Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Who doesn’t love a dinner that makes the whole family happy? Tonight we’re having meatloaf. I have to double the recipe now, for my family of six, and yes, I know that’s not good portion control, but for one evening, everyone is truly happy. And anyone who has teenagers, a tween, and a toddler, or any combination thereof, knows that’s a tall order.

By the way, “fancy” meatloaf doesn’t cut it. It has to be the plain old Lipton’s recipe, with mashed potatoes. My brother-in-law, George, likes his meatloaf with gravy (his comfort-food-of-choice, I believe), but my family goes with ketchup and hot sauce (thank you, PopPop, for that addition to my kids’ culinary repertoire). Except me, I like mine sans condiments.

Also, it has to be served with mashed potatoes. My mom used to make the best browned potatoes with her meatloaf, and I really love those, but for meatloaf, my family really wants mashed potatoes paired with it.

And added bonus: This is quick prep. Just mix and bake. The individual muffin tins or mini loaf pans make great presentation for kids.

To make this recipe healthier, use ground turkey rather than ground beef. Also, substitute wheat germ for ½ of the bread crumbs and/or substitute baby carrots or sweet potatoes or green vegetables for ½ of the ketchup. For Southwestern meatloaf, substitute barbecue sauce for the ketchup. Finally, if you like a glaze, spread ketchup or barbecue sauce on top of the meatloaf before baking.

Souperior meatloaf

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
2 lb lean ground beef
1½ c bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/3 c ketchup
¾ c water, if needed
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.

Bake 350° for about one hour in 9x13 pan, or about 40 minutes in muffin tins for individual servings or mini loaf pans for 2 servings each.

6 comments:

  1. Meatloaf is also a "go-to" dinner in our house. I've recently been making a meatloaf that I've adapted from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. It's become a family favorite!

    1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
    1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers (Ritz or Town House)
    1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
    1/2 package dry onion soup mix
    2 eggs, beaten
    1/4 cup ketchup
    2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

    Mix the ground beef, crushed crackers, Cheddar cheese, and onion soup mix in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup, and worcestershire in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
    Bake 45 to 60 minutes at 350°.

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  2. I like the Town House crackers instead of bread crumbs and the addition of Worcestershire sauce. And who doesn’t like cheese in everything?! I'll be trying this soon!

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  3. For Valentine's Day Heart Meatloaf is a must in my house with a tomato sauce Brown sugar glaze.

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  4. Kate, Do you have a BBQ chicken recipe for the crock pot that you like?

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  5. Bridget, here’s the one I’ve used with a cooking-lesson client in the past. She and her fiancée loved it.

    Crockpot Barbecue Chicken
    Serves 8
    3 lb chicken drumsticks
    1½ c barbecue sauce
    ¼ c honey
    2 t yellow mustard
    1½ t Worcestershire sauce

    Place drumsticks on unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly brown, turning once. Place drumsticks in a 3½- or 4-quart slow cooker.

    Combine barbecue sauce, honey, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over drumsticks.
    Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 hours.

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  6. You could also just do it with your favorite bottled BBQ sauce. I would try it with my homemade sauce: http://inhomecooking.blogspot.com/2008/07/best-barbecue-sauce.html.

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