Saturday, April 14, 2012

My Mom's Crockpot Meatloaf


(This recipe was first posted in conjunction with the Meijer Ad Week of 4/15/12 - 4/21/12)

When I was a kid, I didn't realize that most people cooked their meatloaf in the oven.  Nor did I realize that most people's definition of meatloaf would include the word "dry".  I was privileged to grow up on THIS version of meatloaf...and meatloaf cooked in the crockpot is anything but dry.  Try it once, and you'll never go back to your old way of cooking it!

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 C milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 slices bread, crumbled or torn into small pieces
1/2 C diced onion
1/4 C diced celery
1/2 C ketchup

Directions:
Mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs.  Allow to soften (about 20 minutes).  Combine this mixture with ground beef, onion, celery, and ketchup.  Mound in a greased crockpot.  Cover the top of the mixture with additional ketchup.  Put the cover on and turn crockpot on high for 15 minutes, then reduce to low and cook for 7 hours.  Serve with a slotted spoon (yup, it's really that moist!).  Serve with rice or baked potatoes, and a vegetable.

Options and Tips
  • Mixing raw ground beef into other ingredients is tough!  Use a wooden spoon or your clean hands to smush everything together.  Another option is to put everything into a ziploc gallon bag, and just start squishing.
  • All crockpots are not created equal...on some newer ones, the "low" setting is not very low.  My older crockpot takes 7 hours to cook this, but my mom's newer crockpot cooks it much faster.  Keep this in mind and check on your meatloaf occasionally!
This recipe came from my mom, Mary Kregel.

This recipe is linked up to Meals4Sharing over at Eat2Gather.

6 comments:

  1. Another way to mix your meatloaf is in your mixer--I use my Kitchenaid to mix up the meat and it works great!

    I think I will be trying this--sounds great for summer when I don't want to heat up the house.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just made this - having it for supper tonight- it sounds so YUMMY! I used my kitchen aid to mix it - and I can't believe how easy it was! I put the egg mixture in first and let that mix and sit - then added the meat - mixed it up - and using a rubber spatula dropped it in my crockpot and shaped it - never got my hands on the meat at all :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad the prep was so easy for you! Let me know how it turns out :)

      Delete
    2. DIVINE! old meatloaf recipe just hit the trashcan ~ this one is now on the regular menu! THANKS!

      Delete
  3. what about all the grease that comes out of it, I find even with extra lean ground beef I get liquid, won't it all sit in the bottom?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's why I serve it with a slotted spoon. You can even squish a spoonful of meatloaf against the side of the crockpot to drain out even more grease if you wish.

      Delete