I'm always looking for ways to make nightly work-day cooking easier for myself. If I don't make dinner--there is no dinner.
That being said, and being a longtime fan of the slow-cooker-crockpot (I have 2 of them!), I am always trying to figure out how to use one of them to make my life easier.
I've often wondered if meatloaf would turn out well in a slow-cooker. I really only use them for braising or simmering, never really as an oven. But I found a recipe in a Slow-Cooker recipe magazine (one of those special editions put out by Woman's Day magazine) for one, and while I used my own meatloaf recipe, I followed their suggestion for how much meat to use and the timing.
Know what? It was fantastic! There even was crust!!!! The best part of the meatloaf is the ends, right? Well, the ends were perfectly crusty!
Crock Pot Meatloaf
1.5 lbs ground beef 1 egg, beaten italian bread crumbs (i don't measure--a handful? more as needed) onion flakes salt and pepper ketchup shot of worcestershire
Crock Pot Twist on Meatloaf 949Sheryl Rosen for (I them to I oven. special my own and of the in a set my cooker and apartment popped some minutes.... butter...
Combine the meat with all ingredients, mix very well.
Pat in the bottom of a 3-4 quart oval slow cooker.
Top with about a quarter cup of ketchup. (I just squirted some on top in a close east-west zig zag pattern)
I did all this last night. I put it in the fridge with the lid.
Then, in the morning, I set the crock part into the outside part. And set my light timer to go on at noon, off at 6:30. I plugged in the slow cooker and off to work I went.
When I got home, after a 2 hour trek in sleet, snow and ice, my apartment smelled like meatloaf! Delicious, warm, crusty meatloaf!
Crock Pot Twist on Meatloaf 951Sheryl...I just experimented about a month ago with making a LARGE meatloaf in my Mom's crockpot. I was recovering from breast biopsy surgery and didn't feel like doing too much so I...
I popped a russet potato into the microwave for 5 minutes, then popped some frozen sugar snap peas in a cereal bowl into the microwave for 3 minutes.... while I scooped out the potato and mashed the inside with some butter, salt and pepper. I was sitting down to my favorite dinner of freshly cooked meatloaf, real mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas within 10 minutes of getting home.
The drive home stunk, but I had a great, warm, comforting meal waiting for me when I finally walked in the door!
Life is good.
