Crock-Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe

You know they'll eat up this kid-friendly meal, but 40-minutes is a long time when your kids are at your heels begging for dinner. Instead of stovetop sloppy Joes like your mom used to make, set up your Crock-Pot and get dinner going while you're at work and the kids are at school. Your Crock-Pot will marry the flavors and make this all-American classic out of this world.

Ground beef and tomato sauce are the traditional ingredients in sloppy Joes, but the recipe has grown a bit over the years to include flavorful veggies such as onions and celery and seasonings such as Worcestershire sauce that add an extra bit of savoriness.

Total Time: 6 to 8 hours | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 soft hamburger buns

Directions:

1. In a 6- to 8-quart Crock-Pot, place all of your ingredients except the hamburger buns. Mix the ingredients together, being sure to mix and break up the beef.
   
2. Cover the Crock-Pot and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Stir to combine flavors while cooking.
3. Spoon the meat mixture onto the hamburger buns and serve.

The traditional sloppy Joe surely pleases picky eaters, but there are so many ways to dress up this classic dish. If you're trying to cut back on red meat, use ground turkey or chicken instead. Soy-based meat crumbles also work if you want to make this a vegetarian meal.

To add color, swap out your green peppers for red and add diced carrots. Chopped mushrooms also add texture and savoriness to this dish. To make it a little more adult while keeping the traditional tomato flavor, try sun-dried tomatoes.

Add a dash or two of hot sauce if you like your meat spicy. Cumin, curry powder or chipotle peppers can also add some kick.

For toppers, you can't go wrong with a slice of American cheese or a sprinkling of shredded cheddar, thin-sliced onions or pickles.

Instead of a hamburger bun, serve your sloppy Joes wrapped in a tortilla or stuffed into pita bread.