This Sloppy Joe recipe is a childhood favorite that’s super easy to make. Browned ground beef simmers in a sweet and tangy sauce in the slow cooker. Made with simple ingredients, full of flavor, and sure to fill up a hungry cowboy.
This Recipe Is
- a simple classic that’s family friendly
- made with ground beef and pantry ingredients
- great for meal prepping, making ahead, or pot lucks
Ingredients
- ground beef - I use 80/20, drain excess grease after browning or you can use 90/10
- ketchup - sweet base of the sauce
- brown sugar - add sweetness and a molasses note
- worcestershire sauce - adds a salty umami depth
- apple cider vinegar - white vinegar is a great substitute
- garlic powder - adds garlic flavor without biting into bits of garlic
- chili powder - can be left out if you don’t have any
- water - stretches the sauce and helps to keep it reducing too far
- yellow onion - finely diced, I prefer Maui sweet or vadalia onions for this recipe
- red bell pepper - finely diced, brings sweetness to the dish, green bell pepper is a great substitute
- yellow mustard - adds acidity and a classic sloppy joe flavor
How to Make Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
- Saute finely diced onions and red bell peppers in oil over medium low heat until softened, around 3-5 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium high and add ground beef. Break up the meat into small pieces and cook until browned.
- Transfer meat and vegetables to your slow cooker. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together and pour over the meat.
- Cook in the slow cooker on high for 1-2 hours or low for 3-4 hours. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes to let the sauce reduce.
- Serve hot on a hamburger bun and enjoy!
How do you store this recipe?
Transfer cooled sloppy joe filling to an airtight container or large ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or the freezer for up to a month. To reheat, thaw frozen sloppy joe mixture in the fridge over night and heat up in the microwave in 30-60 second intervals until heated through. To reheat on the stove, place mixture in a pot and simmer on medium low until heated through, add a splash of water if mixture becomes too thick.
How to serve this recipe?
Serve hot sloppy joe meat on a soft hamburger bun with pickles. French fries and coleslaw make great sides for this meal.
If you enjoyed this slow cooker recipe, try my Sweet and Sour Meatball recipe!
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes (Easy Cowboy-Approved Dinner)
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 lb ground beef 80/20
- ½ small sweet onion small dice
- ½ red bell pepper small dice
Sauce
- 1 ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoon mustard
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and saute diced onions and bell peppers until soft.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned. Breaking it up into small pieces with your spatula as you cook it. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Mix together your sauce ingredients and pour on the meat, stir to combine.
- Turn crock pot to high and cook for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- Scoop on to hamburger buns and enjoy!
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