I Love to Cook - Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf

Another thing that I love  is cooking and if I can keep it healthy even better!  This is what I made for dinner tonight with roasted veggies. This is comfort food at it's best and guilt free!

Meatloaf is the quintessential American meal. It’s nostalgic, hearty and just plain delicious. Most families have their special way to prepare it. I’m using a few flavorful and healthy twists. The first is to use barbecue sauce instead of the usual ketchup. It’s such a small change but adding the barbecue sauce makes it taste extraordinary. Next, you’ll save a tremendous amount of calories and fat by free forming the meatloaf.  If you prepare it the way your Grandma did, in a loaf pan, the fat soaks into the loaf. With this new way, all the excess fat is left on the pan not in the loaf and then in your stomach. In addition, using lean ground turkey for ground beef cuts the fat. Just by making meatloaf this way, you save over 250 calories and more astounding 38 grams of fat per serving. The skinny for a generous 3 slice serving is 244 calories, 3.3g fat and 5 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 package ground turkey (about 1¼ pounds)
½ cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup + ½ cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays, Bull’s-eye or use your favorite)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 egg whites
¼ teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with foil.
3. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, onions, ½ cup barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, egg whites, salt and pepper and mix well until thoroughly combined.
4. Place meatloaf mixture in the center of the baking pan and shape into a 12 x 4 inch loaf by hand.
5. Spread the remaining ½ cup barbecue sauce evenly over the top of the loaf. Add more if desired.
6. Bake 1 hour and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Serves 4

Food Fact
Nobody is quite certain about the origin of meatloaf.  Most agree that it was a popular, economical meal to make during the Great Depression.  In 2007 it was voted the 7^th favorite meal in the America.

Prep Tip
If you don’t like messy hands when mixing the meatloaf mixture, put the ingredients in a large, plastic bag, seal it, then squish the contents together until well mix