Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Dinner’s never been easier than with this Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Meatloaf Recipe. It tastes great, holds together and slices perfectly.

It’s not secret that meatloaf can be made without the help of a slow cooker or Crock-pot. But what’s not to love about being able to prep dinner as far in advance as possible? While my experiences following The Freezer Meals Episode helped me develop my own freezer meal and batch cooking strategy (you can read more about that on my friend Sally’s blog), sometimes a slow cooker recipe is just what I need.

How Do I Keep My Meatloaf From Falling Apart?

What makes this meatloaf a cut above the rest is that in addition to being cooked in the slow cooker versus oven, it’s bound together by ground chia seeds (you could also use ground flax seeds)… definitely not your typical bread or cracker or oatmeal concoction.

I stumbled onto how great ground chia seeds work in this dish when I was looking for a way to make meatloaf gluten free for my husband. One of the main problems with “bad” meatloaf is that it’s too crumbly and falls apart when slicing. The ground chia seeds hold it together perfectly.

How Do I Keep My Meatloaf From Being Greasy?

The other “bad” meatloaf trait that this recipe overcomes is greasiness… and here’s the trick: stale bread. I learned this from my mom a few years back. You line the bottom of the dish with stale bread, which soaks up the grease (and discard the bread, obviously). It also makes for a nice slow cooker clean up (bonus!) since you simply lift out the bread and toss it in the trash.

The last time we had this meatloaf my oldest son asked for seconds, then dessert and then some more meatloaf. So overall, I’d say it was a hit.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Dinner’s never been easier than with this Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Meatloaf Recipe. It tastes great, holds together and slices perfectly.

• Author: Regan Jones, RDN
• Yield: Makes 4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Slow Cooker

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (I used Aldi’s SimplyNature Organic Grass-fed)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds or ground flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 stale gluten-free bread slices
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• Garnishes: additional grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Turn slow cooker on HIGH.
2. Combine ground beef and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl mixing well.
3. Coat bottom of slow cooker with cooking spray. Place bread slices side by side down length of slow cooker (I used an oval shaped slow cooker for this meatloaf. If using a round cooker you may have to trim bread to fit).
4. Shape meat mixture over bread slices into a loaf.
5. Cover and cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours or until meat loaf registers at no less than 160 degrees F with an instant read thermometer.
6. Top with ketchup and garnishes. Let cook an additional 15 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and ketchup is hot. To serve, slice meatloaf and leave bread on bottom of slow cooker. Discard bread.

Nutrition

• Calories: 230
• Sugar: 4 g
• Fat: 8.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 7.8 g
• Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 28.3 g

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