This is a very good natured meatloaf, it really takes all sorts of rough treatment and arrives on the kitchen table tasting delicious.  By rough treatment, I mean it can be half or fully assembled ahead of time, you can choose between beef or turkey and if you over cook it because you were doing the school run, it won't mind a bit. I over cooked this one by about 20 minutes but it was still devoured.  Pair it with mashed potatoes and green beans and there you have it!

I think the secret to this meatloaf is that it is slightly sweet, so of course it's exceptionally child friendly.  The caramelized onions help for a start and the glaze, made with ketchup, maple syrup and A1 Steak Sauce,  just tops it off (excuse the pun).  I would just add that if you are going the turkey route, I would give it a few extra shakes of the wrist when adding the steak sauce, it just gives it an extra "pep."

If you're lucky it will do a couple of meals, for which I believe every mother is grateful.

Here's what you'll need:

For the meatloaf

2 lbs of ground meat (beef or turkey)

2 onions

a good gulg of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

2 eggs

salt and pepper

a large handful of fresh chopped herbs (parsley, oregano or even sage would be good, or a combination)

1 tablespoon of  mustard

1/2 cup of dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup of ketchup

3 tablespoons of A1 Steak Sauce

For the glaze

1/4 cup of ketchup

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

1 good dash of A1 Steak Sauce

Preheat the oven to 350F

In a saute pan warm the olive oil, add the onions on a medium to low heat and cook for about 8 minutes, add the garlic and continue cooking until the onions are caramelized.  Remove from the heat to cool.

In a large bowl gently mix all the other meatloaf ingredients until combined.  Add the onions and garlic and combine.

Place the meatloaf mixture in a baking pan and shape into a loaf.  (You can refridgerate it at this point if you wish)

To make the glaze just whisk together the ingredients and spread over the top of the meatloaf.

Place in the oven for about an hour  or until completely cooked through.  The internal temperature should be at least 160 degrees.

Remove from oven, let set for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a serving dish leaving behind any fatty juices that may have formed.

Serve with mashed potatoes, string beans are wonderful with this and of course LOTS of extra ketchup.