Introduction

I love meatloaf. But there’s one thing I don’t love about it: how long it takes to cook. Sometimes, you want to make a meatloaf, but only have an hour and a half before you need to be somewhere (like getting on a plane). Other times, you want to use up leftovers or take advantage of ingredients in the fridge that don’t quite match up with something else on your menu plan—but they would work perfectly in meatloaf! Whatever the reason for cooking this dish, there are some tricks we recommend using so that your loaf comes out perfectly cooked every time:

1.5 hours

• For a 1 pound meatloaf: Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• For a 2 pound meatloaf: Cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• For a 3 pound meatloaf: Cook for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

2 hours

Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Place meatloaf in the middle rack of your oven, and cook for two hours. Check if done by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf; if it comes out clean, then it’s done!

2.5 hours

The oven is preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and you’ll need a meat thermometer to test the doneness of your loaf.

When it’s done, insert the probe into the center of your meatloaf and wait for it to register 165 degrees F (74 C). If it doesn’t come out clean after 15 minutes, keep cooking until it does!

If this seems like too much work for you or we’ve just bored you with all this talk about temperature and probes, there are other ways: You could take out all those steps by simply checking if there is liquid in your pan after 2 hours 30 minutes; if there isn’t any water left in there then congratulations! Your meal should be ready!

It takes a long time to cook a meatloaf, but it’s worth it.

How long do you cook a meatloaf?

The answer to this question depends on the size of your loaf, as well as how dense and moist you want it. The longer it cooks, the more tender it becomes. You can also cook it at lower temperatures for longer periods of time if you want to make sure all parts of the loaf are cooked through without drying out too much. If this sounds like too much work, there’s no need! A quick 20-30 minute bake will produce an excellent end result as well!

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a delicious, easy-to-make meal that can feed your family or friends, then look no further than meatloaf. This classic dish is great because it’s simple to make and requires minimal prep work. All you need are some ingredients (which we provided above), an oven, and some time!