Freezing Cooked Meatloaf
Let the cooked meatloaf cool completely before freezing it. Make sure your leftovers or extra meatloaf is cool to the touch before storing it. This will help protect the meatloaf from freezer burn. Freezing warm leftovers causes the steam from the heat to turn to ice and dry out your food.
Cut leftover meatloaf into individual portions. Cut your fully cooked meatloaf into slices the size of an individual portion. This will make it easier to reheat portions without drying them out. Bake your go-to meatloaf recipe in muffin tins and freeze for single servings. Each meatloaf "muffin" will be about one serving size. Meatloaf will get dry if you reheat it for too long after it's already cooked. While it's perfectly safe to freeze and reheat an entire meatloaf, it will be more juicy and tender if you reheat individual portions.
Wrap each portion in foil or plastic wrap and a plastic bag. Wrap it tightly in a layer of foil or plastic wrap. Then, use a freezer-safe, zip-top plastic bag to make air-tight packages. Wrapping the meatloaf helps protect other foods in your freezer from contamination.
Save cooked meatloaf in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cooked meat is best to eat up to 3 months after being frozen. After 3 months, you should throw away any uneaten leftovers. Leftovers in the fridge should be eaten within 1-2 days.
Defrost the portions you want to eat in the fridge overnight. The night before you would like to eat your frozen meatloaf, take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. It will be ready to reheat the next day. This is the safest and easiest way to defrost meatloaf. It also preserves the texture and moistness.
Defrost portions in a cold water bath to thaw them more quickly. If you forgot to take out a slice of meatloaf the night before, you can thaw out a portion more quickly in a cold water bath. Seal the slice in a zip-top bag and put it in a bowl of cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold. Warm the slice in the oven once it has thawed.
Reheat the portions in the oven at 350 °F (177 °C) for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven first. Then bake the meatloaf 20-25 minutes. The exact amount of time will depend on how big your portions are. Wrap each portion in foil to keep juices in, making your leftovers more moist.
Making Uncooked Meatloaf to Freeze
Mix and assemble the meatloaf according to your recipe. Mix all of the ingredients together according to your specific recipe. Assemble it in the loaf pan, and shape it the way you want. Don't bake the meatloaf at all. If you want to make the meatloaf the next day, you can put it in the fridge at this point.
Cover and freeze the meatloaf in the pan for 24 hours. Cover the assembled meatloaf with plastic wrap or foil. Place the pan in the freezer for 1 day. Meat with a higher fat content will be easier to take out of the frozen pan, since the grease will help it slide out. If you are using ground beef in your recipe, look for 85% lean.
Remove the frozen loaf, wrap it in foil, and put it in a plastic bag. After about a day, take the frozen meatloaf out of the pan. Wrap it tightly in foil or plastic wrap. Use a plastic freezer bag to be sure the meatloaf is in a completely airtight package. This step helps better protect the meat and also frees up your loaf pan.
Store meatloaf in the freezer for up to 3 months. Like cooked meat, raw ground meat is safe to eat up to 3 months after being frozen. If your meatloaf has been frozen for longer, throw it out. Meatloaf with freezer burn is safe to eat, as long as it has been frozen for less than 3 months. It will be more dry than meatloaf without freezer burn, but the taste will be the same.
Thaw the meat in the fridge overnight. The night before you are ready to cook your meatloaf, put it in the fridge. The next day, it will be thawed enough to cook. Be sure your meatloaf is still tightly wrapped to prevent the raw meat from contaminating anything else in your fridge.
Thaw the meatloaf in the oven if you didn't defrost it overnight. Place the frozen meatloaf in the oven first, and then set the temperature to 350 °F (177 °C). Cook the meatloaf for 1 1/2-1 3/4 hours. The meatloaf will thaw while the oven is preheating. Depending on how frozen your meatloaf was, it might take a little bit longer to cook completely.
Cook the meatloaf in the pan at 350 °F (177 °C) for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. Put the meatloaf back into the pan. Preheat the oven first, then bake the meatloaf for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 °F (71 °C). To get an accurate reading from a meat thermometer, stick it into the center of the meatloaf.
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