Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf

 

I love my slow cooker it really does make life so much easier. On busy days, it is just awesome to have a meal waiting for you when you need it. So have you ever done meatloaf in your crockpot? If you haven’t you are missing out! Now it’s really not much easier than throwing it in the oven –BUT you do get a great perk…you get those 10 – 15 minutes of prep time back in the evening when you need them!

After school is one of the most chaotic times at my house. We get home and the boys need a snack. Then it’s time to get homework going and start up dinner. For me, it’s almost impossible to do all of that at the same time. With both boys needing me at various intervals, I can barely focus on one thing for more than a minute at a time. I find myself stopping and starting a task 20 times before it’s complete. So, if I can take one thing off the dinner prep list…I’ll do it.

I know not everyone is a meatloaf fan…but my husband and I love a good meatloaf. While it may not be as high on my list as a good ribeye, it’s up there pretty high. Slow Cooker Meatloaf is just good comfort food. It’s easy to prepare and when you allow the slow cooker to do it’s magic, it can also be a timesaver too!

While you can really do any meatloaf recipe in your slow cooker, you want to make sure that you use a lean meat. I don’t know about you but I don’t like to see my food sitting and cooking in a bunch of grease! You probably have noticed that meatloaves that use high fat content meats are usually baked on a rack to allow that grease to drip down and stay off the meat. Well, in a slow cooker it’s a little harder to get that meat raised. You can do it…a few loose wads of foil can do wonders. I have also stacked my meat on top of veggies to keep it out of the grease. In all honesty, a lean meat will still give you a great meatloaf. Plus with a super tasty sauce, you’ll still get great flavor.

foil meatloafI do have a cool tip for you. Whenever you are using your slow cooker and want to easily lift your food from the pot, create handles with aluminum foil. Just fold 1 – 2 long strips of foil and place them in your pot making sure they are long enough so that you can then just use them as handles to lift the meat once it’s done. As you can see in my picture, I went a little crazy and made mine super long…but hopefully you can see what I mean.

I have found it is almost impossible to get a large item out without those “handles” to help. Otherwise I end up having to break it up in pieces pulling it out with a spatula. Who wants to serve a meatloaf that’s in a bunch of chunks?

When you can, let that slow cooker do the work for you. You’ll appreciate that extra time when all you have to do is steam a few veggies and boil up some potatoes to have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!

This recipe is part of the Publix Menu Plan Week Of 8/28. Here is the other recipe that I have shared so far this week –

Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf
Author: Michelle
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 – 8
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup Italian seasoned Panko bread crumbs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon yellow prepared mustard
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce.
  2. Mix well and shape into a loaf.
  3. Place in the crockpot.
  4. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
  5. Spoon 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the top of the meatloaf and reserve the rest for later (refrigerate until needed).
  6. Place the cover on the slow cooker and cook the meatloaf on low for 4 – 4/12 hours until cooked through – when a thermometer reads approx 160º.
  7. Spoon the reserved sauce over the meatloaf, cover and allow to heat through – about 15 minutes.
  8. Remove the meatloaf from the pot and allow to cool slightly before slicing.
Notes
[i]To easily remove the loaf after cooking, create foil handles before the meat is placed into the pot . Simply place folded foil strips in the pot allowing them to drape over the edges and place the meat over the strips. Once the meat is done you just gently lift the handles to remove the meat from the pot with ease![/i]