Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes - The Seasoned Mom (2024)

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This simple and delicious recipe for Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes is sure to become a family favorite. A childhood classic just got a little bit healthier and a little bit more convenient!

Don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing wrong with using a can of Manwich sauce to make the occasional Sloppy Joe.

I was raised on the stuff, and my kids have become fond of it as well. But if I told you that I have a simple recipe for something even tastier, healthier, and easier, wouldn’t you want to give it a try?

What You Need

• Ground turkey breast – go for extra lean or substitute with an equal amount of ground beef or ground chicken
• Yellow onion – diced
• Garlic – this gives fresh, bold flavor
• Garlic powder, salt and black pepper – for seasoning
• Water – for adding to the slow cooker
• Worcestershire sauce – adds tang and delicious flavor
• Yellow mustard – adds a spicy kick
• Ketchup & barbecue sauce – these give the sloppy joes a delicious rich flavor
• Hamburger buns – for serving

How do you make Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes?

I promise, it’s so easy! You’ll start by browning the turkey meat in a skillet with onion and garlic. That’s the flavorful base for your sandwiches.

While the turkey cooks, you have a few minutes to whisk together a simple sweet-and-sour sauce.

The sauce and the cooked turkey are transferred to your slow cooker, where they will come together and stay warm until you’re ready to serve your Turkey Sloppy Joes! That’s it, my friends.

This sauce is full of sweet and savory spices, and after simmering for a few hours in your Crock Pot, the flavor gets that much better!

The delicious sauce also keeps the lean turkey meat nice and moist, although you can certainly substitute ground beef or chicken if that’s your preference.

Alternative Stovetop Cooking Method

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown turkey, onion, and garlic. Drain, and return meat to skillet.
2. In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients to make the sauce.
3. Pour sauce over meat mixture and stir. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Spoon meat onto sandwich buns to serve.

Way to Use Up Leftovers

We enjoy this dinner on sandwich rolls, but I also like to save the left-over meat for other purposes. It freezes perfectly!

The leftover meat is great when you stuff it inside baked potatoes and top them with grated cheese.

And we recently used some leftovers to make Sloppy Joe Taquitos (similar to these), which were a fun twist on the normal Mexican fare. I just used the sloppy joe meat, some shredded cheddar cheese, and flour tortillas.

So basically, by cooking up a pot of these Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes, you’re really getting two meals in one. I just love efficiency.

Top Tips and Variations

• Even although browning the turkey and onion seems like an extra step it’s super important for flavor so don’t skip it.
• The sloppy joe mixture can be stored in the fridge for around 3 days or frozen in suitable containers.
• Cooking Just for Two? Cut all of the ingredients in half. The cooking instructions remain the same!

More Sloppy Joes Recipes You Might Like:

• Slow Cooker Italian Sloppy Joes
• Sloppy Joe Stuffed Shells
• Dump and Bake Sloppy Joe Casserole

This post was originally published in October, 2014. The photos were updated in March, 2019.