Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

TURKEY AND QUINOA MEATLOAF

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 (20 ounce) package cround turkey

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 Tablespoon hot pepper sauce

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon water

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat and cool.
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub this paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 16o degrees. Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

TIM'S NOTES: Instead of making this meatloaf free-form, I used a greased loaf pan. Rub the top of the meatloaf with the brown sugar/Worcestershire paste as directed and bake for about 50 minutes as directed and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. And instead of hot pepper sauce (which usually means Tabasco) I used 1 Tablespoon of Chipotle Chili Puree, which I will make a separate post for. I liked the flavor of the chipotle chili puree better.