In this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Parmigiana Meatloaf, you actually cook the meatloaf in a loaf pan INSIDE the slow cooker!
I really love the idea behind this recipe – cooking a meatloaf (in a loaf pan) INSIDE the slow cooker. How fun is that?
The recipe comes from my current favorite cookbook: 365 Slow Cooker Suppers by Stephanie O’Dea. It’s totally hard to serve a decent dinner to your family when you’re not home to prepare it. And it gets tiring (and unhealthy) to pick up fast food all the time. Your slow cooker is youre best friend on busy days. I’ve tried a ton of slow cooker recipes in the past that are just duds. This cookbook is much different. I’ve tried three recipes in the book, and they have all been big successes. This recipe was one of them.
Check it out: You just mix the meatloaf ingredients together in a bowl, then stuff it in your loaf pan, then place your loaf pan in the slow cooker and press START! That’s it!
7 or 8 hours later, the meatloaf is done. It’s one of the most tender, juicy, flavorful meatloaf recipes I’ve ever tasted. I use ground turkey instead of chicken, and it is completely wonderful (and low fat)!
I enjoy the meatloaf straight out of the pan, unadorned and all by itself… served with a side salad. My husband likes a little more sauce drizzled on top (just a little marinara- easy). I recommend the recipe to try out on your family for dinner. It really is quite delicious. And I recommend that you purchase the cookbook too- lots of great, easy recipes that I can’t wait to try.
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Here are a few more meatloaf recipes you might enjoy:
- Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
- Swedish Meatloaf
- Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf
- Turkey Meatloaf
- Cranberry Meatloaf
Slow Cooker Chicken Parmigiana Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey (93% lean)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup marinara sauce (I use Classico Tomato- Basil), divided
- 1½ cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken (or turkey), eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, ½ cup marinara and ½ cup cheese (it's easiest to just use your hands to do this).
- Spray an 8x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray (metal or glass- see notes below). Scoop the meatloaf mixture into the pan and smooth the top. Spread the remaining ½ cup of marinara sauce over the top. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese on top.
- Put the pan in a 6 quart slow cooker and place the lid on top. Cook for 7 to 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high). Slice, and serve.
Notes
- Note: I used a glass pan and cooked mine on LOW. If you're opting for cooking it on HIGH, you might consider using a metal pan instead. I'm not certain the glass would work well with such a high temperature.
- If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, be sure to use a sub for the regular breadcrumbs (like GF breadcrumbs), and be sure to use a brand of marinara sauce that is known to be GF (Classico Tomato Basil is GF).
- Option: Place some small potatoes around the sides of the pan so that they can be slow cooked along with the meatloaf.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Our family love meatloaf and chicken parmigiana so this recipe sounds great!
Can u use any meatloaf recipe for this?????
Maybe! I haven’t tried…
What a great idea to use the slow-cooker to make a meatloaf for after a long day of driving the kids around!
What a fun idea to cook meatloaf in a slow cooker! Looks moist and delicious!
I haven’t had meatloaf in forever! This looks so good!
Can this recipe be made in a Ninja Cooking system? If so would I cook it on low for the same amount of time? I just got the Ninja and don’t know how to use it with other recipes. Thanks for your help
I’m not familiar with the Ninja cooking system, so I’m not sure!
One question…I don’t have an 8×5 pan, only 9×5, which is that larger loaf size. Do you think I could still use that pan size for this recipe?
It would work fine- as long as the pan fits inside your slow cooker. The 9×5 loaf pan did not fit in mine.
Sounds delicious! So you don’t need a water bath or anything, you just put the pan in the slow cooker? I never would’ve thought of that.
I love this and am going to try it soon. I never knew you could do this.I am going to try it with ground turkey too.
Quick question: no water at fhe bottom of the slowcooker pot? Isn’t there a risk that it might crack?
The author did not call for water in the pan, and I didn’t put any water. Turned out fine!