Cowboy turkey meatloaf recipe

Here in the hills of northern Rhode Island, we're surrounded by farms -- goat farms, herb farms, blueberry farms. We have horse farms, too, and plenty of them, but I have yet to run into any cowboys. Still, our village market sells Cowboy Ketchup, a heavenly condiment that's a little bit ketchup, a little bit mustard, and a little bit barbecue sauce. It's good enough to attract cowboys, and maybe that's the plan. You can slather some on a burger, of course. I really love to use it in this cowboy turkey meatloaf, where the sauce adds moisture to the very lean turkey, along with a little bit of the smoky flavor of barbeque. I always have a bottle or two in the pantry, so if you're reading this and you're a cowboy, come on by. I might have a meatloaf or two in the freezer.

Cowboy turkey meatloaf

From the pantry, you'll need: onion, ground turkey, canned tomatoes, egg, dry bread crumbs, cumin, thyme, Cowboy Ketchup, cooking spray.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 lbs ground turkey (93% fat-free)
8 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 large egg
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 tsp each: kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, dried thyme
1/2 cup Cowboy Ketchup or smoky barbecue sauce
10 shakes Rhode Island Red mild hot sauce, or green Tabasco sauce
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray two small loaf pans (or one bread loaf size pan) with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a small nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over low-medium heat. Sauté the onion and green pepper for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the green peppers are soft. Remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool.

Put ground turkey into a large bowl. Add the tomato, egg, bread crumbs, spices, Cowboy Ketchup (or barbecue sauce), and hot sauce. Then, add the cooked vegetables. Mix everything together lightly, with your impeccably clean hands, until just combined.

In the same frying pan in which you cooked the vegetables, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Sauté 1 tablespoon of the meatloaf mixture until brown on both sides, 2 minutes. Taste, and if necessary, adjust the seasoning in the meatloaf.

Divide the meat mixture between the two small loaf pans (or transfer it to one regular loaf pan).

Bake for 55 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven, tent lightly with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes or more before slicing.

Meatloaf tastes great on sandwiches, hot or cold, and it freezes well.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Chipotle meatloaf
Mexicali meatloaf
Quinoa turkey meatloaf
Greek turkey meatloaf
Turkey meatloaf with fig gravy

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Gluten-free maple meatloaf, from Gluten-free Goddess
Turkey pesto meatloaf with tomato sauce, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Grilled turkey meatloaf, from Family Fresh Cooking
Turkey meatloaf with lemon and thyme, from The Lemon Bowl
Curry-inspired turkey meatloaf, from Foodie Reflections

Cowboy turkey meatloaf

From the pantry, you'll need: onion, ground turkey, canned tomatoes, egg, dry bread crumbs, cumin, thyme, Cowboy Ketchup, cooking spray.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 lbs ground turkey (93% fat-free)
8 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 large egg
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 tsp each: kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, dried thyme
1/2 cup Cowboy Ketchup or smoky barbecue sauce
10 shakes Rhode Island Red mild hot sauce, or green Tabasco sauce
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray two small loaf pans (or one bread loaf size pan) with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a small nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over low-medium heat. Sauté the onion and green pepper for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the green peppers are soft. Remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool.

Put ground turkey into a large bowl. Add the tomato, egg, bread crumbs, spices, Cowboy Ketchup (or barbecue sauce), and hot sauce. Then, add the cooked vegetables. Mix everything together lightly, with your impeccably clean hands, until just combined.

In the same frying pan in which you cooked the vegetables, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Sauté 1 tablespoon of the meatloaf mixture until brown on both sides, 2 minutes. Taste, and if necessary, adjust the seasoning in the meatloaf.

Divide the meat mixture between the two small loaf pans (or transfer it to one regular loaf pan).

Bake for 55 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven, tent lightly with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes or more before slicing.

Meatloaf tastes great on sandwiches, hot or cold, and it freezes well.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Chipotle meatloaf
Mexicali meatloaf
Quinoa turkey meatloaf
Greek turkey meatloaf
Turkey meatloaf with fig gravy

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Gluten-free maple meatloaf, from Gluten-free Goddess
Turkey pesto meatloaf with tomato sauce, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Grilled turkey meatloaf, from Family Fresh Cooking
Turkey meatloaf with lemon and thyme, from The Lemon Bowl
Curry-inspired turkey meatloaf, from Foodie Reflections

Comments

I bet the combo of mustard, ketchup, and BBQ is delicious. And typing that up makes me think of Spam Musubi marinated in Oyster sauce, soy sauce, and . . . (I'm blanking on hoisin or teriyaki here) which would make an Asian twist for those Asian cowboys . . .
Thanks, Lydia!

Wouldn't we all love to have a slice of this meatloaf either in a sandwich or with mashed potatoes.

Hmmm, I haven't seen any Cowboy Ketchup in southern RI, but perhaps that is because I haven't been observant. I will definitely need to add some to my pantry. I bet it is perfect in meatloaf.

Yum! I have some ground turkey in my freezer that I have been wanting to use in a new way, so I am now hunting for Cowboy Ketchup. It's no longer listed on the Rhode Island site you mentioned in the link; I googled it and found "Kowboy Ketchup" - is that the same thing? Thanks, Lydia!

I am going to have to get me some of that cowboy ketchup! yum!