This recipe is quite delicious and adaptable to all preferences and formats, so I’m excited to share it with you. I live on the West coast, where we have had a cooler than normal summer. We have had meat and potatoes more than once just to warm up a bit from the wind and fog. I’ve kept quiet about the meatloaf recipe until now, since I know that the rest of the country has been baking in the sun. But school is already back in session and leaves will soon start to change color and crisp cool air will soon introduce itself for the fall season. So why not start making some hearty meals to go with the fall season!

Here is a recipe that I’ve made a few times for a few different occasions. Please note that I am neither a food photographer nor a professional chef, as you can tell from the picture of my meatloaf, shown above. But do not be deterred by the photo’s lack of finesse. The meatloaf more than makes up for that.

The ingredients are as follows:

1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
3/4 cup oats (not steel cut)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic grated/minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

As you can see from the ingredient list, you’ll have most of these items stocked in your kitchen. All I usually need to purchase before making this meal is the ground meat. Mix all of the above ingredients, ideally by hand, and bake the loaf for approximately 55 minutes. For the sauce, over low heat, mix 1/2 cup grated onion with 1 cup ketchup, 4 tbsp brown sugar , 3 tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar), and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Either pour the sauce over each piece as you serve, or poke holes in the meatloaf as it is cooking, and pour the sauce over the loaf in the last 20 minutes of cooking time. This recipe tastes great with mashed potatoes, shredded carrots, steamed cauliflower or green beans, a simple green salad, or over pasta. And there you have it!

What is really great about meatloaf, is that you can make it differently for different people. For example, I like it with browned, almost burned edges, and on the drier side. Then I like to add the sauce over it right before I eat the meatloaf. My husband doesn’t like dry meat at all. So, since it was on the drier side last time I made it, this time I adjusted the way I cooked the meatloaf to make it juicier. I piled the mixture into a silicone bread loaf pan and cooked it in that (as seen above), poking holes in it and adding sauce throughout the cooking process.

My daughter only eats things that look like finger food. Mashed potatoes and meatloaf do not appeal to her. Instead, I gave her bite-sized pieces of steamed cauliflower along with my party version of meatloaf: meatballs. I just took the cooked meatloaf and a bit of sauce and made small meatballs with them, then browned them on the stove in a pan with a hint of oil and voila! You now know how I make my party meatballs! I didn’t give my daughter toothpicks, but I would suggest sticking one in each meatball at a party. Or you could turn the recipe into spaghetti with meatballs for dinner guests. Enjoy the cooler weather and heartier foods, folks!

Brynn is a content writer for Discount Party Supplies. Brynn is currently a stay-at-home mom, bringing up her firecracker of a daughter, Romy. She plays violin in a San Francisco Bay Area symphony, and though she doesn’t have time to host many parties with a toddler at home and another baby on the way, Brynn helps friends plan parties and has even successfully catered a party or two.