Replacing oats for bread crumbs make this Crock-Pot Easy Meatloaf recipe a tad bit healthier. And the meatloaf comes together in a pinch. Slow cooking makes for a moist and delicious meatloaf!
Slow Cooker Easy Meatloaf
While visiting my parents recently everyone was craving meatloaf for dinner. I was too tired to go to the grocery store so I rummaged through my parents freezer and pantry to see what I could come up with.
Luckily my mom and dad had two 1 pound packages of lean ground beef in the freezer. Normally I use some dried seasoned bread crumbs in my meatloaf but my folks were out. But I spotted some oatmeal in the pantry instead and decided to use that as it would still act as a binder, and would be a little bit healthier too!
The rest of the ingredients were all kitchen staples…milk, eggs, onion, garlic, Heinz chili sauce (you could also use ketchup), chicken broth, salt pepper. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary.
This really is just a basic meatloaf recipe. But because you all know I love my crockpot I had to make it in the slow cooker. I love cooking meatloaf in the slow cooker. It always comes out moist and tender and not dried and overcooked as meatloaf has a tendency to do in the oven.
Everyone loved the meatloaf when it came out of the slow cooker. We served it with some mashed potatoes and corn and slices of bread. It hit the spot and filled the tummies of my family.
Since returning back home my daughter has asked for it so many times and now this recipe is in our favorite recipe rotation and I make it probably once a month or so.
I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did!
Equipment Needed For Crock-Pot Easy Meatloaf Recipe:
- 5 Quart, 5.5 Quart, 6 Quart, 6.5 Quart Or 7 Quart Slow Cooker
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Slow Cooker Liner OR Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Dry Measuring Cups And Spoons
- Knife
- Cutting Board
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, ground lamb or ground venison in this recipe. Either replacing all of the ground beef entirely with the meat of your choice or using a combination of meats. If you are using a leaner type of meat such as ground turkey or chicken you will want to reduce the cooking time by about an hour and check the meatloaf to see if it is done before deciding to cook it longer.
As a rule we do not measure out or weigh exact serving sizes. Instead a serving size of this recipe is 1/6th of the finished meatloaf. You can either cut your meatloaf into 6 equal (or as equal as you can get) pieces or weight the finished meatloaf and divide the weight by 6.
To make this recipe lower in carbs you can replace the old fashioned rolled oats (or bread crumbs) with either ground up pork rinds or Parmesan cheese crisps.
Special Diets
Gluten Free | Low Fat | Low Sugar
This recipe for Crock-Pot Easy Meatloaf is Weight Watchers Friendly on the new Personal Points plan. You can see the WW personal points for this recipe here on the Weight Watchers website. Click here for MORE of our Weight Watchers Recipes
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- 6 Quart Crock-Pot Recipes
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Crock-Pot Easy Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Extra Lean Ground Beef
- 2 Large Eggs (Beaten)
- ¾ Cup Milk
- ¾ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats ((Check The Label To Make Sure It Is Gluten Free If On A GF Diet))
- ½ Cup Chicken Broth
- ¼ Cup Finely Diced Yellow Onion
- 3 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ Cup Chili Sauce (Such As Heinz Brand (Or Ketchup))
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the beaten eggs, milk, oatmeal, spices, onion, garlic and chicken broth until well combined.
- Add the hamburger meat and mix well with your hands or a very sturdy wooden spoon. If the mixture seems too loose add 1 to 2 tablespoons more of oatmeal to help absorb the liquid.
- If desired place a slow cooker liner in the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker OR spray the crock insert with non-stick cooking spray. It is easiest to remove the meatloaf from the slow cooker whole and intact if you use a liner.
- Scoop the meatloaf mixture into the bottom of the crock and shape to form a loaf, keeping the loaf away from the sides of the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, check the internal temperature of the meatloaf with an instant read thermometer making sure it has reached 160° Fahrenheit.
- Top meatloaf with chili sauce (or ketchup), serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
This is the BEST Meatloaf I have ever made!!!! It’s so simple and tastes amazing!!!! This is the only way I will make meatloaf from now on!!!!
I like to top mine with a can of drained diced tomatoes. Regular or with added peppers depending on my mood. I add at the start of cooking and it always comes out well. Plus a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce to the mix is always a must for me.
Sounds fantastic Rebecca!
I wonder if this recipe would work with other ground meat (like ground turkey) as that is what I often use for meatloaf these days. The rest of the recipe does not look too different from my other meatloaf recipes
Hi Allison, yes this recipe can be made with other ground meat like ground turkey. Thanks for your question!
If I’m cooking for 18 people why is the time the same for 6 people?? I’m using 6 lbs of hamburger n I’m cooking only 5 hours
Hi Marie, unfortunately when you adjust the recipe in our recipe card to double, triple etc, it only changes the ingredient quantity but not the cooking time.
Anyone tried your meatloaf recipe in the rectangular “casserole” shaped slow cooker? Mine’s only 4qt but I’m wondering about cooking time
This recipe hasn’t been tested in the rectangular casserole crockpot but I think it should work! If you give it a try please share with us your results!