Freezing Meatloaf

A long time comfort food favorite meal is meatloaf, usually served with mashed potatoes and gravy and accompanied by green beans or corn. Basically a meatloaf is any ground meat combined with other ingredients. In the 1950's when meatloaf was a popular family dinner, it was usually made with ground beef, or a combination of ground beef, ground pork and ground veal, mixed with an egg, breadcrumbs and sometimes vegetables and then shaped into a loaf and baked in the oven.

Today's meatloaf can range from the older recipes to anything you want it to be. I once found a recipe for a meatloaf that had ground turkey and stuffing and was served with turkey gravy. You can find a recipe to make stuffed meatloaf that has a center of French fries and cheese sauce. If you are trying to sneak vegetables into your family, you can find a meatloaf recipe that has grated carrots mixed in with the meat and then is stuffed with spinach and cheese.

Meatloaf has become a gourmet delight and the main difference is the presentation. Instead of baking it in one large loaf and slicing it before serving, individual meatloaves are made and can be shaped to look like little loaves or flowers or whatever shapes you would like. The possibilities are endless.

My family loves meatloaf and I have several recipes that I use so we have more variety. The following recipe is one that we've been using for about ten years and is one that mixes, cooks and even freezes beautifully. I usually cook my meatloaf in my crock-pot, however, this recipe works equally well in the oven.

Bacon Swiss Mushroom Meatloaf

24 ounces chopped raw bacon
2 small white onion, chopped
10 button mushrooms, chopped
3 pounds extra-lean ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
12 ounces shredded Swiss cheese,
1-cup breadcrumbs

Cut the bacon into small pieces and brown in a skillet, remove and drain. In the bacon grease, cook the onion and mushroom until tender, remove and drain.

Add the rest of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl, add the cooled bacon and vegetables, and mix well.

At this point, I divide the meat mixture into three equal portions and shape them into an oblong shape. I put one meatloaf into my crock-pot and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. If you would like to dress it up a little, add a few tablespoons of cheese and a little crumbled bacon to the top the last few minutes of cooking time.

I wrap the other two meatloaves in freezer safe wrap and freeze. When we are ready for meatloaf again, I will thaw the frozen meatloaf in the refrigerator overnight and then cook it in the crock-pot the next day.