This Cheese Stuffed Turkey Quinoa Mushroom Meatloaf with Sriracha Barbecue Sauce has a “Wow” factor that will please the pickiest of eaters.
Do you like surprises?
I had all good intentions of making a super light meatloaf recipe with lots of vegetables tucked in…and look what happened. “Cheese Stuffed” is what happened. Yup, I just couldn’t resist. It happened the day I made our little puppy a squeaky toy with four squeakers sewn into a pair of old socks. Somehow, as I saw how happy our pup was to find the surprise squeakers in the socks I had sewn together, the idea of having a surprise in the center of the meatloaf popped into my head.
My kids are not fans of quinoa or mushrooms so I’m always trying to figure out ways to sneak them into their meals. They love my Balsamic Glazed Roasted Vegetable Turkey Meatloaf so I knew if I stuffed this meatloaf with cheese and made a bold spicy glaze, they wouldn’t be able to resist.
I used a sharp cheddar cheese for more flavor and laid a few strips of it in the center of the meatloaf. No pan required.
Next, I covered the cheese up by folding the sides of the meatloaf on top of the cheese. Hint: I keep a pack of food-safe disposable gloves handy for messy recipes like this.
Finally, I slathered a punchy Sriracha and Spanish smoked paprika spiced barbecue sauce on top.
 This meatloaf baked until the cheese was ooey and gooey inside and the sauce became nice and caramelized.
Take a peek at the inside of this decadent meatloaf. Who can resist?
Although there’s melted cheese in the middle, this meatloaf is still healthier than most, with quinoa and lots of vegetables stuffed in – bell pepper and a whole pack of mushrooms –Â and it’s super flavorful. I seasoned the meatloaf mix with soy sauce and South African smoked seasoning blend (from Trader Joe’s, my recent favorite find), and spiced up the barbecue sauce with sriracha and Spanish smoked paprika.
The cheese just oozes out of this meatloaf when you cut it. My kids couldn’t believe I served this to them for dinner. Of course, they never guessed all the healthy ingredients I tucked into it. ;).
Turkey Quinoa Mushroom Meatloaf with Sriracha Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 ounce package mushrooms trimmed
- 1 medium onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 5-6 grinds of South African smoked seasoning blend or 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cut into long strips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Place quinoa, garlic and egg in food processor and process until almost smooth. Remove to large mixing bowl.
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Heat pan with olive oil over medium heat; meanwhile, pulse mushrooms in food processor and process until finely chopped; add to pan. Pulse onion in food processor and process until finely chopped; add to pan. Pulse bell pepper in food processor and process until finely chopped; add to pan. Cook vegetables until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with soy sauce and pepper. Let cool. Place in bowl with quinoa mixture. Stir to mix well. Add turkey and mix well.
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Shape into a loaf on a Silplat lined or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
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Insert cheddar cheese in center of meatloaf. Use hands to reform meatloaf so meat mixture covers cheese.
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In a small bowl, mix together barbecue sauce, sriracha sauce and Spanish smoked paprika. Spoon over meatloaf to cover tops and sides.
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Bake 50 minutes to an 1 hour depending on how thick you make your meatloaf. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.
Woa Jeanette – this is one incredible meat loaf! Love your use of quinoa and mushrooms – and look at that melty cheese…
Thanks Shashi – funny how your mind just starts have crazy thoughts as dinner comes together 🙂
sounds interesting this recipe is.
This is such a genius idea! Cheese in the middle makes this look like perfection! Great post! Pinning!!!
Thanks Rachel!
This is a cheese (and sriracha) lover’s dream come true! My husband would be all over this!! I made a turkey meatloaf several weeks ago and 1) didn’t have stuffed cheese 2) made sriracha ketchup rather than bbq. Trying soon!! Pinned 😉
Sriracha definitely makes meatloaf better doesn’t it. The cheese stuffed idea is great for a surprise dinner 🙂
Wow, that looks like an amazing meat loaf! I love all that cheese oozing out! Pure comfort food.
Thanks Kelly – this is definitely comfort food!
Sometimes you just have to stuff things with cheese! That is one amazing looking meatloaf, gooey cheese and all.
Thanks Dara – I agree, this is one of those “naughty” dinners – I just couldn’t resist 😉
Thanks for this lovely share, I really need to try this 🙂
Thanks Lily 🙂
Sounds delicious!
Thanks Kalyn!
Wow, this is the ultimate meatloaf! Adding the quinoa is such a great idea! Meatloaf is one of my husband’s favorite and he would love the cheese stuffing and the sriracha! 🙂