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.