You can make an entire meal in the slow cooker with this Slow Cooker Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes Recipe.
If you love meatloaf, you really should try cooking it in the slow cooker. Sometimes in the oven the meatloaf can get tough on the edges but in the slow cooker I find that it stays tender throughout.
This week instead of just cooking a meatloaf, I added potatoes as well. The potatoes cooked up great wrapped in foil on top of the meatloaf.
How to make Slow Cooker Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes:
- First, mix the meatloaf ingredients together in a bowl then shape it into a loaf in the slow cooker
- Scrub the potatoes and wrap them in foil. Place the potatoes along the edges of the meatloaf. Five potatoes fit perfectly for me.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time. Want to keep the heat in so the potatoes soften.
- Remove potatoes, slice meatloaf and serve!
If you have a favorite meatloaf recipe, you can try it in place of mine, just make it about a 2 pound size. I know not everyone likes bell pepper in their meatloaf, but that’s how my mom made it, it smells so good while cooking.
To plate this meal I removed the potatoes onto a plate, sliced the meatloaf and served with corn. A salad would be great too!
This meal is great for those who are busy all-day and want to come home to a great meal. I hope you try it.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. 7% fat ground beef
- 3 large eggs
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ pepper
- 25 saltine crackers, crushed
- 5 Russet potatoes (small to medium sized)
Slow Cooker Size:
- 6 quart slow cooker or larger
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the meat, eggs, onion, bell pepper, ketchup, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix together with a spoon or clean hands. If meatloaf seems to wet to form into a loaf add more cracker crumbs or if too dry add a touch more milk or ketchup.
- Form the meatloaf into a loaf in the slow cooker. Wash and dry the potatoes and wrap each of them in foil. Place the potatoes on top of the meatloaf toward the sides of the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Serve and enjoy!
Love the chicken recipe can’t wait to try the beef!
Would like the chicken and when you use the cooker do you put water under it so it doesn’t burn
Hi Sarah! This delicious recipe reminds me of one I have used, probably 45 years ago. My copy has been lost for a very long time. I actually cut it out from the box of crackers. I’m really looking forward to trying it in my Crock-Pot! Thanks!
I wonder if that’s where my mom got the idea!
Did you pierce the potatoes before you wrapped them in foil?
No I’ve never pierced mine unless they are going in the microwave. It wouldn’t hurt the recipe if you did pierce them, I know many people are accustomed to doing that. 🙂
What crackers can I use in UK instead of Saltine crackers as we can’t get them here
any type of plain crackers. Do you have Ritz there?
I can use Ritz?
Yes! Will work fine.
Substitute ried bread crumbs for the crackers.
Penelope cream crackers adding half teasp Maldon salt per 100g or Italian crackers at Waitrose are nearly identical to Saltines. Got them from Nigella Lawson’s page.
A little oatmeal works too. 1/4. Cup
Yes, my grandma did that!
Would it hurt to only do 2 or 3 potatoes?
I think that would be fine!
OMG……..tried the beef enchiladas……….WOW!!! VERY VERY good!!!!
I love this recipe already! Meatloaf and baked potatoes is one of my favorite combos!
Do you think you could make this with ground turkey versus beef and maybe shorten the cooking time a little?
The potatoes will need 8 hours, let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Do you cook it on high or low for 8 hrs???
On low. It’s in the recipe box 🙂
How long would cook just the meat loaf?!
5-6 hours on low.
Can I cook without potatoes? If so how lovely Gn for meatloaf?
without potatoes I do 5-6 hours on low
Hello do you have to wrap the potatoes in foil?
No! I often do sweet potatoes and baked potatoes on top of pork without foil and they do fine.
What would the cooking time be on high heat with 1 pound of meatloaf and 4 potatoes?
Can you coom on med or high to reduce the time?
Looking forward to weekly newsletter.
I have made several of your recipes so far and love them all, your making me a better cook and I wasn’t to bad to start with 🙂 Thank you!!! Keep them coming.
Can you use insta pot
I have not tried. I would look up similar recipes online to see if there is an pressure cooker version.
My wife found a recipe at This old gal site for the instant pot. It does call for a special pan, like a small bundt cake pan. She got one on the internet.
Thanks for this recipe Sarah! I’m trying it tomorrow night for the wife and kids for the first time. I have a feeling it’s going to be a hit though!
I hope you love it!
Just got done prepping this tonight for easy throw together in the morning! I just chopped my pepper and onion and mixed my seasonings with my eggs and milk and crushed my crackers. I also went ahead and wrapped my potatoes! That way tomorrow I can just mix it and form it and toss it and go! I’m sooooooo busy in the mornings! So excited to try this!
I’ve done the same thing! let me know how you like it.
Can i substitute the milk with water?
Hi, slow cooker meatloaf with baked potatoes sounds amazing. How many ounces should each potatoes be so they are all done in the 8 hours? Thank you.
Can u cook on medium or high to reduce the time
I have not tried, has anyone else cooked this on high?
Si I started out with two pounds of beef and have no idea where it went. The meat thinned out and has dents where the potatoes sat on it??? What the heck??
That could happen if your meat is wetter than normal. I’m sorry that happened.
Can I mix everything and put in frig. In the crockpot And in morning put potatoes in and turn crockpot on and put pot in holder before leaving work.
Yes, that would work fine. I do that often. One tip I have is to let the slow cooker sit on the counter for about 10 mins to get the chill off of it, so it won’t crack.
My son has gout, so poultry is what we work with most that doesn’t cause him flares. Could you make this with ground chicken and what would the cooking time be? Most ground chicken is chicken breasts…very worried about it being hard and dry…but they travel for work and use a crockpot a lot….this would be a great meal for them that cooks while they are at work
Can I used a 1/2 lean and half 85% meat?
Yes! Will need to drain at the end of cooking.
I just tried this recipe – it cooked for 8 hours without opening the lid and the my meat is under cooked and the potatoes are not softened. Is there anything you can suggest I try next time?
Hi Shannon, Maybe smaller potaotes. If you continue to have problems with your slow cooker, such as roasts getting tender too. You may need a different crock pot. I’m so sorry this happened.
Oh no, please don’t be sorry. I need to upgrade my crockpot anyways. Now I have an excuse to. I will try this again after I get a new one. Thank you so much.