This Slow Cooker Meatloaf and Potatoes recipe is one of my go-to slow cooker meals! The meatloaf comes out tender and juicy, and the garlic butter potatoes turn creamy and are full of flavor. Just mix, throw in the slow cooker and forget about it until dinner time!
This slow cooker meatloaf with garlic butter potatoes is something else. I love that I can have this typically baked meal without very much effort. Just put it in the slow cooker in the morning/early afternoon and forget about it until dinner time.
Meatloaf gets a bad wrap, wouldn't you say? I mean, the quote from A Christmas Story just about sums up a lot of people's feelings on it-- "Meatloaf smeatloaf double beet-loaf". I just love that movie.
But I'm here to tell you meatloaf can be an absolutely marvelous thing!
I've tried a few other recipes for slow cooker meatloaf and haven't been 100% happy with the results. But this recipe makes the best slow cooker meatloaf I've tried. It's tender thanks to the addition of saltine crackers and milk and stays juicy through the cooking period.
How do you make meatloaf in the slow cooker?
It's about the simplest thing in the world-- just mix up the ingredients for the meatloaf in a bowl and shape into a loaf on a piece of foil. The foil gets gathered together and formed into a little dish to keep the juices from running out into the slow cooker and keeps your meatloaf moist! It also makes room for some garlic butter potatoes!
Pin This Recipe To Your Slow Cooker Board
Tips for cooking Slow Cooker Meatloaf and Potatoes:
- This is a basic meatloaf recipe that you can add all sorts of flavors too! We love adding some bacon and cheese to our meatloaf mix to turn it into a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf topped with french fried onions. Or you can add caramelized onions and gruyere cheese to turn it into a french onion meatloaf.
- You can flavor the potatoes as well. Bacon, cheese, more veggies, ranch dressing mix and more can be added to up the flavor profile.
- In my experience, all slow cookers cook differently-- some are hot and cook quickly while others run cooler and take longer to cook recipes. My slow cooker meatloaf and potatoes are almost always ready at the 6-hour mark when cooking on low.
Pin This Recipe To Your Slow Cooker Board
Want more easy slow cooker recipes?
- Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
- Super Creamy Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Smoky Slow Cooker Pulled Pork With Pineapple Slaw
- Slow Cooker Blackberry BBQ Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Pizza Chicken
Tools used in making this Slow Cooker Meatloaf and Potatoes:
- Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System: I've owned this slow cooker for about 6 years (when they were first introduced) and I still love it. The stovetop feature allows me to sear and cook meats before allowing them to slow cook (less dishes) and there's a bake feature as well.
- Get It Right Silicone Spatulas: I have waaaaay too many of these spatulas floating around in my kitchen but I just love them! They are heat-resistance and can be used for both baking and cooking so they are basically my go-to kitchen tool. I love that they come in lots of vibrant colors and are easy to clean. Most of the spatulas I have are at least 4 years old and still look new!
Pin This Recipe To Your Slow Cooker Board
Slow Cooker Meatloaf and Garlic Butter Potatoes
Ingredients
For the Meatloaf
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup crushed saltine crackers
- ⅓ cup onions finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
For the Potatoes
- 1 ½ pounds baby potatoes
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For The Sauce
- ⅔ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatloaf in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until just combined (don't overwork the meat) and form into a rustic loaf on the prepared foil. Bring the sides of the foil up and around the loaf, making a "dish" for it to cook in. Make sure the walls are high enough to keep the cooking juices in.
- Place the meatloaf in it's foil dish in one side of the slow cooker.
- Place potatoes next to the meatloaf in the empty side of the slow cooker. Drizzle potatoes with the melted butter, and lightly stir the garlic and salt into the potatoes.
- Set slow cooker to cook for 6-8 hours on low. Cooking time will depend on your particular slow cooker as they all cook differently. The meatloaf is done when it's internal temperature reaches 170 degrees and the potatoes are fork tender.
- 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, combine the ketchup brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Spoon sauce over the meatloaf, cover and continue cooking in the slow cooker until sauce is hot-- about 30 minutes.
Gail Morrison says
First time I ever made a meatloaf in a slow cooker. We both thought it was terrific and will definitely make it again!
Sherry Cody says
The meatloaf has a nasty texture when cooked this way.
Noreen says
I made this today--the potatoes, onion, and carrots were done in about 4 hours on high. The meatloaf, I finally took out of the foil and just dumped it in with the vegetables because after cooking for 8 hours the meat is still pink. We are starving---our stove/oven broke yesterday so we are up a creek til we get a new one which probably won't even be this week. The flavor of the meatloaf smells great--just hope it's done before midnight. Disappointed!
Nancy says
Made this yesterday. It was a hit with the family. Will be adding to my “fix it and forget it” list!
Katelyn says
Hello. Can you make this in the oven also? How long would you cook it in the oven for? Thank you!
Maria f says
I have a smaller crockpot can I put the meatloaf on the bottom and then tinfoil on top with the potatoes and cook it that way
Stephanie says
Can the meatloaf and potatoes be prepped the night before? I'd like to just put everything in the crockpot before I leave for work at 7am.
Ellie says
Awesome!
Nina Souza says
Hi,
I'm making this for the second time around this time I have to asked you indicated 1/3 teaspoon of rubbed sage ad 2/3 teaspoon of dried dill weed. So you are using 3rds as a measuring means that Im not sure about. Please clarify or confirm. I have the standard US measuring tablespoon and teaspoon.
Thank you
Nina
Heather Cheney says
I apologize for that! It is supposed to be 1/4 teaspoon sage and 1/2 teaspoon dill weed. I'm not sure why they were listed that way, but I just fixed the recipe. Thanks for asking!