Honey Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf

Confession: I just finished cleaning up the dishes from my Christmas baking marathon this morning.

Awful, right? It’s been the very definition of a lazy week here. I really wouldn’t mind if I didn’t see another dirty dish for a few days (or weeks…) 🙂 Due to said sinkful of dishes, I’ve been less than motivated to cook dinner this week. We had leftovers one night and might have ordered take-out on a few other occasions. The thing is, we actually have food in the house, and it makes me feel really guilty when we spend money to order in when there are a ton of options available to us here. So, last night I put a stop to the madness and revisited this meatloaf recipe that I’d made earlier in the month.

Meatloaf can be pretty divisive, people either seem to love it or hate it, and as you’ve probably guessed, we are big fans. It’s such an easy meal and to me, is pure comfort food, especially when served with a big helping of mashed potatoes on the side. I always make ours with ground turkey but you could definitely substitute ground beef if that’s what you prefer. I used a slightly spicy barbecue sauce for this recipe, and we enjoyed the sweet/spicy flavor combo we had going on. The recipe only dirtied one bowl and since I always line my baking sheet with foil, clean-up was an absolute breeze. Combined with the deliciousness factor, this one is a total win all-around!

Honey Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf
adapted slightly from Fake Ginger (originally from Can You Stay for Dinner?)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce, divided
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided
2 tablespoons honey, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb ground turkey

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Add the panko breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of the worcestershire sauce, the mustard, 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, the salt and pepper to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the ground turkey and use your hands to gently mix until just combined – do not overmix.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet. Shape into a rounded loaf. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey and 2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Pour about half of the mixture over the surface of the meatloaf and spread to coat; reserve the remainder for serving.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center registers 170 F. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve with reserved honey barbecue sauce.