Easy BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

I never used to be a meatloaf person. If I had ground turkey in my fridge, meatloaf was never one of the things I would think to make with it. Then I discovered how quick the prep for meatloaf is. With under 10 minutes of prep time, I can have an actual meal on the table for the family within an hour, without me having to ever touch it again. That's my kind of meal! To make things even easier, I used BBQ sauce in this recipe to add big flavor without a long list of ingredients and spices. I also used a flax egg in this meatloaf to help bind everything together and no one even detected a difference in taste from the traditional meatloaf. Because this is egg-free, the BBQ sauce also added some moisture to the meatloaf that it would otherwise be missing from the liquid that the egg provides.

I grab my BBQ sauce at Trader Joe's (we use the Organic Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce). With Hudson's soy allergy and my corn allergy, it's tough to find a clean BBQ sauce that has minimal allergy-friendly ingredients (no soy or corn syrup/starch) and is a decent price so this is my go-to every time. It's also perfect for the kids because it's not spicy at all.

This meatloaf is only 6 ingredients and super easy for a weeknight dinner! Hope you enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1.25 lb ground turkey (I use 93% lean)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 cup BBQ sauce + 2 Tbsp for topping

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water, mixed together)

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add prepared flax egg, 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, paprika, and BBQ sauce to large mixing bowl. Stir to combine flax egg well with BBQ sauce and other spices.

3. Add ground turkey to bowl. Mix with sauce and spices until just combined, being careful to not over-work the meat.

4. Put meatloaf mixture onto prepared baking sheet and form into a loaf, about 1.5 - 2 inches thick (be careful not to make the meatloaf too thick or it will not cook through).

5. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Brush top of meatloaf with remaining 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce and continue cooking for and additional 10-15 minutes, until the thickest part of the meatloaf measures 165 degrees internally.

6. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe Notes:

1. Ground beef can be substituted - stick with a leaner option to prevent excess fat from draining out.

2. A chicken egg can be substituted for the flax egg if there is no allergy, but the amount of BBQ sauce will need to be decreased slightly to accommodate the extra liquid in the egg.

3. Additional BBQ sauce can be topped on the meatloaf after cooking if desired.

4. This can easily be made Whole30 & Paleo by using a BBQ sauce that is free of sugar (Whole30) or refined sugar free (Paleo), such as one from Primal Kitchen.