Food Trucks.  They’re outside your office building, at the local park, setting up shop in the farmer’s market parking lot–you can find them everywhere these days.  There are even Food Truck parks, specifically set aside for these creative and tasty kitchens on wheels.  The variety, the creativity, and let’s be honest–the dedication of the owners–is something to behold.  Whenever you pull up somewhere and see a line-up like this, you just know you’re getting ready for some tasty morsels.

Food Truck Rally

Last year, we were looking in the paper for something fun to do for the weekend and stumbled across a Chili Cook-Off Even though it was raining, we decided that good weather wasn’t a prerequisite for drinking beer and eating chili.  When we arrived, we realized that we’d stumbled upon a fun establishment that would become one of our regular hang outs–Random.  Yup, that’s the name.  It’s a great local establishment that, while serving awesome craft beers and offering super outdoor settings and fun for the whole family, doesn’t have a kitchen of their own.  Instead, they host a rotating list of food trucks to serve the hungry masses.

That’s where we befriended the owners of one particular truck, Hippie Mommas.  Their tag line ,“Comfort Food With Attitude”, is spot on.  I admit that I love that their brand of food truck food is to rotate their menu based on customer feedback, seasonal food, and basically do what they want.  It’s always an adventure to see what they have on the menu week to week. Everything from simple and delicious lunch fare, like this Turkey BLT with Pasta Salad (and a beer to wash it down, thank you very much!),

Turkey BLT from Hippie Mommas
to creative items like Redneck Sushi.  No, seriously.  There’s bacon and gooey cheese in this version.  Dang.

Redneck Sushi from Hippie Mommas

When I caught up with them at a recent location (they, like may other food trucks, move around day to day) I told them to surprise me.  And DANG, I fell in love with what wound up on my lunch plate.  They were serving a Southwest Meatloaf Sandwich.  Whoa.  Moist, flavorful, and a little kick–it was perfect for that particularly windy and chilly Texas day.  Of course, I begged for the recipe!  Instead, they challenged me to try my own hand at it and then they’d let me in on their secret.

Challenge accepted!

Easy-Southwest-MeatloafI headed home and got to work on trying to recreate this meatloaf that is the thing dreams are made of.  Well, maybe not dreams.  If I’m dreaming about meatloaf, I’m sure there are far too many comments to be made about my subconscious…  While I admit that I didn’t hit their recipe on the mark I DID create a new favorite.  This Southwest Meatloaf is filled with big flavors.  And it’s so easy you can probably toss it together without so much as a trip to the grocery store.  And the best part?  Leftovers are even better!

Now I have to start stalking their truck again so that I can get another taste of their version!  Watch out, Hippie Mommas–I’m comin’ for that recipe!

Southwest Meatloaf Ingredients
Southwest Meatloaf
Print Recipe
Like oh-so-many of my recipes, I love that I can vary the ingredients based on what I may have on hand. In this case, I decided to try and make the meatloaf a tad bit healthier than some by using ground turkey in the mix. Low in fat, and still filled with flavor, the turkey adds a nice, moist element to the dish. And if you like more spice, add it! Completely adaptable based on your palate. Be sure to make more than you think you'll need--those leftovers make awesome sandwiches, too!
Servings Prep Time
8 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
8 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Southwest Meatloaf Ingredients
Southwest Meatloaf
Print Recipe
Like oh-so-many of my recipes, I love that I can vary the ingredients based on what I may have on hand. In this case, I decided to try and make the meatloaf a tad bit healthier than some by using ground turkey in the mix. Low in fat, and still filled with flavor, the turkey adds a nice, moist element to the dish. And if you like more spice, add it! Completely adaptable based on your palate. Be sure to make more than you think you'll need--those leftovers make awesome sandwiches, too!
Servings Prep Time
8 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
8 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a loaf pan with cooking spray.
    Southwest Meatloaf Ingredients
  2. Add the Rotel, corn and green onions to ground meat. Also add cumin, chili powder and garlic powder.
    Southwest Meatloaf Ingredients
  3. Add egg and breadcrumbs to mixture.
    Southwest Meatloaf Mixture
  4. Using your hands (it's the best tool for the job!), mix to incorporate all ingredients into the ground meat. Be sure not to over work the mixture as that can cause the final product to be tough. Mix only until everything is evenly incorporated.
    Southwest Meatloaf Mixture
  5. Place mixture into cooking spray-coated loaf pan. Make sure top is patted to a level consistency. This will ensure even cooking.
    Southwest Meatloaf Mixture
  6. Mix ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in small bowl.
    Southwest Meatloaf Mixture
  7. Spread ketchup mixture evenly over the top of the ground meat mixture.
    Southwest Meatloaf Topping
  8. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, or until the meat begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and the sauce has created a glaze on top of the meat. Serve immediately and enjoy a burst of Southwest flavors!
    Southwest Meatloaf
Recipe Notes

You will SO want leftovers after making this recipe.  A heated slice of this Southwest Meatloaf atop a toasted bun and topped with a slice of provolone cheese will make your lunch so much better than everyone else around you!  Some other uses for this flavorful leftover meatloaf include:

  • Crumble and use it to top nachos
  • Slice it into 1" cubes, place a toothpick in the top of each, and serve as appetizers
  • Mix it into omelets or other egg dishes

Thank goodness for the mind of a food truck owner, giving me such inspiration for a versatile and crave-able meatloaf recipe!

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