"Kids like ground meat and things they don't have to cut with a knife," cookbook author Melanie Barnard observes in Everybody Loves Meatloaf. "Meat loaf has a nice texture and flavor, and it seems comfortable. It probably helps that it looks like meatballs or burgers, things they already like."
Not only is meat loaf fun to eat, it's fun to prepare, too. "Kids love mixing," Barnard says. "I don't know a kid who doesn't.
"Meat loaf is mushy and fun, and they can get in it up to their elbows," she says.
That's fortunate because finicky children often warm up to the food they cook. "If kids have a hand in making something, curiosity will get the best of them and they'll want to eat it; to claim it as their own."
Barnard suggests allowing children to make their own individual mini loaves. "They can mark their loaf with a little dab of ketchup."
For the best-tasting meat loaf, Barnard recommends using a combination of beef, pork and veal.
"Mix with your hands, but gently," she says. "Spoons tend to attack a meat loaf. Don't overmix or it will become compacted and dry."
To get you started, we've assembled Barnard's favorite child-pleasing meat loaf recipes. Now tell your kids to go wash their hands because it's time to make dinner.
Lisa Chernick is a freelance writer in New York City.
