Sloppy joes made in the crockpot slow cooker are an easy way to stretch a pound of ground beef or tureky to feed your growing family.
I don't know about you, but one pound of meat just doesn't feed these hungry kids (and husbands!!) the way that it used to! ;-)
This is a fun and simple recipe that you can easily double, triple, or even quadruple to feed a whole neighborhood block for a potluck!
(originally posted in 2008, during my Year of Slow Cooking)
Day 162.
Good morning! It's day 3 of Retro Week, and last night we tried sloppy joes for the first time as a family.
I think I was in second grade the last time I had a sloppy joe---and I was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty good, and not overly sweet as I had remembered.
Cooking the sloppy joes in the crock is incredibly easy.
I didn't bother to pre-brown the meat, and it cooked and browned nicely for me.
I chose to use lean ground turkey because I'm a weirdo with fat and grease--but any ground meat would work great.
The Ingredients.
serves 4 as is; can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled!!
1 pound lean ground meat
packet of sloppy joe mix ( check for gluten, or use recipe below)
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup of water . 1 tablespoon onion flakes
or, use this:
Homemade From Scratch Sloppy Joe Mix
makes 1 packet:
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
-1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
The Directions.
Use a 4-quart slow cooker for 1 pound of meat, or use a 6-quart if increasing quantities.
Mix the meat with the sloppy joe mix and the tomato paste.
Add the cup of water, and stir well.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3-5 hours.
The meat is done when it is crumbly and fully cooked.
Serve with hamburger buns, or on top of rice.
Since we are gluten free, I used gluten free hamburger buns and lightly toasted them. I served with sliced pickles, and American cheese.
The Verdict.
These were delicious! The kids enjoyed the "ketchup meat" and liked that they were kind of messy.
Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at June 10, 2017
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What they say about this article
Yum! I love sloppy Joes, and haven't had them in years! I may have to try this! =)
Anonymous6/10/2008
I love this! We make sloppy joes quite often, but I always cook th e meat, or use meat that I have already cooked and have frozen. this is a great meal for us during the busy baseball season.
HI Steph ;-) I'm going to have to try this with ground turkey yum-oh..you're fan club president Michelle
Sorry if you have addressed this before but I have heard that lifting the lid and checking progress really slows down cooking time. What is your experience? I'm new at this and could use some tips. Thanks!
Anonymous6/10/2008
My grandma, bless her heart, used to make the most God awfull sloppy joes!
Just browned meat, not drained, mixed with Open Pit BBQ sauce. Any recipe must be better than that!
I've been lurking for a while and can't remember if I've ever commented. I did do a post about how much I love your site.
So now I'll tell you! I love your site! Now that our things are almost all unpacked in our new house, I'll have to get back to using the crockpot during these hot summer days!
I also meant to say that I will appreciate anyone else's thoughts just as much. johnr
Katrina, they were really good. Very ketchup-y tasting.
karen, this is a great busy-night meal.
michelle, the turkey works great. Thanks for being the fan club comment---it made my day!
JohnR--Hi there, the Crock-Pot and slow cooker experts say that you lose 20 minutes of cooking time each time you lift the lid. I have a terrible time following rules, and completely ignore the no-peeking rule. I try not to lift the lid too often when I bake in it, due to heat loss, and I didn't open the lid AT ALL when I made the GF bread, but otherwise I'm constantly sneaking peeks, and tasting.
I probably eat most of my dinner before dinner, because I check and taste all day! lol.
SO---I wouldn't sweat the lid lifting unless you are baking and are trying to get a rise out of your dish. You will let out condensation, so if you don't have a lot of liquid in there for a huge hunk o' meat, or if you are cooking pasta, be aware. Otherwise, taste and stir to your heart's content.
-steph
i'm SOOOO making these!! My hubby would love them! I didn't realize mccormick made a specific sloppy joe seasoning!! I love them too for their naturally gluten free spices!! Thanks for the head's up!!
i'm SOOOO making these!! My hubby would love them! I didn't realize mccormick made a specific sloppy joe seasoning!! I love them too for their naturally gluten free spices!! Thanks for the head's up!!
i'm SOOOO making these!! My hubby would love them! I didn't realize mccormick made a specific sloppy joe seasoning!! I love them too for their naturally gluten free spices!! Thanks for the head's up!!
Thx for your thoughts, very much. Looking forward to trying some of these ideas.
I lift my lid to you.
Love your Blog, haven't managed to try too many but we are working on it. Do have probs getting some of the ingredients but we make do.
Will stock up in my summer vacation in August!!
So funny, I was just going to leave a comment similar to michael@aberdeen; I love using my crockpot but sometimes can't find the ingredients I need. We'll be in the US this summer and I'll lug a bunch of food back with us.
I most appreciate your reviews. We have some yummy crock favorites and have tried a few bombs over the years, too. It's nice to get someone else's opinion on these dishes.
Christine
They were great, carrie, and super easy.
You're welcome, John!
YAY!! It's my cousin Michael! We can't wait for your visit and to meet Kate!
Christine, thank you. I'm always terribly disappointed when things don't work out the way I've planned.
xox
stephAnonymous6/11/2008
Oh.My.Goodness. My husband just mentioned the other night how he'd like sloppy joes for dinner. We haven't had sloppy joes in AGES. This is such an incredibly easy recipe. Thank You!!!
I came across your site the other day and was so impressed by your crockpot recipes that I bought a crockpot today. I'm single, so I bought the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 crockpot. It comes with 2-4-& 6 qt crocks. Brought it home and made my first delicious, healthy meal of Chicken with Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots. Can't wait to try some of your recipes!
I came across your site the other day and was so impressed by your crockpot recipes that I bought a crockpot today. I'm single, so I bought the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 crockpot. It comes with 2-4-& 6 qt crocks. Brought it home and made my first delicious, healthy meal of Chicken with Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots. Can't wait to try some of your recipes!
Any thoughts on using something other than onion flakes? I have onion powder, and onions.
Hi Amanda,
I think the onion powder would work well, but not a whole tablespoon---I'd try 1 1/2 tsp. Or omit and dice 1/2 onion super fine and mix that into your sauce.xoxo
stephDawn10/26/2010
Ok, I must have done something wrong because my crock pot was just sitting a big grease pit from the meat as it cooked. We couldn't eat it we had to toss it. Am I supposed to cook and drain the meat before I put it in the crock pot? I did as it said (I used the McCormick recipe portion.
Hi Dawn,
hmm. You used ground turkey? I suggested using super lean meat because of the fat and grease thing. If you are using hamburger, then yes, I would brown and drain beforehand.
Dawn10/28/2010
That's what I did wrong, my hamburger was not extra lean. I knew I should have used the turkery burger! I need to try this again (with the right meat), I love sloppy joes!!!
Dawn
Hi,
I made this tonight with lean turkey meat and it kind of crumbled into nothing. It's all tiny little pieces. Any thoughts?I've used your Sloppy Joe mixture several times, and last night I mixed it and the meat with pasta and a bit of cheese for a sort-of Hamburger Assistant dinner. Thumbs up!
Just made this for dinner and it was a huge hit with my whole family! My picky kid said, "Mom, next time you want to get some meat into me, give me this!" Ha! I used ground beef and just used a big spoon to skim off the extra fat before stirring and serving. So glad to have another easy crowd pleaser in my arsenal! Thanks!
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