Low Carb Recipe:Slow Cooker Traditional Meatloaf

Posted by Rishara Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This is a de-carbed version of a traditional "Mom's Meatloaf."  It is pretty similar to the meatloaf that my mom used to make, with a few changes.  I always cook meatloaf in the crock pot, mainly because it's easier for me with my work schedule.  If you want to go that route, the best thing to do is to make a couple of  tinfoil "handles" to facilitate lifting the meatloaf out of the crock at the end of the day.  Basically, just take a couple of long strips of folded foil and place them in the bottom with the ends hanging over the top of the pot.

Low Carb Meatloaf
2 lb ground meat (I use 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground pork)
1/2 small onion
1 stalk of celery
4 average size button mushrooms
2 eggs
1/4 cup reduced sugar ketchup
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs garlic & onion seasoning (I have a blend that has no sugar.  Be careful of the various blended spices because most of them add sugar.  Of course, if you don't have a blend, you can use a combination of garlic salt and onion powder.) 
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tbs dried basil
1 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbs bacon grease, heated just slightly until it's a liquid (optional) **

1) Spray slow cooker down with cooking spray.
1) Process onion, celery and mushrooms in a food processor until finely diced (I don't like big chunks of veggies in my meatloaf).
2) Throw everything together into a big mixing bowl and mush together.  I just use my hands.  Make sure everything is blended well, especially the eggs.
3) Form into a loaf that will fit your slow cooker.
4) Place loaf into slow cooker.  Drizzle the bacon grease on top.  Cook on low for about 8 hours.

In my house, it usually cooks for about 10 hours with great results. After I remove the meatloaf, I take the drippings from the crock and pour them into a sauce pan and heat it on medium heat.  I stir in about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of beef broth and mix it all up with my stick blender to make a nice sauce for the meatloaf.  Mashed cauliflower makes a nice accompaniment to round out the meal.

This makes 4 generous portions of meatloaf.  Better Half loves meatloaf, so he eats really big servings.  I think you can divide this into 6 and it'll still be reasonable sized servings.

** When I do cook meatloaf in the oven, I place a couple strips of bacon on top.  This doesn't work in the slow cooker because the bacon just gets mushy and sticks to the top of the meatloaf.  I always store bacon grease in a mason jar in my fridge, so I have plenty on hand.  The bacon grease adds a touch of flavor to the meatloaf, but it's by no means necessary for the meatloaf to turn out great.

Nutrition Information per serving (as calculated by DietPower):
Assuming 5 servings:
Calories 582, Carbohydrates 4.82 g (Fiber 1.29 g, Sugars .854 g), Fat 41.6 g (Saturated 15.9 g, Polyunsaturated 3.01 g, Monounsaturated 18.1 g, Trans 0 g), Protein 44.9 g, Cholesterol 246 mg, Sodium 390 mg, Potassium 805 mg

0 comments

Post a Comment

Search This Blog

Weight Loss Progress

Week 24: 23 lbs total
Week 23: 23 lbs total
Weeks 1-22 (2009): 23 lbs total

About Me

I'm a software developer by day and an avid computer gamer by night. I'm also a woman rapidly approaching middle-age with diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos). I'm embarking on a lowcarb lifestyle in an effort to become healthy and live past middle-age and well into old-age.