Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes (recipe)

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes with Creamy Coleslaw

When I was a kid, I was a super picky eater; my forbidden food list was a mile long. It included, but was not limited to: onions, peppers, tuna fish, kidney beans, vegetable soup, lemon bars, and… Sloppy Joes.

I don’t think there was much rhyme or reason to 99% of my food aversions, but I know exactly why Sloppy Joes were banned from my mouth. Even as a kid, I was pretty sure that meat is not supposed to be sickeningly sweet. Barbecue sauce sweet, no problem. But typical Sloppy Joe recipes add 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar for this amount of meat. No thanks.

My friend Debbie introduced us to this Sloppy Joe a couple years ago. I was really nervous at first, but we’ve been getting along great ever since. The meat simmers in a slightly sweet & spicy tomato sauce in the slow cooker. No added sugar. My own picky kids love it, and I love that the ingredients are simple and almost always on hand.

I added some creamy coleslaw, adapted from this Bobby Flay recipe, because these Sloppy Joes remind me of a cross between pulled pork and meatloaf sandwiches, and I’m a sucker for cabbage slaw piled on top of those.

If your slow cooker has an insert that can go on the stovetop, this recipe will come together in one pot. Once the meat is cooked, simply combine all the ingredients and turn on the slow cooker. Dinner will be ready 3-8 hours later.

This would be a great recipe to take on your next camping trip. Or just a frugal, family-friendly recipe to save for those crazy school nights after 97 hours of Zoom and you just can’t possibly think about one more thing. Three pounds of meat will make a big batch of filling, but it could also be frozen for future meals.

Thankfully, with age has come a tiny bit of wisdom and a good recipe for Sloppy Joes. (I can’t imagine a recipe in this world that would make me like kidney beans, but we’ll see what happens in the next three decades.)

If you want to get extra fancy, consider making your own homemade hamburger buns!

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes with Creamy Coleslaw

Ingredients:

3 lbs. ground beef, browned, crumbled and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2  8 oz. cans tomato sauce
3/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. chili powder
1/4 t. ground pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover.
2. Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours or on high for 3 – 4 hours.
3. Serve in sandwich rolls.

Creamy Coleslaw
adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe

Ingredients:

1 head green cabbage, finely shredded (or a 10-12 oz. bag pre-shredded)
2 large carrots, shredded
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. sour cream
2 T. grated onion
1 T. sugar
2 T. white vinegar
1 T. dry mustard
1 t. salt

Directions:

1. Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Add to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine evenly.

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I don’t use my slow cooker often, but I’ve been trying to pull it out more, especially as we head back to our busy fall schedule soon. On hot days, I have even put it on the deck. It keeps the heat out of the kitchen and kind of feels like magic when I go from nothing to dinner just by opening the back door. If you’re in the market for a new slow cooker, Amazon has this highly-rated Programmable Cook & Carry Slow Cooker for less than $50!

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