The length of time to cook a two pound meat loaf is an important factor because you do not want to burn it nor do you want to leave it too rare for obvious health reasons. The actual cooking time for the meatloaf will actually vary depending on your taste. However, in general, you would want the insides of the meat loaf to reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit to make sure that all of the bacteria are killed. Usually, this will take approximately an hour and 20 minutes to cook the traditional sized two-pound meat loaf in a 375 degree oven.
Meat loaf is made from any kind of ground meat, such as lamb, turkey, pork, or beef. You may also put in some seasonings and some vegetables, and the binder is often eggs and breadcrumbs. If you want a healthy version of meat loaf, you can choose lean beef, which is a good source of vitamin B12, zinc, high-quality protein, niacin, riboflavin, and iron. Turkey and veal are also good sources of lean protein, although they do not have as much iron compared to beef.
When choosing your meat, avoid the fatty cuts that usually contain 15 percent fat, particularly because most of the fat will be absorbed by the breadcrumbs. You may want to choose the 96 percent or 92 percent lean ground beef instead. If you choose the ground turkey breast that has the least fat, it would be the best in terms of health food but it would result into a dry meat loaf. If you prefer this kind of meat, you may want to combine it with ground pork to add more juice.
To add more moisture to lower-fat meat, you can add more amounts of liquid flavorings such as milk, salsa, or ketchup. You may also want to employ egg whites instead of egg yolks as the binder if you want to reduce fat as much as possible. For food safety, be careful in handling the raw meat. You should not leave the raw meat uncooked or unfrozen for more than two days and you should cook frozen meat within four months. To ensure food safety, employ a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature to ensure that it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
The ingredients for the classic meatloaf include white bread, fat-free milk, extra lean ground beef, lean ground veal, lean ground pork, ketchup, chopped fresh parsley, chopped onion, dried basil, Dijon mustard, black pepper, salt, egg whites, and cooking spray. For Asian-style meat loaf, the ingredients include lean ground pork, ground turkey breast, plain rice crackers, low-sodium soy sauce, water chestnuts from cans that are drained and chopped, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic cloves, egg whites, and salt. The ingredients for Italian-style meat loaf, include 92 percent lean ground beef , fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce, chopped onion, pre-shredded Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, garlic powder, egg whites, dried oregano, and salt. Take note that you can experiment with various combinations of lean meat and various binders to make your very own creation and still make sure that it is healthy.
