Have you ever heard of a Hobo Dinner before? It’s usually an individual complete meal for one in a foil pack cooked in a campfire, oven or barbecue grill.
Since I am all about bringing my slow cooker camping, I thought I would try making a Slow Cooker Hobo Dinner.
We traveled to South Twin Lake Resort for 4 nights this last week. Such a beautiful place to visit, there is a cold water channel right behind our campsite, and just a block away is the resort and lake. We spent our days hiking, swimming, and fishing. For our dinners I made 4 different slow cooker recipes this trip, an easy clam chowder, steak burritos, baked potatoes (to go with grilled steak), and this Hobo Dinner.
For this recipe I made a 1 pound meatloaf (I halved my favorite 2 pound meatloaf recipe.) I put the meatloaf on one side of the slow cooker. Then I made a foil “bowl” by taking a foot or so of foil and shaping it into a rounded shape (just one layer thick). In that foil bowl I tossed together potatoes, sliced onions, seasonings and drizzled melted butter over it. Cooked all of that on LOW for 5 hours, then topped the potatoes with cheese. An easy complete meal! And I do have to say meatloaf and potatoes are one of my most favorite meals to eat. Pure comfort food!
Cooked all of that on LOW for 5 hours, then topped the potatoes with cheese. An easy complete meal! And I do have to say meatloaf and potatoes are one of my most favorite meals to eat. Pure comfort food!
Need more ground beef recipes? Here are the best ones from the magical slow cooker:
- Slow Cooker Shipwreck Stew
- Slow Cooker Land Your Man Baked Beans
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
- Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers
- Slow Cooker Texas Trash Beef and Bean Dip
- Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Hamburger Hash
Want to make more magic in your crockpot? Stay up to date and subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
Hobo Dinner in the Slow Cooker
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
Meatloaf Ingredients
- 1 lb. 10% fat ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup white onion diced
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/7 tsp. onion powder
- 15 Saltine crackers crushed
For the potatoes
- 4 small russet potatoes sliced
- 1/2 cup white onion sliced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 3 Tbsp. butter melted
- 1 cup sharp cheese shredded; add at the end
For Serving
- ketchup for topping meatloaf
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine the meatloaf ingredients, be careful not to over mix.
- Shape the meatloaf on one side of the slow cooker, trying to keep the meatloaf from touching the sides.
- Make a foil "bowl" out of a foot or so of foil.
- Shape it next to the meatloaf.
- Add the potatoes and onions.
- Season the potatoes and onions with the salt, pepper, and onion powder; toss them by hand.
- Drizzle over the melted butter.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE LID WHILE THIS IS COOKING, or the potatoes will not get tender.
- After the cooking time is up add the cheese on top of the potatoes, and cover for about 5 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.
- Add ketchup to the top of the meatloaf and serve.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Jennifer says
This recipe looks great! Any idea if I could cook this on high for a shorter period of time? If so, what would you recommend? Thanks so much for sharing!
Whitley says
Will it dry out if left over 5 hours? Like maybe 6? Due to being away from house.
Sarah Olson says
It may be ok. I would add a tiny bit of water around the meat loaf to help keep it moist.
Amanda says
I have a very picky family, Would my own meatloaf recipe work for this as well??
Sarah Olson says
I think so! I am very picky about my meat loaf, so I understand!
Becca says
I forgot to throw this in the crockpot this morning, how long would you cook this in the oven?
Sarah Olson says
I remember I used to cook meat loaf in the oven at 350 for about 45 mins? I think that would be a good starting point, and cook longer if needed.
Becca says
Ok, i’ll try that, thanks!
Yvonne boggs says
Love this idea
Anna says
My crockpot has two little vent holes in the lid.. Do you think this would effect the cook time? Also I would assume you spray your crockpot a little but without any liquid in the pot does it not burn and cook evenly?? Can’t wait to try thanks!
Sarah Olson says
The vent holes are fine! I used to worry about that too. Just don’t open the crock pot while it cooks or that would really let the heat out. 🙂 Yes I would spray it with non-stick spray.
laura says
Does anyone know if cooking it on high for 3 hours worked out alright?
LV says
Curios to know if this worked as well! I would love to know if I can cook it on high.
Jeremy says
What size slow cooker did you use for this recipe? I have a bigger family and would like to make one that will fit our family.
Sarah Olson says
I used a 6-quart oval slow cooker. 🙂
Nancy says
Looks great but wonder if it will work with ground turkey the same way? We cannot eat ground beef anymore.
Brenda says
Has anyone tried this? I’d like to try this but isn’t there a lot of liquid from the meatloaf? I always bake mine on a rack because I hate for it to sit in the grease.
Sarah Olson says
There is about an 1/2 inch of liquid. If you use fattier beef than 10% there will be a lot more. I hope this helps.
Cory says
I make crockpot meatloaf & instead of crackers that are bland I use chicken stuffing mix and ground turkey. To keep it moist I add minced, celery, onions, mushrooms, carrots, & bell pepper.. Top with BBQ sauce.. Cook on low 4-5 hrs.. Serve with a crockpot baked or Hasselbeck potatoes
AMH says
Thank you so much for the ground turkey replacement. My son and I are Pollo-Pescetarians and was wondering how it would turn out if we used ground turkey or ground chicken. I love this recipe because it sounds easy and it looked really tasty in the pictures.
Bonnie says
I love this idea! My crockpot is my favorite tool.
Judy says
I love meals like this. I am 75 so to fix it early and let it cook is a great help. As a result, we eat better because I’m trying to not buy prepared foods.