Can You Make Meatloaf In A Slow Cooker?

Many of us have busy lives that make it tough to stand in the kitchen for hours at a time while cooking various meals. Luckily, the slow cooker can help out the time-crunched among us. Slow cookers are easy to use — all you have to do is pop your ingredients into the slow cooker, set the timer, and let the appliance work its magic. Several hours later, you have a hot meal ready to enjoy.

There are many different foods that you can make in a slow cooker; some slow cooker-friendly recipes are more unexpected than others. Among those is meatloaf. Slow cooker meatloaf can cook while you're busy doing something else and be ready when you are. It also has the benefit of being moist and juicy because when you put the lid on your slow cooker, it helps trap moisture and infuse flavor into your dish.

Do you want to give this meatloaf method a whirl? If so, there are a few steps to follow to make sure you end up with a delicious, hassle-free meatloaf.

To prepare your slow cooker for making meatloaf, you'll want to line it with aluminum foil. This might seem like an unnecessary step, but this is going to make it easier for you to lift the meatloaf out of your slow cooker when it's ready to serve and eat.

Once you've lined your crockpot, make your favorite classic meatloaf recipe. Then, shape the meat mixture into a log and place it in the aluminum foil lining your slow cooker. From here, it's time to set your slow cooker's timer and walk away. You can cook meatloaf on either the low or the high temperature setting on your slow cooker. This changes the cooking time, of course. If you cook on high, your meatloaf will be done in 3 to 4 hours. On low, however, meatloaf needs about 6 hours to cook through. Additionally, if you're making a ground chicken or turkey-based meatloaf, it will take less cooking time for the meat to cook all the way through, approximately 2 hours.

When your slow cooker's timer turns off, it's time to check the meatloaf for doneness. Use a meat thermometer to check if the center of the meatloaf has reached at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid food-borne bacteria, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Typical meatloaf sides include green beans and mashed potatoes, and these sides still work well with a slow cooker meatloaf. However, when you make your meal this way, you can also take advantage of the crockpot and cook veggies alongside your loaf. To give your vegetables some extra flavor, pack them into the slow cooker around the sides of your main course. As the meatloaf cooks, so will the vegetables, and they'll soak up the sauce and juices from the meatloaf. For this trick, larger chunks of veggies such as carrots or potatoes work well.

This style of meatloaf is so good that you're likely to gobble it all up right away. However, if you do have leftovers, you can store them in your fridge for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Just make sure your meatloaf is at room temperature and that you store it in an air-tight container before popping it away for later. So, whether you make this dish to eat the same day or meal prep for later, you've now got a tasty new method for cooking meatloaf.