During cozy winter months, I always seem to come back to this recipe for yummy BBQ turkey meatloaf.
Truthfully, this meatloaf has been a staple in our house for a while. I first made it back in 2017, and since then, it’s one of Tony’s most requested dinners, along with my homemade turkey sloppy joes.
One of the reasons we love this recipe so much is that it’s easy, packed with feel-good protein, and we always seem to have the ingredients on hand. Likely because I anticipate Tony asking for it.
Ingredients in this BBQ turkey meatloaf
This healthy BBQ turkey meatloaf is made with just a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard or fridge. It’s SO flavorful and couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Olive oil: you’ll need a bit of olive oil to cook down the sweet potato shreds that go directly into the meatloaf.
- Sweet potato: speaking of, we’re shredding up a whole sweet potato and mixing it into the meatloaf to give it delicious moisture and a boost of nutrients!
- Ground turkey: the base of this meatloaf is made with lean ground turkey. You can also use lean ground chicken.
- Produce: we’re also mixing in an onion and fresh garlic, which will give the meatloaf delicious flavor.
- Egg: you’ll need an egg to help bind the meatloaf.
- Bread crumbs: I use Italian style panko bread crumbs for an additional binder.
- BBQ sauce: you’ll mix your fav BBQ sauce right into the meatloaf and use more on top for tons of wonderful BBQ flavor. I love using Stubb’s spicy BBQ sauce! No ketchup or Worcestershire sauce required in this recipe.
- Spices: don’t forget the cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
- Cheese: this BBQ meatloaf is stuffed with melty cheddar cheese, and OMG, it’s incredible.
Wait, sweet potato in meatloaf?
YES! You might be wondering how sweet potato tastes in meatloaf — and the answer is: FANTASTIC. It adds moisture, texture, and both vitamin A & fiber. Don’t worry, if you don’t like sweet potato, you can skip it completely as the meatloaf will still be delicious without it.
Can I make it gluten-free or dairy-free?
- To make gluten-free: simply use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- To make dairy-free: use your favorite melty dairy-free cheese, or omit the cheese. It will still be delicious!
Choose your spice level
I love a kick of heat, but if you’re feeding kiddos or are sensitive to spice, use a regular BBQ sauce and omit the cayenne pepper.
Let’s get cheesy
Meatloaf stuffed with cheese?! Yes, please. The ooey-gooey melty cheese is one of my favorite parts of this meatloaf. We enjoy sharp cheddar the most, but feel free to use any cheese you’d like: pepper jack, Monterey jack, fontina, Colby jack, the list goes on!
How do you know when meatloaf is done?
Your BBQ turkey meatloaf will be done when the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
Incredible BBQ turkey meatloaf in 5 simple steps
- Cook the sweet potato. Start by cooking down the shredded sweet potato in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil for a few minutes so that it softens.
- Mix the meatloaf. Add the rest of the meatloaf ingredients (except the cheese) to a large bowl and mix together well with your hands or a large spoon.
- Shape the meatloaf. Place half of the meatloaf mixture onto a baking sheet lined with tinfoil and shape it into a 10×4-inch rectangle. Top it with the cheese, leaving about 1/2 inch on the sides (so that the cheese doesn’t melt out), then top with the rest of the meatloaf mixture and seal the edges.
- Add sauce & bake. Spread half of the BBQ sauce on top of the meatloaf and bake it up.
- Sauce & serve. Glaze the meatloaf with the rest of the BBQ sauce, let it cool, and then serve! I like to top mine with a little fresh cilantro, too.
What to pair with this BBQ turkey meatloaf
- Make a hearty meal with my Creamy Garlic Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, or The Best Fluffy Moist Cornbread Recipe Ever
- Get extra kid-friendly with Easy Stove-Top Mac and Cheese or my Better-For-You Homemade Spaghetti-Os
- Enjoy it with a salad like my California Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad, or my Manchego Apple Kale Farro Salad
- Try an easy veggie side like my Caramelized Garlic Carrots or my Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan & Chili Crisp
Get all of my side dish recipes here!
How to freeze homemade turkey meatloaf
- Freeze unbaked meatloaf: simply shape the meatloaf, wrap it well with plastic wrap and a layer of tinfoil, and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To cook from frozen, let the meatloaf thaw in the refrigerator before baking as directed.
- Freeze baked meatloaf: bake as directed and let the meatloaf cool completely. Then wrap it well and freeze it for up to 3 months. To reheat it, simply let it thaw in the refrigerator, remove the wrapping, and then bake as directed until heated through.
More cozy dinners you’ll love
- Lightened-Up Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
- Mama’s Veggie-Packed Chicken Meatloaf
- The Best Healthy Turkey Lasagna You’ll Ever Eat
- 30 Minute Skillet Chicken with Parmesan Mushroom Gravy
- Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Sandwiches
Get all of my dinner recipes here!
I hope you love this BBQ turkey meatloaf! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Cheddar-Stuffed Sweet Potato BBQ Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small sweet potato, shredded (about ¾ cup shredded sweet potato)
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (94%)
- 1 small white onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- ½ cup italian style panko bread crumbs (or use gluten free bread crumbs)
- 2 tablespoons low sugar bbq sauce (I like Stubb’s)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like heat)
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 oz sliced sharp cheddar cheese (or ½ cup shredded cheddar)
- For the topping:
- ⅓ cup low sugar bbq sauce
- Optional: Cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in olive oil and sweet potato shreds; sauce for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl combine turkey, onion, sweet potato shreds, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons bbq sauce, spices, and salt and pepper. Use your hands or a large spoon to mix until well combined. I find that it's much easier to combine the ingredients if you use your hands.
- Place half of meat mixture on foil-lined pan and shape into a 10x4 inch rectangle. Top with cheddar evenly, leaving about an 1/2 inch of room on the sides. Top with the remaining meat mixture, enclosing the cheese completely and sealing the sides/edges together.
- Spread half of the bbq sauce on top of the meat loaf, reserve other half for brushing on when meatloaf is finished baking.
- Bake meatloaf for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Top with remaining sauce and allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 4 slices. Top with cilantro and serve with sweet potato fries or a side salad.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on January 16th, 2017, republished on September 14th, 2019, and republished on February 14th, 2026.
Turkey meatloaf is great, but cheddar-stuffed turkey meatloaf?! YES. 😀 Looks fantastic Monique, and I’m so glad this recipe is part of the HGC!
Turkey meatloaf stuffed with cheddar cheese? Well, yes please. I think even my kids would eat this one. Looks delicious! Glad you got to spend some time alone getting organized. Isn’t that the best feeling?
Yes, it felt AMAZING!!!
So awesome to hear you’re taking time for yourself, you’ve been doing amazing things!
Got to try this recipe already from the HGG and LOVED it. It is a close call between this and your meatloaf recipe with zucchini and pepperjack cheese.
Awww thanks Jess!
OMG! We will try it this week. Thanks for always coming up with delicious healthy recipes! You make my tummy happy 🙂
So I have to admit, I’m not a meatloaf person. Its a texture thing – not so much the taste. But I AM a cheese person! Seriously! This looks bomb! And the sauce bbq sauce on the outside: Why don’t more people do that??
Oh my. So here’s the thing. I formed a perfect, cheese encased, barbecue sauce topped meatloaf only to discover the pan of onions, garlic and shredded sweet potatoe patiently waiting on the stove. (Secret admission: I don’t like crunchy onions in meatloaf, so I always sauté the onions and garlic to a golden color before folding into the meat/egg/bread crumb mixture.). So what’s a girl to do?! Knead the barbecue sauce topped, cheese stuffed turkey meatloaf into another platform for a cheese layered, barbecue sauce topped loaf. Double the goodness? Yup. Guilty as charged. This recipe is amazing. Thank goodness for your fabulous blog!!! Oh yea, the rest of my giant sweet potato was sliced and baked to perfection with the loaf.
I’ve made this recipe at least five times. It’s absolutely delicious! My husband and I thank you for sharing your recipe!
So happy to hear that! Glad you two are enjoying 🙂
WOW…this sounds great! I made a meatloaf this morning and wish I had waited. I would have made this one!
Sounds like you are enjoying some hard earned R&R. And these photos??? HOLY HECK. I want to dive in, and I’m not even a meatloaf person!
Sounds SO good. I would love to make 2 and freeze one. Do you have recommendations for cooking from frozen?
Do you have a recipe book we can buy?
This meatloaf was on point! I loved the sweet potato inside for an added kick of veggies. The flavors blended together so wonderfully, and the meatloaf had great texture. I may saute the onions with the sweet potato next time. I used Trader Joe’s Apple Bourbon BBQ sauce because it’s what I had on hand. While not exactly low sugar, it gave the meatloaf wonderful flavor. My only complaint is that the loaf was too small. We didn’t have enough leftovers! I will be doubling the recipe next time 🙂
Three of my meals today were from this site! (Can’t get enough.) This new recipe is wonderful. I was worried about using 99% ground turkey breast, but it was still plenty moist. I added a full layer of pickled jalapeno slices with the cheese layer. With the products I used, it was only 268 calories for a HUGE slice (4 servings total). My husband asked me to make it again before he even finished his plate! Many thanks.
Made this tonight and it was FANTASTIC. Thank you for the new recipe!!
Hi Monique. I’m a new subscriber😃
I made this last night & OMG….it was AMAZING……my husband & 2 boys just LOVED it….
Actually this can be a perfect turkey burger as well. After mixing the ingredients you can make patties & voila…..sooooo good.👍
Would it be okay to use a loaf dish to make this rather than putting the loaf by itself on the baking sheet?
I’ve made this now a few times and it is sooooo good. Thank you!
It’s my favorite too! You’ve inspired me to put it into my weekly menu rotation again.
Yum! Any reason you don’t just bake it in a glass loaf pan? That’s how I normal do meatloaf but thought I’d check. Will definitely be making this when the weather cools down, and I bet it makes amazing sandwiches!
You can do that, but please know you would have to adjust the temp! 🙂
Hi Monique! If baking in a loaf pan – what should the temp/time be adjusted to? Thank you!
I haven’t tested it so I’m not quite sure, sorry!
I made this tonight as I saw it in your instagram stories, together with a lamb’s lettuce salad with grapes, pine nuts and goat’s cheese. Oh my, was it delicious! We still have leftovers for tomorrow, and my husband, who’s a really picky eater, is looking forward to tomorrow’s dinner, so thank you for a great recipe!
I only had to use ground chicken breast as ground turkey is really hard to find all the way over here in Luxembourg.
I’m so glad you guys both enjoyed it (all the way over in Luxembourg)! It’s perfect for leftovers (I had some for lunch the next day).
Made this meatloaf tonight and after realizing no gluten free breadcrumbs were anywhere to be seen and the almond flour was running low, I swapped the breadcrumbs for 1 TB each of almond and coconut flour and it turned out perfectly! SO yummy!!!
Just made this and it turned out great! I couldn’t help myself and added a generous handful of chopped baby kale to the turkey mixture and it worked well 🙂 Really yummy– thanks for the great recipe.
Amazing! Nothing wrong with some extra veggies in here 🙂
I thought this was great, and I do not really eat meatloaf. It was super simple, and also something my toddler liked. Thank you for the recipe!
So great to hear! And happy that it was toddler-approved, too 🙂
This recipe is amazing! Very easy to make and my boyfriend made a lot of good comments so everybody’s happy! 🙂 He almost begged me to keep it in my meal plan rotation. Thanks Monique!
Amazing!! My husband loves this one too 🙂
I really want to try this recipe this weekend or next week. I do not have a 10 x 4 pan….am I able to use any other pan? What do you suggest?
Just use a a large baking sheet and form the meatloaf into about 10×4!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING. First time I have ever made a meatloaf. My husband said it was the best thing I have ever made – THANK YOU! Love your blog so much.
So happy to hear that! My husband loves this one too 🙂 enjoy!
I make this one on the regular. My husband has been away for work and able to cook and was asking me what to make and I suggested this – he did complain it took a while (he’s working on his kitchen speed, ha!) but he LOVES it and has made it 2-3 times since. Love that your recipes are both “man-friendly” and healthy. AK is always a go to resource for us 🙂
I love hearing that! This one can be a little time-consuming if you’re not super speedy in the kitchen, but so worth it 🙂 Glad you guys find some great recipes here!
What size pan do you use?
Any baking that will fit the 10×4 meatloaf will work! A 9×13 should work or larger.
Can I make this the day before cooking?
Yes. Just be sure to wrap or cover tightly before refrigerating.
Like every other recipe I’ve tried from AK, deeeee-lish!! Perfect fall dinner. The kids loved it too!
So happy to hear that, Leah!!
This was so yummy and easy to make!
So glad you liked it!
This was AMAZING!!! I made it for dinner guests and got so many compliments. The flavors are outstanding and the cheese is PERFECT!
So happy to hear that Jessica! Love sharing this one with people.
Can you leave out the sweet potato in the meatloaf? My husband isn’t a fan! Plan on making this week 🙂
Sure! I do it all the time.
Can I leave out the sweet potato in the meatloaf?
I love this meatloaf. I have made it now probably 5-7 times and I always love it. I sometimes don’t mince the onion enough and it’s too strong so I just have to remember to really dice it up. This is the only type of meatloaf I make!
Amazing! I’m glad you love it. Good tip with the onion, too.
I like meatloaf anyway, but add cheese, bbq sauce, AND shredded sweet potato. It’s amazing. I’d eat this multiple times a week if I could. MAKE THIS.
Isn’t the combo amazing?? Glad you love it too!
YUM!! Another homerun, Monique! I have made your twix bars, carbonara and this in the last few days. All SO good!
Amazing!! Sounds like the best few days of recipes – YUM.
Delicious!! I sauteed my onion and garlic in with the sweet potato. I loved your zucchini meatloaf stuffed with cheese but I think this is our new favorite. Cannot thank you enough for all the amazing recipes you provide, my family always loves them.
So happy to hear that, Kristen! Such a great go-to for weeknight dinners 🙂 I hope you keep finding recipes here that everyone loves!
This is the second recipe I have tried since I found “ambitious kitchen.” And, it’s another winner! This was so tasty and easy to make. My husband and I just about devoured the whole loaf. I made it with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted cauliflower. We can’t wait to try another recipe from this site.
Amazing! So glad you’re finding recipes here that you two love. Such a great dinner 🙂
This recipe is amazing!! I doubled the turkey for more leftovers and adjusted the cook time accordingly.
So happy you loved it — one of my husband’s favorites!
So good!!! I’m a pansy when it comes to spice… I can handle a little though, but this is a bit spicy so I cut the cayenne in half. Topping with cilantro makes it bomb.com
Perfect! Super easy to adjust the spice to your preference. Glad you enjoyed!
Just made this for like the fourth time and wanted to rave about how much my family loves this recipe! It’s super easy to make and I’ve used a variety of cheeses- gouda being our latest obsession. As odd as this may sound, I even like to munch on leftovers cold, straight outta the fridge. Anyway, highly recommend this recipe. Tonight we enjoyed it with steamed buttered broccoli + Alexia sweet potato fries on the side. Perfection!
Delicious! Great idea trying different cheese varieties 🙂 sounds like the perfect dinner!
The only meatloaf recipe I make now. Have made multiple time and it’s always delicious.
Love that! Such a great dinner.
Delish😋My hubby is not a fan of meatloaf but he is now!! This is a fantastic meatloaf with so much flavour and is part of our weekly menu☺️
I’m so glad! One of our favorite weeknight dinners, too.
This is one of my favorites.
So happy to hear that!
Great recipe! My fiance doesn’t love BBQ sauce, so I tried it swapping tomato sauce for the BBQ, mozzarella for the cheddar, and keeping the spices more Italian, and it came out great! I make it all the time now – it’s super moist and it freezes well too. Thank you!
Love that idea! Glad it worked out well!
Incredible and super easy! Easily my new favorite meatloaf recipe. I was feeling lazy so instead of layering cheddar in the middle, I just added a generous handful of shredded cheddar to the meat mixture and it came out great. Thanks for another healthy, easy, delicious recipe, Monique!
Perfect! So happy you loved this one!
Made this for dinner tonight for the first time….loved it! Easy to make and so delicious! Why did I wait so long to make it??!!! Thank you for all the amazing recipes, I tell everyone about your site!
So happy to hear that, Tracy! I hope you keep finding recipes here that you love 🙂
This is my absolute favorite meatloaf recipe!! I have made it 5-6 times this fall/winter! It stays so moist because of the sweet potato. My favorite barbecue sauce to use is Lillie’s Carolina style sauce. I love serving it with air fried Brussels sprouts
Love this one, too! So good.
This meatloaf is FANTASTIC! I didn’t modify a thing. (Did add extra cheese and sweet potato though.) This will be a new go-to for me. SO flavorful and delish!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
I want to make this ahead of time. Can I refrigerate and then bake it the next day? Do I need to modify anything?
Absolutely you can! No need to modify anything.
This was delicious! Such an interesting take on one of my fav comfort foods
Absolutely! Glad you liked it 🙂
I must say my favorite meal growing up was always meatloaf, beef-based. So, I was slightly hesitant to stray away from that and try this turkey & sweet potato combo. BUT I can honestly say it’s my new favorite. I mean, WOW. For those of you reading this debating whether or not to make this. DO. IT. It is definitely going to become a staple recipe in my household. Thank you Ambitious Kitchen, you’ve created yet another fantastic recipe. I haven’t found one I don’t like yet. Thank you!
Amazing!! I’m so glad you loved this one 🙂 hope you keep finding recipes here that you love, too!
This meatloaf is so flavorful and my entire family enjoys it. We can’t really taste the sweet potato, but I like the added nutrients it provides so I always add it. This recipe is a real winner!
So happy to hear that! The sweet potato mostly helps to bind the meatloaf together 🙂
We LOVE this meatloaf. It’s very easy to make and pleases everybody! I like to add some chipotle chili pepper, coriander and smoked paprika! It is a great meal prep meal – reheats well!
Love that! So delicious 🙂
This is my first attempt at meatloaf (it isn’t a very popular dish in Australia) and it was delicious! It’s now on high rotation at our house. Thanks for the fabulous recipe.
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This was fantastic and smelled amazing as it cooked! I will cut up the onions even smaller next time as some didn’t cook all the way through. Probably one of the best tasting meatloafs I’ve had.
Great tip on the onions! Glad you loved this one 🙂
I’ve made this recipe many times and it’s delicious!
I’m currently pregnant and due in 2 weeks and was hoping to make this in advance and freeze it for baking later- what’s the best way to do this? Do I form the meatloaf and freeze it raw? or is it better to bake as directed and freeze it? How long would it need to bake after thawing out?
Thanks!
So happy you love it! This one is great for freezing ahead of time. You can shape the meatloaf and freeze it raw (just wrap it well with plastic wrap + tinfoil) or bake it and then freeze it (same thing, just allow it to completely cool beforehand). To reheat it just let it thaw in the refrigerator and then bake as directed 🙂
This was SO GOOD. I went ahead and cooked the onions with the sweet potatoes and used ground chicken instead of turkey… it was delicious!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
So delicious and easy! A perfect comfort food recipe with a bit of a twist. If meatloaf is on the menu, my husband will order it lol so he loves this recipe even more than I do.
I used Buffalo meat instead of turkey. This dish was incredibly delicious!!
So happy you loved it!
Probably one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! Super easy, hearty, and light!!!
I find that this goes well either with some potatoes, or brown rice and some greens (I usually make Brussel sprouts or a salad)
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
My family loves this recipe!! My son requests it all the time. So easy too.
So happy to hear that!
This was SO YUMMY! I am not usually a meatloaf person but I will definitely be adding this to my rotation. Everyone in my house loved it. I subbed rice bread crumbs from trader joes which worked great.
So happy to hear that!
This sounded so great that we’re having it for our Christmas dinner. It’s in the oven now and smells fantastic. Thanks so much! I will try to remember to report back on how it was when I recover from Christmas feast coma. Haha
Amazing! I hope everyone loved it 🙂
Fabulous! Delicious & easy to prepare. My entire family loves it, a go-to in our house.
So happy to hear that!
I made this with ground beef and mozzarella which I what I had on hand and it was great.
Perfect! Such a great dinner!
Loved it, and it sneaks in sweet potatoes for nutrients!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed.
This was great! My husband and I both loved it! The prep definitely took longer than 10 mins though, with shredding the sweet potatoes and dicing the onions and all. But the cooking time was only about 30 minutes before my meat thermometer had it at 160!
So glad you both enjoyed! And noted on the prep time 🙂
LOVED this recipe for a cozy, January dinner. I added shredded zucchini to it too (and a few extra breadcrumbs to keep it together) and it was amazing. Have already recommended the recipe to a few family members and it’s on the list to make again next week!
Perfect! Love that!
WAYYY better than a traditional meatloaf!!! It is very moist and packed with amazing taste!
Cheese inside of meatloaf is genius! My boyfriend, who doesn’t like meatloaf, LOVED this. Definitely a meal we come back to time and time again.
I have made this a few times, and each time I make it it’s even better than the first! So delicious!!!
So happy to hear that!
Amazing! Delicious! Absolutely would make again. Thank you for your hard work in creating these healthy delicious recipes.
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I liked that it was real fast to make. I used my kitchen mixer instead of my hands and it still turned out great. Next time I will have to seal the cheese in better (I rushed through this) so that my cheese doesn’t leak. I will be making again
So easy! Glad you loved it 🙂
I have made this recipe at least 10 times and I love more and more it every single time! It’s BBQ-y and spicy and just perfect! 10/10 recommend!
😍 I’m so thrilled that you’re such a big fan of this one, Abby! Yay!!
My cheese oozed out. Any tips for keeping the cheese inside. Meatloaf was delicious but was disappointed to lose the cheese.
It’s all about how well you seal the meatloaf so just make sure to seal the edges of the meat well!
Delicious! So much great flavor and sooo filling! Can’t wait to try more of your meatloaf recipes!
I have made this recipe many times and it is by far one of my favorites! My husband and kiddos all love it too!
Try it ☺️
This recipe is the most delicious spin on traditional meatloaf. It is amazing to “meal prep” and enjoy throughout the week. Good luck portioning it out, you may eat it all in the first sitting. I kept going back for more…
Haha I’m so happy you love it so much, and agreed, it’s hard to not eat it all!!
I saw this recipe on your instagram stories and want to make this ASAP! Would it be ok to use baked sweet potato?
Do you mean baked and mashed before mixing with the meat? I haven’t tried it, but I think it should be fine! The texture might be a bit different but still delicious 🙂
Had some leftover sweet potato, from making your sweet potato waffles (amazing!!). When I saw this meatloaf recipe mentioned I knew it was meant to be! This was so easy and delicious!
Fabulous!! So glad that you loved both those recipes 🙂
I made this recipe for supper tonight and it is now going to be my go-to meatloaf recipe! Loved it!
Oh YAY! SO glad you loved it, Alice!
I usually don’t like meatloaf, but this one I think will be my regular. It is nutritious, tasty, and easy to make. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Yay!! So happy you loved it, Diane!
Super quick and easy weeknight meal to throw together. I’ve made this several times and my husband loves it too.
Nice!! My husband is totally obsessed with it as well haha.
Super quick and easy weeknight meal to throw together. I’ve made this several times and my husband loves it too.
Made this tonight for dinner, my teenagers and husband loved it, and they can be picky eaters. I’m always trying new recipes to make them happy and this one succeeded! Used beef instead of turkey, just what I had in the fridge.
Kicking myself for not doubling this bc my children devoured it…next time. So good!
This recipe is easy to make ahead of time and bake later. It’s rich with flavor! Even my kids love it (we just don’t add the cayenne pepper). Highly recommend!
Yes such a good make-ahead meal! Happy you and the fam love this one 🙂
This recipe is in our constant rotation- my picky husband loves it as much as I do! I usually make with what I have on hand, and it has turned out well with subs like oat flour for bread crumbs, or making without the sweet potato.
A must have! This recipe is amazing and my kids (4 and 2 years old) love it too! Healthy, moist, and tangy from the BBQ sauce. We make this weekly!
I’m so glad you all love it! Perfect for kiddos 🙂
Delicious! Very easy to make.
I’m so glad! Thanks for the review, Bethany 🙂
This meatloaf is soooo good!! It’s very easy to make and goes well with a side of mac ‘n cheese! Highly recommend! Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
I’m so happy you love it, Megan! YES to the mac n cheese on the side 🙌🙌
love this recipe! Even my 3 year old, who dislikes meat (and most foods) scarfs it. I’m too lazy to sauté the sweet potato so I just add Iraq and it still turns out perfectly.
Very excited to try this! I did put the ingredients in mfp and it showed up as 450 cals per serving. Not bad just wondering how you got the 298?
Hi! Thanks for the note! We just recalculated, and the calorie count was just slightly higher than the original (we just updated it!) but it can depend on the BBQ sauce you use (we use a low sugar bbq sauce) as well as how lean the turkey is 🙂 Hope that helps!
I made this meatloaf for the first time as a double batch for my sons birthday party and everyone wanted a recipe. They said the meatloaf was absolutely amazing and they never had anything like that. I am making it today again and wanted to thank you for this delicious recipe full of flavors and again you just proved for me I can always find a hit here in any kind of recipe. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Aw thank YOU, Jana! I’m so thrilled to hear everyone loved it ❤️
OUTSTANDING! A delicious combination of flavors, will definitely be on our meal rotation. Thank you 🙂
Another winner- really tasty family meal! My husband liked that he was able to customize his portion with spicy BBQ sauce on top. I will say my prep took way longer than 10 minutes but it was still an easy to follow recipe with delicious results.
Subbed mashed butternut squash because it’s what I had on hand – so good, even my kids ate it!
Yay! SO happy to hear this recipe came out great and that it was a hit!
I am utterly obsessed with this recipe. I have probably made it 100 times. It is so satisfying while being pretty lean and nutritious. The shredded sweet potato is genius and gives it the perfect meatloaf texture.
Enjoyed it would use less cumin for my taste when I make again. It was moist and delicious.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this recipe, Diane!
Super easy to make and toddler approved! Served with a side of frozen veggies and garlic tingling potatoes. Great recipe to make while the baby naps and then slide into the oven for dinner time!
Yum! So glad this recipe turned out for you, toddler approved is ALWAYS a win ❤️
Do you cook the sweet potato first or shred a raw sweet potato?
You’ll shred a raw sweet potato.
To be honest, I’m not a big fan of meatloaf, but my husband is. I decided to make this, as it looked like something I could stomach, and I thought he’d enjoy it. It turned out great! I’m not going to say it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever eaten, but for a meatloaf it was pretty good! And my husband did indeed enjoy it, especially the cheese. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was sautéing the onions along with the sweet potatoes, then added the garlic in to saute for the final 30 seconds. Added the recipe to my list of repeats, as my husband said he’d like to eat it again.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, Anna! Thank you for the comment 🙂
Both my husband and I LOVE this meatloaf, and neither of us are meatloaf people. Honestly, I can’t be bothered to sauté the sweet potato so I have always just finely grated a carrot and mixed it right in instead and it works great! I use Stubb’s spicy BBQ sauce and it’s so good. This is a go-to meal in our house. Thank you for another delicious, creative recipe! ❤️
Sounds fabulous! Happy to hear you both are loving this recipe and it is a hit 🙂
This is SO GOOD!!! One of the tastiest meatloaves I’ve ever had. Ground turkey is perfect because it is so mild tasting it doesn’t compete with the other ingredients, letting them shine. I followed the recipe exactly except that I sautéed the onion with the grated sweet potato because I am very sensitive to onions and need them to be really really cooked. I used about 1/4 tsp cayenne and for me it was the perfect amount of bite without being too hot. Make sure to use bbq sauce that you like because it is a dominant flavor. My husband and I had it last night for dinner and again today for lunch. We’ll be fighting over the little piece that’s left.
Great tip to saute those two ingredients a bit first! And YES to using a good BBQ sauce. Glad you both enjoyed!
This is a yummy and unique take on meatloaf and I love using low sugar / paleo ketchup and bbq sauce to make it healthier!
This is a keeper. I make it exactly as written in the recipe and it never fails! Both my daughter and daughter-in-law make this meatloaf often, too.
Made this for a weeknight dinner with mashed taters and green beans on the side. Doubled the recipe for meal prep and it cooked perfectly without needing to increase the cook time, etc. another win from AK 🙂
Love it! Perfect dinner 🙂
I am so glad I made this meatloaf. Easy to make and it was delicious. Better the second night! I had all ingredients on hand except for BBQ sauce. I had ketchup, jar of salsa sauce opened and a jar of Rao’s marinara sauce opened. I went with the marinara sauce and it went well. I shredded up 2019 reserve white cheddar and it is very sharp. Excellent addition to this meatloaf. I cut cumin in half as I find it very strong. Would make this again and again. I’m not a big fan of BBQ sauce as I don’t eat pork or red meat.
I’m glad you found this one! Perfect dinner – and that reserve cheddar sounds delicious.
This recipe is a staple in my household. It is so delicious ! I accidentally made it with ground chicken instead of turkey once, and actually prefer it !!
You can always swap the two (ground chicken and ground turkey) and it will still turn out! Perfect dinner 🙂
Really great meatloaf! Flavorful!
One of our favs! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Love this recipe and so will everyone else.
Absolutely!
Oh my goodness this sweet potato stuffed cheddar meatloaf recipe is absolutely fabulous! Easy to prepare, bake and smells woderful. I have made this recipe several times. Today I decided to get creative. I added 3 finely diced scallions, a handful of fresh diced cilantro, 1/2 cup of shredded zucchini and 1/2 cup of shredded sweet potatoes, 3/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats and 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs…additional spices: tumeric, nutritional yeast, coriander and annatto. I know I got a bit crazy with the recipe! Everything infused together so nicely and the flavors were wonderful! You can make this recipe your own and add some creativity or stick to the original recipe. Ambitious Kitchen inspires me to get bold in the kitchen and have fun!
So good!! Glad you loved this one (and great additions!)
We loved the combination of flavors in this meatloaf. It smelled so good while cooking. Definitely a keeper with both my husband and I.
One of our fav weeknight dinner, too 🙂
Making this now! Very excited !
How do I save the extra shredded sweet potato?
Freeze?
Yes, feel free to freeze it!
I love this recipe so much. Healthy, filling, and relatively easy. Thank you!
So happy to hear that!
I come back to this one again and again! Yum! I like it with and without the cayenne. I usually make it in the oven but it’s also been delicious baked in the smoker (with hickory) when I want to fill the oven with sheet pan veggies.
In the smoker sounds amazing!!
I haven’t made this in years, but made it this week and forgot how easy and tasty it was. I easily upped it to 1.5x the recipe (still used just 1 egg though) and it came out great. An oldie, but a goody!
So good!! I need to make this one again soon, too 🙂
Wow! So delicious! I didn’t have cheddar so used mozzarella since I had some I shredded. That was my only change. Family said it was a keeper!
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!
I don’t have any sweet potatoes on hand…..maybe carrots could work?
That should work!
My favorite meatloaf recipe! So so good
So happy to hear that!
My husband made this for me for my birthday. Sooo delicious. We only had ground pork, but I imagine this is a stellar method for whatever meat you have.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Could I make these into mini meatloaves using a mini loaf pan? I’m assuming just decrease the cooking time
Absolutely! Yes, the cook time will depend on how small the meatloaves are, so I’d start around 30 minutes and recommend using a meat thermometer!
Just made this recipe for the first time and it was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe almost exactly (I’m not a fan of raw garlic so I sauteed it with the sweet potatoes), and it was cooked through at the 50 minute mark. The only nit pick I have was that temp and time did not result in a cheesy melty center like I hoped, but that could just be my oven and how I shaped the loaf. I think next time I’ll omit the cheese because it did feel a little unnecessary, and add a little more cayenne because my husband is a spice fiend. I also calculated the nutrition information using the ingredients/brands I bought and it came out to around 500 calories per slice (I cut it into eight slices) which is fantastic. Highly recommend.
So glad you loved it! You can absolutely make it without the cheese if you’d like, and I’m all about adding more spice.
I make this often and it is always a hit! Everyone always asks for the recipe. It is healthy and great comfort food!
So happy to hear that!