Back to basics - freezing meatloaf

Meatloaf is probably the first thing that comes to people's minds when they think of freezer cooking.  That and spaghetti sauce.  If you've spent time on this blog, you know that meatloaf is really only the beginning, and considering how easy and versatile it is to freeze, it's a good place to start!

Some people like to assemble, bake, cool, wrap and freeze their meatloaves - then they just thaw and reheat later.  Some like to assemble the raw meatloaves and freeze them in the pans, and then pop them out and wrap them after their frozen - thawing and baking the meatloaf at a later time for a fresher taste.  This is the method I prefer - however, doing this means I need multiple loaf pans, or I need to freeze one meatloaf at a time.  Way too time consuming for me.

My method is pictured above.  I premix everything, and then put the mixture in gallon ziplock bags, it's relatively easy to squish it around and get most of the air out, meaning you don't need anything fancy like a food saver.  The bags can then be frozen flat, and stacked to take up a minimum amount of freezer space.  The increased surface area and thinness of the bags also means that defrosting time is drastically reduced.

Hint - freeze the bags on a glass freezer shelf, or on a piece of cardboard.  If you lay them flat on a wire shelf, you'll have a frustrating time trying to pry the frozen bag out of the wires.  Ask me how I know...