Crockpot French Onion Meatloaf
I LOVE meatloaf! In fact, I love it so much that I’ve created a few creative variations of this delicious dish including Mini Meatloaf Cupcakes, Mac and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf, Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf, and Turkey Meatloaf!
Today, I have the pleasure of adding my Crockpot French Onion Meatloaf to that list of meatloaf favorites but fair warning is given – although this recipe only takes 15 minutes of prep time, the cooking time adds up to 16 hours. That means that you’ll want to plan ahead for this one as it won’t be a midweek meal that you can quickly whip up!
Alternatively – continue to read below for great tips on how to reduce this cooking time!! I’m all about offering workarounds 🙂 But anyway – don’t let the long cooking time put you off as the wait is well worth it. While your meatloaf cooks in the slow cooker, those juicy flavors infiltrate the entire house which is brilliant when entertaining guests. After all, nothing is more inviting than those aromas of thoughtfully prepared home cooking.
TIPS FOR MAKING CROCKPOT FRENCH ONION MEATLOAF
- Speed up the cooking process by adding your onions to the slow cooker the night before to cook for 12 hours.
- If cooking your onions for 12 hours is too long for you, rather opt to caramelize the onions on the stovetop, allowing you to cook everything on high for 3-4 hours. I just potentially saved you 8 hours!!!
- Meatloaf can be eaten and enjoyed warm or cold – it’s really based on preference as well as what you intend serving it with.
- Milk is an important component of most meatloaf recipes as it soaks the breadcrumbs which in turn ensures adequate moisture so that the meatloaf is juicy and moist instead of dry and crumbly. If you don’t want to use milk, try adding water, low-sodium beef or chicken stock, or a milk substitute instead.
Crockpot French Onion Meatloaf
- Slice onions and spread them in the bottom of a 6 Qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and sugar over the onions. Place your tabs of butter and olive oil on top of onions. Cook on LOW for 12 hours.
- Mix together ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, egg, and onion soup mix. Form meat mixture into a ball or oval.
- Pour cooking sherry and Worcestershire over the onions. Place meatloaf on top of cooked onions in the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or until meat registers 160°F.
- Place cheese over the top of the meat and continue cooking 20-30 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
- Serve meatloaf sliced with onions and sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with fresh thyme.
I’VE NEVER HAD MEATLOAF! WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?
- If this is the first time that you are trying meatloaf, the closest taste comparison that I can make to meatloaf is that of a burger patty. While this may sound a bit average, once you add other ingredients to it as well as sauces or gravies, you’ll be coming back for seconds in no time!
CAN I FREEZE THIS CROCKPOT FRENCH ONION MEATLOAF?
- Oh yes! Cooked meatloaf lasts for 1 month in the freezer. Allow your freshly cooked meatloaf to completely cool down before wrapping it tightly in foil first and then plastic wrap.
- Leave any garnishes for when you are about to serve your meatloaf so that they don’t run the risk of spoiling in the freezer.
- To reheat, leave it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw and then heat up either in the microwave OR in the oven at 350F for 1 – 1.5 hours while still wrapped in foil (this helps retain moisture and prevent it from drying out since it was previously cooked).
CAN I MAKE THIS MEATLOAF RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME?
- Definitely! Here are a few ideas for how you could prepare this recipe ahead of time:
- Cook and Freeze: Cooked meatloaf lasts for 3-4 days in the refrigerator so you have the option of cooking this dish entirely and then storing for reheating a few days later.
- Prepare Your Meatloaf Mixture Ahead of Time: Follow steps 1-2 above and place your meatloaf mixture in the refrigerator the night before OR place it in the freezer for later use. You then only need to pick up from step 3 when ready to complete your dish for serving.
Don’t forget to pack up any leftovers for lunch! We love using our These Lunchboxes for this!
Great Side Dishes to Serve With Meatloaf
Crockpot French Onion Meatloaf
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Ingredients
- 3-4 large sweet onions sliced
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup Italian herb bread crumbs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 oz. Package French onion soup mix
- 1/2 cup cooking sherry
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 oz swiss gruyere, or provolone cheese
- Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- Slice onions and spread them in the bottom of a 6 Qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and sugar over the onions. Place your tabs of butter and olive oil on top of onions. Cook on LOW for 12 hours.
- Mix together ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, egg, and onion soup mix. Form meat mixture into a ball or oval.
- Pour cooking sherry and Worchestire over the onions. Place meatloaf on top of cooked onions in the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or until meat registers 160°F.
- Place cheese over the top of the meat and continue cooking 20-30 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
- Serve meatloaf sliced with onions and sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with fresh thyme.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Question – I’m cooking my onions for 12 now. So the recipe is calling for 11oz ( that’s a ton) of dry soup mix to 16 oz of beef to 8 oz of bread crumps. That ratio seems insane? I am reading that correctly right ? Seems like it would be so dry
Hey Jeanna, that was suppose to read 1, 1oz packet. I took out the “1” as I see how that was confusing .
Hi there! Can anything be substituted for the sherry? We don’t use alcohol in our household. Thanks!
Yes, you can just sub in broth and a couple dashes of soy sauce. I hope that helps.
Very first time I made this, I doubled it. Also an important note to make, there was no time difference in the cooking process of the meat when you double it! I wish there were some place on here I could share my photos of it, I’m real proud of it!! Thank you Corey. The only thing I did not double, was the French onion powder packet. I still only used one.
I very much want to make this right away, but can I cook the onions overnight and have them sit until ready to cook the meatloaf?
I have made caramelized onions in the crockpot overnight and that works out great. So I am sure you could do that, or just keep them in a Tupperware in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them with the meatloaf.
Better than my traditional meatloaf. Love it!
Yay! This is one of my favorite meatloaf recipes as well.