I’m a big fan of meatloaf because it’s fairly easy to make and leaves you with a butt-load of leftovers which are great for sammies, crumbled and mixed into pasta, or just as is. This time around I decided to experiment with my original stuffed meatloaf recipe, but in the crockpot. I think this is now my preferred method!! I used extra lean beef which is key, so there isn’t too much extra fat in the pot. It comes out super moist and perfectly formed because the temperature is low enough that the gooey cheese in the middle doesn’t have time to escape like it sometimes tries to do!
Give it a try, this one’s a keeper! 
The ingredients where pretty much the same as the original:
- 2.25 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms
- 1/2 cup Italian-style panko bread crumbs or sometimes I use quick-cook oats
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
- 1 container TJ’s bruschetta mix
- salt, pepper, TJ’s 21-seasoning salute, garlic powder, herbes de provence
- 4-6 slices of fontina or mozzarella cheese
- 5-8 garlic cloves, peeled (optional)
Sauté onion and mushrooms until golden (be sure to sauté them first to remove all the moisture or else you’ll end up with soupy meat loaf!). Mix all ingredients, except for the cheese in a large bowl. Place half the mixture in the bottom of a 5-6qt crockpot. Place the cheese down the middle and then top with rest of meat mixture. Stick the garlic cloves in the top of the meat loaf (They get sweet and delicious with cooking). It will look very big, but will cook down. Cook on low for 4.5-5 hours and enjoy! I also squirted a little ketchup on top.
I served mine with some roasty toasty veggies – fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini – drizzle with olive oil and spices and bake at 425 F for about 45 min.
And that’s it! This was great for leftovers 🙂
