How long to cook frozen meatloaf?

Family dinners have long relied on meatloaf, which can be frozen so that it will be ready on a busy weeknight. You can double the recipe the next time you make meatloaf and freeze the extra loaf to eat later, making it the ideal dish to prepare ahead of time. Before or after cooking, the ground beef mixture can be combined, formed into a loaf, and frozen.

Even though it’s a simple dish, making meatloaf can take some time. You can leave the raw meatloaf in the refrigerator overnight if you have time to prepare it today but won’t eat it until tomorrow. In fact, some chefs think that doing this enhances the flavor of the final dish. Just be sure to tightly wrap or cover the loaf before chilling.

If baking the meatloaf in advance, be sure to let it cool completely before wrapping and storing it in the refrigerator. The meatloaf needs to be baked and consumed within a couple of days.

Put the meatloaf in the freezer until you’re ready to use for any period longer than two days. After combining the ingredients and shaping the loaf, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight freezer bag. In the freezer, raw meatloaf should stay fresh for up to six months.

You must take into account whether the meat was frozen before being used to make the meatloaf. It might not be safe to refreeze it depending on how it was defrosted. The USDA states that it’s safe to refreeze frozen meat that has been chilled. You might want to err on the side of caution and bake the meatloaf before freezing it if the meat was previously frozen and you are unsure of how the meat was handled. To store in the freezer for up to six months, simply allow it to cool to room temperature before wrapping in foil.

How To Make Easy Homestyle Meatloaf Freezer Meal

Simply prepare the meat mixture, form it into a loaf, and freeze it for later use. Or bake it right away for dinner tonight!.

Ground Beef – we used 85% lean ground beef. It has enough fat to keep the meatloaf moist, and lessens the shrinking from higher fat beef.

Bread Slices – plain white loaf bread soaks up the fat in the bottom of the pan while baking. Just scrape it off before serving.

Bread Crumbs – regular bread crumbs were used for this recipe, but panko, seasoned bread crumbs or even crushed saltine crackers can be substituted. (omit additional salt if using the saltines). If you want more fiber, go ahead and use oatmeal or flax meal. Both have lots of fiber and taste amazing in meatloaf.

Egg – we always use large eggs in our recipes.

Barbecue Sauce – your favorite sauce or homemade barbecue sauce adds tangy, caramelized flavor.

Worcestershire Sauce – great for depth of flavor!

Spices – minced onion flakes, thyme flakes, salt, pepper

5 easy steps to cook frozen meatloaf

Follow the directions given below to cook frozen meatloaf:

First of all, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put the frozen, foil-wrapped meatloaf in a shallow baking pan and place the baking pan on the center of the preheated oven rack.

Let the meatloaf bake for atleast 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the baking pan from the oven using potholders. Unwrap the foil from the meatloaf and brush the top of the meatloaf with a glaze if desired.

Place the meatloaf back into the oven and bake, uncovered, for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until it reaches the proper temperature. Place an instant-read food thermometer into the center of the meatloaf to check its temperature, which should register 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

What is the best way to freeze meatloaf?

Put the meatloaf in the freezer until you’re ready to use for any period longer than two days. After combining the ingredients and shaping the loaf, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before putting it in an airtight freezer bag. In the freezer, raw meatloaf should stay fresh for up to six months.

Make Ahead Meatloaf | Freezer Prep