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Sunday's Best Meatloaf

BeefDiner-StylePotluckSlow Cooker
Time :6 hours 15 minutes
Yield :8 servings
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The Scoop

This isn't the dry, disappointing meatloaf of your childhood Sunday nightmares.
Meatloaf has entered its slow-cooker era, and honestly? It’s thriving.  
This isn't the dry, disappointing meatloaf of your childhood Sunday nightmares. It’s tender, juicy, and topped with a sticky-sweet glaze that’s worth fighting over. The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting while a quick trip under the broiler creates that irresistible caramelized finish.  
It’s comfort food dressed in its Sunday best and ready to steal the spotlight every weekend! 
Hack it:
Use ground chicken or ground turkey and follow the same recipe if you are not into beef.
If the meatloaf mixture feels too wet, add a spoonful of flour and mix again.
Use yogurt instead of milk to make it even more tender.
Leftovers:
Break up any leftovers with a spoon and add your favorite tomato sauce. Serve over pasta for a quick meatloaf bolognese.
Or add salsa and make a quick nacho topping.
Crumble into a skillet, add beans, and season with chili to make a quick chili to serve over rice.

Ingredients

For the brown sugar-ketchup glaze:

  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the meatloaf:

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 1/4 cups yellow onion, finely minced
  • 1 (6-ounce) box savory herb dried stuffing mix
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • fresh parsley, optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish

Directions

  • In a medium bowl, add the ketchup, the light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of the onions, the apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper and whisk well to combine. Set it aside.
  • In a container of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, add a layer of aluminum foil on the bottom and up the sides of the container so there is a little overhang and lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, add the ground beef, the remaining onions, the stuffing mix, the milk, the eggs, 2 tablespoons of the glaze mixture, the salt, and the remaining black pepper and with your clean hands, mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
  • Form the meatloaf mixture into an oval-like shape and place it into the prepared slow cooker.
  • Evenly add 1/2 cup of the glaze mixture over the top of the meatloaf mixture.
  • Cover the slow cooker and cook until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 6 hours on low or about 3 hours on high.
  • Preheat the oven broiler.
  • Using the foil overhang, carefully lift the meatloaf from the slow cooker to an 18x26-inch baking sheet.
  • Evenly top the cooked meatloaf with 2/3 cup of the glaze mixture.
  • Broil the meatloaf until the glaze mixture is sticky and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Transfer the broiled meatloaf from the oven to a wire rack and let it rest for 5 minutes.
  • Drizzle with the remaining glaze mixture.
  • Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
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