Apple butter BBQ turkey meat loaf

To contact us Click HERE

Pictured with mashed fauxtatoes

I like making meat loaf because it's yummy, the leftovers taste good, it's easy to reheat, and you really have to try hard to mess it up. I love the apple butter BBQ sauce from my chicken drumsticks recipe, so I decided to use it in meat loaf for an interesting flavor twist. I thought it would pair well with ground turkey moreso than beef. I also added some tasty spices and sauteed veggies.

I hate using alternative flours as a binder. Almond meal doesn't really work to hold it together unless you add a LOT, coconut flour dries it out, flax or chia can make it slimy, and so forth. I just add an extra egg and powder some dried mushrooms in a spice grinder. The mushrooms add flavor and help hold everything together without drying out the meat. You could experiment with other dried vegetables or even sweet potato chips. If you eat dairy, parmesan cheese works great. Or, don't use any binder and pack everything into a loaf pan, though the slices will be a bit crumbly.

Usually I pack everything for meat loaf into a loaf pan, but I wanted to get a nice BBQ glaze on as much surface area as possible. So, I baked it free-form and brushed it with a few coats of sauce.

APPLE BUTTER BBQ TURKEY MEAT LOAF
Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS

• Half a red onion, chopped
• Half a red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or coconut aminos (use coconut aminos for Whole30)
• 2 eggs, beaten (can use 1/2 cup liquid egg whites if you prefer)
• About 1.25 lbs ground turkey (anywhere from 1-1.5 lbs should work)
• 0.5 oz (weight) dried mushrooms, powdered in a spice grinder
• 1 tsp fat of choice for sauteeing
• 1 Tbs BBQ seasoning (recipe follows) or Penzeys 33rd and Galena spice
• 3/4 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Batch of apple butter BBQ sauce (recipe here; use only the ingredients for the barbecue sauce and perform steps 1 and 2)

For the BBQ seasoning: (note: this makes more than you need for this recipe, but it's nice to have extra around!)

• 1 Tbs ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs paprika
• 1 Tbs onion powder
• 1/2 Tbs chili powder
• 1/2 Tbs salt
• 1/4 tsp rubbed sage
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cayenne

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Make the BBQ sauce and let it simmer while preparing the meat loaf.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the onion and saute until translucent but not brown. Add the bell pepper and garlic, and saute until the pepper is soft. Let cool.
4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce or substitute, BBQ seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add the ground turkey and sauteed veggies, and combine thoroughly with your hands. Add in the mushroom powder, thoroughly combine, and let it sit for a minute or two to absorb some of the liquid.
5. Shape the meat mixture into a loaf on a lightly oiled slotted broiler pan. Pour some of the BBQ into a small bowl (to avoid cross-contamination) and brush a thick coat onto the loaf.
6. Bake for 35 minutes, then brush with another coat of sauce, and bake for 20 more minutes.
7. Remove from oven, brush with a third coat of sauce, and let sit for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve, passing extra sauce on the side.

Posted in: poultry,turkey