Smothered Meatloaf

When I first saw this recipe I was like, "Meatloaf in a crock pot?? Whaaaat??" Then I made it. Because I love my crock pot and am always looking for new recipes. And because it's the one kitchen appliance that I can outcook my husband in. And Oh. My. Gosh. It was so good!!

The recipe came from Sandra Lee at the Food Network. Her's originally calls for a lot of mushrooms. Seeing as my husband's not a huge fan I omitted them.

Smothered Meatloaf

Adapted from Sandra Lee

4 cups Potatoes O'Brien

2 lbs. ground beef

1 box Garlic Herb Shake and Bake

1 envelope Beefy Onion soup mix

1 egg

1 (12 oz) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup, divided

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 onion, sliced thin

1. Place potatoes (mine were still frozen) in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Shake and Bake, dry soup mix, and egg.

3. In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup Cheddar soup with the evaporated milk. Add to the meat mixture (I ended up using my hands. Seemed to work better than a spoon). Form it into a loaf and place on top of the potatoes (I ended up redoing a lot of the forming once I got it into the slow cooker). Make sure the meat is not touching the sides of the cooker.

4. Stir together the remaining Cheddar soup and the cream of mushroom soup. Pour on the meatloaf and top with the sliced onions.

5. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour. Turn temperature down to Low and cook for another 5-6 hours.

I've cooked mine a bit longer and it was fine. I also thank the good Lord for the timer and the Keep Warm setting on my slow cooker. Works wonders when you work an 8 hour day and you have a 6 hour cook time.

I usually throw this recipe together first thing in the morning. Then I cook it on High for the hour while I'm getting ready for work. By the time I'm ready, it's usually ready to go down to Low.