New to Freezer Meal? Start with this Awesome Freezer Meal Meatloaf.
Today’s recipe: Awesome Freezer Meal Meatloaf! No, wait! Keep reading! I know for some of you, the thought of meatloaf brings to mind an unappetizing meal of dry, brick-shaped meat served at the school cafeteria.
Poor meatloaf has much in common with Fruitcake when it comes to having a lame reputation and being the brunt of jokes. The thought of a dry slice of meatloaf sitting on my plate doesn’t exactly get me excited. However, when I tried this Awesome Freezer Meal Meatloaf recipe several years ago, I knew that this was going to be one of the best meatloaf recipes.
By using oats instead of bread cubes, you’ll end up with a more crumbly meat combination. This recipe will give you a slightly sweeter result from using BBQ sauce instead of ketchup.
When I made this Awesome Freezer Meal Meatloaf the other day, I found I was out of BBQ sauce. Instead of running to the store, I tried a combination my friend Heidi uses: ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce, adding a little of each until it tasted just right. It’s better than store-bought and ridiculously easy.
We also like to have some extra BBQ sauce on the side for dipping. The onion and parsley add a nice flavor to this Awesome Freezer Meal Meatloaf.
I simply use lean ground beef and a meat thermometer and have never had this meatloaf turn out dry. Mix it by hand until just blended, or it’ll turn out tough.
Instead of forming the finished mixture into a loaf pan, I make smaller free-form loaves on a rimmed baking sheet or dish.
You could also make individual servings by forming mini loaves in a lightly greased standard muffin pan. With any of these options, you’ll end up with a greater portion of the crust nicely browned. Yum.
This Awesome Freezer Meal Meatloaf recipe will make 2 smaller loaves. Eat one right away and freeze one for later. Or buy ground beef on a good sale, make a big batch, and stock the freezer with meatloaves for a rainy day.
Freezing one generous loaf per disposable square cake pan would work well. Wrap in plastic wrap, then foil; label. When you’re ready to use your freezer loaves, simply take them out ahead of time and thaw them before baking as instructed.
Awesome Freezer Meal Meatloaf
Ingredients
½ cup BBQ sauce (barbecue sauce)
½ cup oats
¼ cup yellow onion - minced
2 tablespoons parsley - chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium egg white - lightly beaten
1½ pounds ground beef (minced beef)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the BBQ sauce through egg whites in a large bowl. Add meat and combine until just blended.
- Shape the meat mixture into 1-2 loaves on a rimmed baking pan. Brush tops with extra sauce.
- If eating immediately, bake at 350350°F for 1 hour or until the internal temperature is 160 350°F. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
- If freezing, wrap step #3 in plastic wrap and foil; label. Freeze. When ready to eat, thaw and bake as directed in step #4.
