Crock Pot Meatloaf
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Make the best Crock Pot Meatloaf with this easy recipe! Prep this juicy, tender meatloaf in the morning, toss it in the slow cooker, then come home to a delicious dinner in the evening. The secret to this Crock Pot Meatloaf recipe is my homemade meatloaf seasoning, it’s full of flavor and makes the best tasting meatloaf ever!
Say goodbye to dry, flavorless meatloaf and hello to juicy, tender, slow cooked meatloaf! I think that meatloaves got a bad rep back in the day because they were generally under-seasoned and dry.
Luckily, we know better now and that’s why I came up with an incredibly flavorful homemade meatloaf seasoning recipe, so your meatloaf will never be under-seasoned again!
Now for the part where the meatloaf is dry, here’s the solution. Cook it low and slow in a Crock Pot. The low temperature means it won’t overcook and dry out. Instead, it will stay juicy and tender inside. Also, adding ingredients like eggs and Worcestershire sauce, will keep the inside of the meatloaf moist as it cooks.
With a delicious sweet and savory glaze on top, this is one meatloaf recipe you’ll be coming back to again and again!
Key ingredients and substitution ideas
Above I show you all of the ingredients for the recipe (because I’m a visual person and I find it helpful, hopefully you do too!), below I tell you about the main players in the recipe. The full list of ingredients with measurements can always be found in the recipe card.
- Ground beef – I like to use a ground beef that’s 80/20, meaning 80% lean and 20% fat. This will give you the perfect amount of fat to make a tender, juicy meatloaf.
- Ground pork – while you can use all ground beef, I do recommend the combination of pork and beef. The pork adds more fat and a different flavor to the mixture, which makes the meatloaf juicy and tender.
- Meatloaf seasoning – my secret to making the best meatloaf is this seasoning recipe. Click the link to grab the recipe. It’s easy to mix up with spices like salt, black pepper, paprika and parsley, in just 5 minutes.
- Worcestershire sauce – if you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Ketchup + brown sugar – combined with more of the meatloaf seasoning and Worcestershire sauce, this delicious sweet and savory combo makes a tasty glaze for the meatloaf.
Instead of making the glaze for the meatloaf, you can replace it with ¾ cup of your favorite bottle of bbq sauce, or use this homemade Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce or Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce. You can also use marinara sauce instead of the glaze to make an Italian style meatloaf. Or for a sweet and spicy addition, use pepper jelly.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Soften the onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a skillet on the stove. Cook diced onions and minced garlic. This will soften the veggies and give them a wonderful texture in the meatloaf.
- Prepare the meatloaf mixture. Add the ground meat to a large mixing bowl with meatloaf seasoning, eggs, breadcrumbs and Worcestershire sauce. Add the cooked onions and garlic.
- Form the meatloaf. Once you combine the meat mixture, form it into the shape of a meatloaf. Line a Crock Pot or slow cooker with a Crock Pot liner, or heavy-duty aluminum foil, and place the meatloaf in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Prepare the meatloaf glaze. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and meatloaf seasoning.
- Cover the meatloaf in the glaze. Brush the uncooked meatloaf in the slow cooker with half of the prepared glaze. Slow cook the meatloaf on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Brush with the remaining glaze. After the cooking time, open the slow cooker and brush the remaining half of the glaze on the top of the meatloaf, before removing it from the slow cooker and serving. Always let the meatloaf rest, out of the slow cooker, for at least 15 minutes before slicing it. Otherwise it will crumble apart as it’s sliced.
More ways to bring the flavor to this meatloaf
- Add potatoes – if you’d like to cook potatoes with the meatloaf, cut 1-2 pounds of red potatoes in half. Toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the meatloaf seasoning (or 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder). Place them in the slow cooker around the meatloaf and cook in the same time as the meatloaf.
- Stuff cheese in the meatloaf – place half of the meat mixture, shaped into the bottom half of a meatloaf, on a cutting board. Add 6 ounces of thick sliced cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese to the middle of the meat mixture, making sure there’s about a 1 inch border around the meatloaf without any cheese. Add the remaining half of the meat mixture on top. Press around the edges to make sure that the cheese is sealed in the middle.
- Bacon wrap it – assemble the meatloaf as instructed. Brush the uncooked meatloaf with 1/2 cup of the meatloaf glaze. Before placing the meatloaf in the crockpot, create a bacon weave. Lay 5 slices of thick-cut bacon on a large cutting board, then weave 5 more bacon slices over and under the other bacon, in the opposite direction. Place the bacon weave on top of the prepared meatloaf. Wrap the bacon weave over the meatloaf and tuck it underneath the meatloaf. Place the meatloaf in the slow cooker and cook as instructed. Before serving the bacon wrapped meatloaf, I recommend removing it from the Crock Pot and placing it on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil it in the oven on high for 3-4 minutes. This will crisp up the bacon on the outside.
Reheating instructions
To reheat slices of meatloaf on the stove, heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add slices of meatloaf and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until heated through.
To reheat slices of meatloaf in the microwave, place them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 2 minutes.
To reheat the meatloaf in the oven, wrap part of the meatloaf, or slices of meatloaf, in foil. Place in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
You can also use the leftover meatloaf to make this Meatloaf Hash or make a Meatloaf Sandwich. These are my go-to recipes that I always make when I have leftover meatloaf.
What to serve with it
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes are a perfect match. But so are meatloaf and mac and cheese! Honestly, there are so many great combinations, I’ll leave you with the tough decision of deciding which delicious side to serve with your Crock Pot meatloaf.
- Potatoes: Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (pictured below), Loaded Mashed Potatotes, Air Fryer Baked Potato, Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Mac and cheese: Stovetop Mac and Cheese or Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- Veggies: Crock Pot Creamed Corn, Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts, Honey Glazed Carrots, Broccoli Cheese Casserole, Green Beans with Bacon
Popular Crock Pot recipes
With 80+ slow cooker recipes to choose from, I know you’ll find a new favorite. Might I recommend starting with the most popular Crock Pot recipes on the blog!
Crock Pot Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons meatloaf seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
Meatloaf Glaze
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons meatloaf seasoning
Instructions
- Line a Crock Pot with heavy-duty aluminum foil, or a Crock Pot liner. This will make it easy to remove the meatloaf after it’s cooked, and will make clean-up so easy.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
- Add the onions, saute for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the ground pork, ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons meatloaf seasoning and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce to a large bowl.
- Add the cooked onion and garlic, then use your hands to combine everything, but do not over mix it, or the meatloaf will become tough.
- Form the mixture into a loaf shape.
- Place the meatloaf in the lined Crock Pot, or slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, make the meatloaf glaze by combining the ketchup, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 2 teaspoons meatloaf seasoning.
- Brush the meatloaf in the Crock Pot with half of the meatloaf glaze.
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high.
- Before serving, brush the meatloaf with the remaining meatloaf glaze.
- Grab the sides of the foil and lift the meatloaf out of the Crock Pot. Drain off any grease into an aluminum can, or other container, and discard it.
- Rest the meatloaf for at least 15 minutes after you remove it from the slow cooker. Otherwise it will crumble apart as you slice it.
- Cut into 8 slices and serve.
Notes
- You can make the meatloaf ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days before you cook the meatloaf in a Crock Pot.
- This recipe makes 8 slices of meatloaf. I recommend planning for 2 slices of meatloaf per person, so this recipe will serve 4 people. If you’d like to double the recipe and make two meatloaves, simply click the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update and the only thing you’ll need to do is form the meat mixture into two meatloaves and make sure that you can fit both of them in your Crock Pot, or use two separate slow cookers.
- To make this meatloaf keto, use pork panko in place of breadcrumbs. Glaze the meatloaf with this sugar-free bbq sauce recipe. This will reduce the carbs in half, to 7 1/2 total carbs and 6 net carbs per slice.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use pork panko instead of traditional panko bread crumbs. Always check the label on the Worcestershire sauce to make sure that it’s gluten free. Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is gluten free.
Nutrition Facts
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One Comment on “Crock Pot Meatloaf”
I will try to make meatloaf in crockpot tonight