Inside: This easy freezer meatloaf recipe was the best. My family LOVED it and it was so simple to make. You can make mini meatloaves to have smaller servings too!
One of my favorite ways to save time and money is to turn our favorite family meals into freezer meals. So many nights get busy and chaotic and having an easy meal to pull from the freezer and just slide into the oven makes my life easier. Plus, I am saving money because I didn't do carry-out or go out to eat when things get busy.
I love meatloaf, but don't always have the time to make it very often. So, when I found some ground beef on clearance I figured it would be a great time to make up a bunch of freezer meatloaf for quick dinners. These meatloaves are so easy to make. I didn't spend much more time making up 5 than I would have one. Plus I now have more in the freezer to pull out when I need them.
We have a small family so I picked up these mini loaf pans to make them in. You can get a 5 pack at the dollar store for $1. They are just perfect to make 1-2 serving mini meatloaves. You can just pull out one or two to cook. If you have a larger family you may want to make full-size freezer meatloaf. I use a recipe that is very similar to my meatball sub recipe. It makes a very juicy meatloaf and I love the sauce on top. This easy freezer meatloaf is easy to make and tastes great!
To start you will put 2 pounds ground beef in a large bowl. Add the onion, salt, bread crumbs, and eggs to the ground beef and mix well. Once everything is mixed, place the mixture in the disposable mini loaf pans. Two pounds should fill about 4 mini loaf pans (depending on the size of the pans). You will want to make sure you leave room on top for the sauce on top.
Once you have the meatloaf made you can start on the sauce. Start by putting about 4-5 gingersnaps in a small pan. Then add 2 tablespoons vinegar. I use the fork to mash-up the gingersnaps into smaller pieces. Add 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic salt and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Then add 14 oz. of V8 juice and mix well. Cook slowly on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.
Once the sauce has thickened let it cool. When completely cool pour over the mini loaves.
Wrap the mini loaves up tight. I used plastic lids to cover them and wrapped them in aluminum foil too.
When you are ready to cook them you can pop them in the oven uncovered at 350 for about 60-80 minutes. Or if you want a quicker cooking time you can pull them out of the freezer in the morning and let them sit in the fridge all day. They usually cook up in about 30-40 minutes if they are thawed.
I like to serve this freezer meatloaf with some roasted carrots and potatoes for an easy meal on busy nights. It's nice to be able to give my family homemade even when life gets crazy.
Make sure you mark them with the date you made them and the cooking directions. It makes life so much easier. The freezer meatloaf will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
Easy Freezer Meatloaf
2 pounds of ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
4-5 gingersnaps
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
14 oz. V8 juice
Place 2 pounds ground beef in a large bowl. Add the onion, salt, bread crumbs, and eggs to the ground beef and mix well. Once everything is mixed, place the mixture in the disposable mini loaf pans. Make sure you leave room on top for the sauce on top.
Once you have the meatloaf made you can start on the sauce. Start by putting about 4-5 gingersnaps in a small pan. Then add 2 tablespoons vinegar. I use the fork to mash up the gingersnaps into smaller pieces. Add 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic salt and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Then add 14 oz. of V8 juice and mix well. Cook slowly on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Cover the meatloaf with the sauce. Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes or freeze and cook frozen for 60-80 minutes. Enjoy!
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