A meatloaf to please even the pickiest of eaters

Published 3:30 pm Thursday, April 30, 2026

I finished reading the second chapter he requested and looked over from my spot in his bed to find my baby sleeping peacefully. His almost too long, dirty blonde hair nearly touching his eyes, his little feet pressed against my thighs, hands tucked under his chin. I looked down at him and suddenly remembered I had been in this spot before, long ago, with another blonde boy with blue eyes and a freckle on the bridge of his nose.

When my little brother was in kindergarten, I started reading him a chapter of Harry Potter every night as a bedtime story. I would sit on the floor next to his bed and read for him as his little fingers twirled my hair. He was a very active child, and took a long time to settle, so standard bedtime stories were never long enough. I gave him a toy to occupy his hands so he could focus on the plot and tried my best to change my voice with the characters, although, as this was before the movies started coming out, I pronounced many words and names incorrectly.

I always did my best with him, although I was a child myself, and I made a lot of mistakes. Sometimes I was mean or dismissive, and I would groan when he asked me to play, but I always loved the little boy with golden curls, bunny teeth, and pebbles in his pockets. Now he is grown and happy in a home of his own, with a life of his own, and I am so proud of the man he has become.

Just like I do for my son now, I would hide vegetables in my picky little brother’s meals to sneak in some nutrition. I didn’t have my culinary education back then, but chopping the vegetables into a paste successfully fooled him for dishes like pasta sauce and meatloaf.

I know my grown-up Dalton enjoys his veggies (grilled beside his steak), but he would also love this classic, sweet meatloaf with some mashed potatoes and buttery green beans.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef- 80/20 works best

1 small white onion

1 cup zucchini

1 small green bell pepper

1 cup white mushrooms

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

½ to ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs

¼ cup fresh parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp white pepper

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

For the sauce:

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup brown sugar

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a standard loaf pan with parchment.

Chop the onion, parsley, pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini until they are very fine. You can also use a food processor to create a paste that has a better chance of being undetected by picky blonde boys.

Whisk together the breadcrumbs, onion and garlic powder, paprika, and white pepper in a bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the meat, eggs, vegetables, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.

When that is thoroughly mixed, add the seasoned breadcrumbs and mix until combined.

Press the mixture down into the prepared loaf pan, being sure there are no air bubbles and the top is smooth.

Cook for 40 minutes.

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and spread into an even layer on the top of the meatloaf.

Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Let the loaf sit in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing. You can use this time to carefully pour the fat out of the pan into a saucepan to make a quick gravy – add some beef base, cornstarch, and cream for a delicious brown gravy.

Serve with potatoes and something green.