Note – This recipe contains oats.
Oats continue to be highly controversial when it comes to celiac disease. Whether or not you consume oats is a personal choice. As a courtesy to my readers, I will identify any recipes that include oats and suggest ingredient substitutes when possible. I use certified, purity protocol oats in my recipes.
***
Today my usual meatloaf recipe gets a spicy BBQ twist and dare I say a bit of a healthy spin, with the addition of ground turkey. I’m calling it a “Turkey-Meat” Loaf!
Why? ????
Sometimes you have to change things gradually. We are trying to cut down on red meat (doctor’s orders), so in this recipe I subbed ground turkey for half of the beef. Instead of ketchup, I used a smokey BBQ sauce. And instead of Italian seasoning I used a BBQ rub with some heat. It was so delicious and moist (and no one was the wiser about the turkey)!
Did you know that gluten free meatloaf can be soggy and falling apart using only breadcrumbs? I use a blend of breadcrumbs, rolled oats and mashed potato flakes for a meatloaf that is moist and holds together when you slice it!
This post contains affiliate links.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. ground turkey
- 8 oz. lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce plus more for topping
- 1 cup of minced veggies (onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. BBQ seasoning
- 1/4 cup gluten free seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- 1/4 cup mashed potato flakes
- cooking spray
Preparation:
Mince the veggies in an electric chopper, you will need about 1-1/2 cups total. Use what you like or what you have on hand, this is a great way to use up bits of veggies you have in the fridge. I used sweet onion, garlic, mushroom and zucchini.
Heat a small skillet with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add the minced veggies and cook over low heat until most of their liquid has evaporated. They will reduce to about 1/2 cup. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
Mix the breadcrumbs, rolled oats and potato flakes together.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce and 1/2 tsp. BBQ seasoning. Add the ground meat along with the cooled veggies. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Be sure that everything is well combined.
Begin adding the dry ingredients to the meat mixture a little at a time, incorporating with your hands.
Mist a loaf pan with cooking spray. I love this silicone loaf pan for quick cleanup! Spread the meatloaf evenly in the pan, be sure to get into the corners. Drizzle a bit more BBQ sauce and use a fork to spread it over the top.
Bake for 35 minutes at 350º. When it’s done, the meatloaf will be browning around the edges and pulling away from the sides of the pan, like this.
I served the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and butternut squash. Everyone loved the smokey BBQ flavors.
Notes ♪♫ My favorite BBQ brand is Stubbs. They have delicious sauces and rubs, everything from spicy to sweet, all gluten free. My favorite is their Smokey Mesquite, which I used in this recipe.
