Hobo Dinner in the Slow Cooker
99 Comments Jun 05, 2024
Updated Apr 29, 2025
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Conveniently cook an entire meal at once with this delicious Crock Pot Hobo Dinner. It features a tasty meatloaf along with sliced potatoes all cooked to perfection at the same time. This meal is perfect to enjoy by yourself over the weekend or send to work with your husband to enjoy for lunch.
Another one-pot meal option you may want to try is my Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes, one that can feed the whole family. Or my Slow Cooker Ham Dinner!
Why This Hobo Dinner Works
When it comes to making a complete meal with ease, this recipe is a great idea to try. All you need are simple meatloaf ingredients like ground beef, saltine crackers, eggs, onions along with sliced Russet potatoes that will be slow cooked in melted butter and sliced white onion.
This meal is also pretty versatile, meaning you can swap the potatoes for your favorite vegetables, mushrooms, corn on the cob, sliced carrots, and the like. With foil dinners like this, the prep time is quick and the cooking time is just short enough to have it ready by dinner time. You may also like my Slow Cooker Mealoaf or Slow Cooker Hobo Soup.
Recipe Ingredients
- For the Meatloaf: Ground beef (10% is best for this recipe), large eggs, diced white onion, ketchup, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and crushed Saltine crackers.
- For the Potatoes: Small sliced Russet potatoes, salt, onion powder, black pepper, and melted butter.
- Cheese: Shredded sharp cheese will be added at the end.
- For Serving: Ketchup can be added as a topping just before serving. (Full recipe is in the recipe card below the photos).
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – In a large bowl, combine the meatloaf ingredients, be careful not to over mix.
Step Two – Shape the meatloaf on one side of the slow cooker, trying to keep the meatloaf from touching the sides.
Step Three – Make a foil “bowl” out of a foot or so of aluminum foil and shape it next to the meatloaf.
Step Four – Add the potatoes and onions and then season them with the salt, pepper, and onion powder. Toss them by hand.
Step Five – Drizzle over the melted butter.
Step Six – Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE LID WHILE THIS IS COOKING, or the potatoes will not get tender.
Step Seven – After the cooking time is up add the cheese on top of the potatoes.
Step Eight – Cover for about 5 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.
Step Nine – Add ketchup to the top of the meatloaf and serve. Enjoy!
How to Serve
- One of the best things about this crock pot hobo dinner is that it is served perfectly as is. Simply add a slice of meatloaf and a helping of potatoes onto a plate and eat up.
- You can also serve this meal with cornbread, sliced white bread, or homemade biscuits.
- Pair it with different veggies, a side salad, or have a nice dessert on hand to add something sweet.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. This recipe works well with ground turkey.
No, you shouldn’t need to use a cooking spray but you can for added protection against the meatloaf sticking. You can also use a slow cooker big, which makes cleanup a breeze.
Place any remaining meatloaf and potatoes in an airtight container (together or separate) and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed throughout.
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For a Tex-Mex twist, try Taco Stuffed Peppers, filled with seasoned ground beef, rice, and melty cheese.
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A Complete Meatloaf Dinner comes together easily with savory meatloaf, potatoes, and honey-glazed carrots all cooked in the crockpot.
With ground beef, potatoes, and a savory sauce, Hamburger Hash is a budget-friendly dinner idea everyone will enjoy.
Hobo Dinner in the Slow Cooker
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatloaf Ingredients
- 1 lb. 10% fat ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup white onion, diced
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- 15 Saltine crackers, crushed
For the potatoes
- 4 small russet potatoes, sliced
- ½ cup white onion, sliced
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ 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!
Sarah’s Notes
- Place any remaining meatloaf and potatoes in an airtight container (together or separate) and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed throughout.
- Ground turkey or ground chicken can be used instead of beef.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Strange, Charlene, because my meatloaf came out VERY tender. Maybe your saltines were old – they sit around in the store a lot before being bought. I used as fresh ones as I could find from the store. It was the meatloaf that made the recipe for me! Nice simple crock pot meal for a busy day.
I use cabbage leaves in bottom and on top to add flavor
I just bought a 3 crocks in one today. One of the crock pots is divided. I am going to try this with the new pot. Won’t need the foil!
Thanks
My recipe for HoBo dinner
Layered
Potatoes
Carrots
Hamburg mixes with Dry onion soup mix formed in meat balls
Cover with cream of mushroom soup
High 5 hrs plus. Just check veggies to see if cooked.
Delicious. My own recipe!
LOVE it. I will try. Thanks for sharing.
I am so excited to try this thank you for sharing
Is this layered recipe in foil and cooked it just layered at the bottom of the slow cooker open face style and fo you form a meat loaf on the side like the poster?
Get it ready before you get on the road, keep in sink so it won’t tip and when you arrive at campsite, voila dinner is done. I use a slow cooker bag and clean up is a breeze.
Really enjoyed this recipe. My slow cooker has a timer so I set it on 6 hrs. Then checked it at 5 1/2 hrs and all was perfect so add
Great hobo meal idea! Has anyone made any beef and baked beans hobo meals?
People worried about meatloaf sticking to their pots, could either put their meatloaf in a separate foil bowl, just as the potatoes were contained, or twist some foil into snake shapes to use as an improvised meat rack under the meatloaf, which will also elevate the meatloaf above the “guck” that sometimes forms around the bottoms of meatloaf as it cooks.
If anyone finds their potatoes aren’t turning out as tender as they would like, they can microwave those briefly in advance in a microwave safe dish to help insure they’ll be tender by the time the meatloaf is done.
I made this recipe today and the potatoes didn’t get done. I cooked it for 6 hours on low. Any suggestions on what I need to do different next time? I used a 6 quart oval crockpot.
They needed longer to cook. It depends on the size of the potatoes.
I have been making hobo dinners in the oven for years. I just use a hamburger patty and potatoes and some of the family members like carrots, or green peppers, or onions in addition to the potatoes. I still have it often as I live alone and it is a nice and easy meal. I love the idea of making it a meatloaf though. I always put everything in the foil together and bake it. Yummy. The cheese also sounds delicious.
My husband can’t eat onions, do you think it will work if i omit the onions?
Will be fine without
Put your onions in a blender..it looks like mush ….my aunt did this for years..my uncle never knew
Thank you for this recipe! My daughter and I enjoyed this very much! The meatloaf was very moist and the potatoes were so soft! I might not cook meatloaf again in the oven! We have enjoyed lasagna, enchiladas and now meatloaf in the slow cooker!