Can you freeze Traditional Meat Loaf?
Bake meat loaf without glaze. Securely wrap cooled meat loaf in foil, then freeze. To use, partially thaw meat loaf in refrigerator overnight. Prepare and spread glaze over top; reheat on a greased shallow baking pan in a preheated 350° oven until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.
Savory Meat Loaf: Omit shredded carrot. Saute 1/2 cup chopped green pepper with onion in 2 teaspoon canola oil until tender. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 minute. Cool slightly. Combine with the egg, milk, bread, cheese, salt and pepper. Add 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary. Proceed as recipe directs.
Traditional Meat Loaf Tips
Do you have to put milk in meat loaf?
No. While milk is a popular ingredient in meat loaf, you can use other liquids such as vegetable juice or broth, or even finely chopped mushrooms, which release a great deal of moisture. The milk or other liquid binds with the bread crumbs and eggs to create meat loaf’s familiar, sliceable, homey texture. Our popular
Sweet-and-Sour Meat Loaf recipe uses tomato sauce as its liquid ingredient.
What does bread do in meat loaf?
Bread is a binding agent for meat loaf—the magic happens when it’s mixed with eggs and liquid.
How do I make my meat loaf moist?
To ensure moist meat loaf, avoid overmixing the ingredients. Overmixing can make meat loaf tough instead of tender. Also be sure to use a fatty enough cut of meat—you want a meat or combination of meats that’s 90% lean or less.
Should meat loaf be cooked covered or uncovered?
It depends on the recipe. Glazed meat loaves like this one tend to get a bit sweet and caramelized when you bake them uncovered—and that’s exactly what you’re looking for in a tomato and brown sugar topping. For other variations, check out more
meat loaf recipes.
Research contributed by Christine Rukavena, Taste of Home Book Editor.
Nutrition Facts
1 slice: 394 calories, 21g fat (10g saturated fat), 128mg cholesterol, 843mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (15g sugars, 1g fiber), 28g protein.