How Long To Cook Meatloaf At 375? With Easy Recipe
In today’s jam-packed informative article, we will take a look at how long to cook meatloaf at 375. Let me give you the quick answer first!
If you are working with a traditional (ground beef or pork) 1-pound meatloaf, you can expect it take to about 25-30 minutes. The meatloaf is ready when it has reached an internal temperature of 160ºF (71ºC).
This internal temperature will give you the perfect amount of moisture without the meat being raw, soft, or soggy.
If you are working with a poultry-based meatloaf, you have to cook it for longer, about 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165ºF (74ºC).
If you’re ready to dive into more details, I’ll discuss some variable factors, exactly how to prepare and cook meatloaf, and what the best baking times and temps are for various sizes (and types) of meatloaves.
And I’ve even included one of my favorite easy meatloaf recipes with a simple tomato-mustard topping.
What Is Meatloaf?
Meatloaf is one of those dishes that are quite popular, but extremely unfamiliar if you didn’t grow up with it. To some people, it even sounds a little, well, gross. But that’s likely because you cannot imagine what a good, properly cooked meatloaf tastes like!
More often than not, people don’t cook this delicious dish correctly. Meatloaf is made from a mixture of ground meat and seasonings. There isn’t a set-in-stone flavor profile, and it is quite a versatile concept.
Once the ground mixture has been made, it is shaped into a loaf, then baked, and finally, smoked. The combination of cooking methods helps create an uber-flavorful, meaty, savory, and umami flavor profile.
What Affects The Time And Temperature To Cook A Meatloaf At? How Long To Cook Meatloaf At 375?
Now that you know what exactly meatloaf is, what will affect the cooking time for meatloaf?
Well, first of all, as I’ve mentioned, meatloaf is first baked, then smoked. The smoking part is optional, especially considering many people don’t own smokers.
Today, we will be baking meatloaf at 375ºF (190ºC). This, at least in my opinion, is one of the best temperatures to use. It is relatively high and will help create a beautiful char on the top of the loaf. Simultaneously, it will evenly bake the meatloaf without drying it out too much.
But this temperature also requires a little bit of effort. It’s not as straightforward as many people would like it to be.
Size
The biggest thing that is going to affect the final baking time of a meatloaf (at any temperature) is the size of the loaf itself.
A larger, much thicker loaf will take a lot longer to cook through than a small, thin loaf.
This directly applies to the shape of the loaf. Even though it is called meatloaf because of its loaf shape, many people like to shape their ground meat into a flattish baking tray. This makes more of a meat-sheet.
Ultimately, while you may be using more meat, the thickness of the sheet is not as much as the loaf counterpart. This will make meat-sheets bake much quicker than loaves. Obviously, thickness depending!
Type Of Meat
Another factor that affects how long to cook meatloaf at 375 is the type of meat used to make the meatloaf. More often than not, meatloaf is made with ground beef. Another popular combination is ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal.
However, there really isn’t a limit to what you can and cannot use. Many people love using ground turkey or chicken, and some even make a completely vegetarian meatloaf!
Now, some types of meat need to be cooked for much longer than others. A great example of this is a piece of chicken breast versus a piece of steak. Steak doesn’t have to be cooked completely through. You can have it rare, medium rare, well done, and even raw!
But chicken, on the other hand, has to be completely cooked through to safely eat.
To get chicken to the minimum ideal internal temperature (165ºF) you need to leave it to cook for longer.
In the same way, ground chicken meatloaves will often need to be baked for a longer time than ground beef.
How Long To Cook Meatloaf 2 lbs?
If you are working with a larger meatloaf that is around 2 pounds, you will need to bake it for 40-50 minutes.
Again, the larger the loaf is (the thicker the diameter) the longer it will take for the meatloaf to reach the required internal temperature.
If you are working with a ground poultry meatloaf that weighs 2 pounds, you can expect it to take around 1 hour.
How Long To Cook A 3 lb Meatloaf At 375?
A 3-pound meatloaf is pretty big. This size will take anywhere between 1 hour to 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes). But again, always check the internal temperature to ensure you have cooked the meatloaf sufficiently.
A poultry-based 3-pound meatloaf will take around 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
Tips For This Simple, Easy Meatloaf Recipe
- For food safety reasons, wear gloves when working with the raw meat mixture. This will help prevent cross-contamination to a big extent.
- You can substitute both the pork or beef mince with each other. You don’t have to use both for this recipe. If you want to make a beef-based meatloaf, only use ground beef.
- Your meatloaf shouldn’t burn thanks to the topping I’ve added. However, if you do see it scorching in any area, you likely have an oven hot spot. Take a look at this article on how to deal with hot spots.
FAQs
What can you serve with meatloaf?
Meatloaf is pretty versatile when it comes to serving it with accompaniments. My favorite is Roasted Potatoes or mashed seasoned potatoes. And, if you are looking for something a little fresher, try my Ensalada Rusa (Russian Potato Salad).
Should you bake meatloaf covered or uncovered?
I haven’t needed to cover the meatloaf with foil for this recipe. It bakes quite enough for the meat to not dry out. However, if you are baking a 2 or 3-pound meatloaf, you should cover the loaf with a sheet of foil. It’s just a safety measure. It’s easier to avoid a dry meatloaf than try to fix it.
How long to cook meatloaf at 350?
This is a lower baking temperature. The meatloaf will take longer to bake than what we’ve discussed in this article on how long to cook meatloaf at 375. A 1-pound meatloaf takes 35-45 minutes to bake. A 2-pound meatloaf will take between 6-80 minutes. And finally, a 3-pound meatloaf will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
How Long To Cook Meatloaf At 375? With Easy Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
For the meatloaf
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 cups dried breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 3/4 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 tsp ground garlic
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
- 1/3 cup ketchup / tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard (not whole grain)
Instructions
Make the meatloaf and topping mixtures
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick baking paper or spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
- To start, combine the ground meat, egg, onion, breadcrumbs, and milk in a large mixing bowl.
- Use your hands to work the mixture until it starts coming together, but not completely yet.
- Then, add the parsley, salt, garlic, and black pepper.
- Finally, knead the ingredients together very well until you have a uniform ground meat mixture. Set it aside.
- Then, in a separate small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard.
Shape and bake the meatloaf
- Carefully place the ground meat mixture into the lined loaf pan.
- Level the top to ensure you don't have some parts that are considerably thicker than others.
- Pour the topping mixture over the meatloaf. Again, spread it evenly.
- Then, bake your 1-pound meatloaf for about 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 160ºF (71ºC).
