It’s slow cooker season. At least, it is at my house.
I crave the coziness and the comfort that come with a slow-cooked meal. I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a while (shame on me!), but I thought any of you looking for something simple and delicious might appreciate it. It’s great for a weekday or a lazy weekend. It’s perfect for taking to a friend, or freezing for later. Basically, you should make this yesterday.
Perry’s Plate is one of my favorite blogs–Natalie is clever, a whiz in the kitchen, and takes beautiful photos. I love following along with her adventures (it’s a huge bonus that so many of her recipes are dairy and gluten free). This is my favorite recipe from her blog. We’ve adapted it a bit to suit our taste, and we LOVE it. I’ve never been a giant sloppy joe person, but this mixture is as great over baked potatoes as it is in a bun. It’s flavorful, simple, and homey. Plus it blows any pre-made seasoning packet out of the water.
I made it slow cooker friendly, and sometimes pop this into the slow cooker on HIGH in the afternoon, or leave it all day on LOW when I’m in and out all day for errands and appointments. I also love that it’s friendly for a lot of eating plans. You may need to tweak your ketchup, but otherwise, it’s squeaky clean and completely delicious. You’re going to love them. And, if you haven’t already, be friends with Perry’s Plate. You won’t regret it.
A few helpful links:
- Whole30/Paleo Ketchup (no added sweetener)
- 21 Day Sugar Detox Ketchup (no added sweetener)
- How to Make Crispy Baked Potatoes (this is the method I’ve been using since college for sweet or white potatoes)
- Luau Sloppy Joes (In case you want a little twist)
(P.S. If you prefer an even lighter version, Natalie serves hers in lettuce wraps).
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joe-tatoes
- Yield: 8-10 servings. 1x
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If you can’t find arrowroot, you can skip this step. It pulls everything together a bit, but you can do without it. Alternatively, you can use cornstarch in its place and let it cook for about 5 minutes to achieve the same result.
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef
- 2 (15oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 Tbsp dried minced onions
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp salt (or, to taste)
- 2 tsp arrowroot + 1 Tbsp water (optional step)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients EXCEPT arrowroot/water mixture in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.
- Right before serving, stir together arrowroot and water. Stir into the mixture (it will immediately thicken up a bit). Serve over your favorite baked potato (white or sweet).
- Leftovers freeze like a dream!
Paige says
January 26, 2015 at 8:51 amI LOVE sloppy joes!! These seriously look so good!
Melissa @ Bless this Mess says
January 26, 2015 at 9:59 amMy favorite part of sloppy tators as we call them is the pickle!!! I think there’s something so good about savory meat, creamy potatoes, and PICKLES! And now I know what I’m making for dinner. Thank you! This looks so good!
Julie says
January 29, 2015 at 7:33 pmMade these tonight and LOVED them! So did my whole family! Thanks for the recipe!
emily says
January 30, 2015 at 7:33 amOh yay! I’m so glad you liked them!
Tara says
February 8, 2015 at 1:53 pmDo you brown the ground beef prior to, or place it in raw?
emily says
February 8, 2015 at 2:20 pmYou can do either. Usually, I’m lazy, so I just pop it in raw.
Tara says
February 8, 2015 at 4:09 pmThanks. I’ve never used it raw, but the recipe didn’t specifically say so I was curious. Worried it would end up to fatty. What fat percentage do you use?
emily says
February 8, 2015 at 5:57 pmUsually 85/15 or 80/20. Lately, I’ve been getting grass-fed ground beef that doesn’t come labeled with a percentage. It seems to be leaner, and we haven’t had any issues with things getting too greasy.
Tara says
February 14, 2015 at 10:08 amGreat! Thanks!
Anna says
August 29, 2016 at 5:34 pmSo as a PSA to your readers – if you are out of tomato sauce (or just don’t have enough), tomato paste and water works fine. I had 2-8oz cans of tomato sauce. I didn’t realize until this morning your recipe called for 2-15oz cans. So I added 1 can of tomato paste, 1 cup of water, and doubled the amount of dried onions. I also added a little extra salt.
Oh and my organic ground beef from Costco comes pre-packaged at 1.75 lbs. So I added a can of black beans to the pot at the very end. And it was delicious.
A great and easy dinner.
★★★★★
Emily says
August 29, 2016 at 5:58 pmYou are a genius, my friend. Thanks for sharing!
Rachel says
February 26, 2017 at 5:34 pmCan you make this on the stove and skip the slow cooker step? Thanks!
Emily says
February 26, 2017 at 6:59 pmAbsolutely. It works beautifully on the stovetop!