love it. I going make it again ❤
Monique how lean is the turkey used for this recipe?
I’ve made this meatloaf at least 10 times, we love it. It’s my go to for meatloaf. If we aren’t in the mood for bbq, I just tweak it a little. The base meatloaf without the bbq and cheese is also delicious. (I just double.up the ketchup and use it for the glaze on top as well.)