I first made a recipe for sloppy joe’s a few months ago, and in fact I think it was the first recipe I made intended for this blog! However, I was still learning how to take a decent photo and was a little unsure about posting something that everyone probably already has a recipe for. Or if you are like me I often will use a can of sloppy joe mix so who even needs a recipe?! But when I was thinking the other day about what sounded good for dinner I just wanted something with traditional, comfort food kind of flavors. Why not make a sloppy joe”ish” casserole topped with with tasty hashbrown potatoes for a whole meal right in one crock?!
But wait! I pulled out the recipe I had written and *gasp* I did not have all the ingredients I needed! But no worries! Slow Cooker cooking is all about a little of this, a little of that and let’s see how it turns out. Or….at least that’s how I tend to cook. I mean, unless you are baking, there are not too many times when recipes have to be followed exactly.
So feel free to substitute whatever you have that works in this recipe. Don’t run out and buy a bunch of new ingredients. This goes for any recipe I share with you guys! If you don’t have something and it seems like something else might work…try it!! Or email me or leave me a comment or a message and we can talk about what might work!
My son and I loved the sweet BBQ flavor of this version, my husband would have preferred it to be a bit spicier. The toddler diva had to be bribed and cajoled to eat anything besides Oreo cookies.
Sometimes we just need simple meals with the flavors we grew up loving… maybe with a little twist. Let me know if you customize this for yourself and how it turns out!
- 1 pound ground beef
- 6 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 13 oz shredded frozen hash brown potatoes
- 4 - 6 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Brown and drain ground beef and place in crockpot
Add remaining ingredients except for hash browns and cheese and stir to combine well
Top with frozen hash browns
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4
- Top with shredded cheese and let melt for about 15 minutes before serving
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Haha! Sterno- not stereo!
Wondering how many people this recipe would feed as it is. So I know if I need to make 3x,4x,5x….. I’m cooking for a grad party with about 50 people. Thinking I can make this 4-5 times and put in a big tin pan before adding the cheese and bake it to melt the cheese so I have a LARGE pan?? It sounds SO good! And it’s something very different- get tired of all the same food at parties. Thanks so much!
Hi Mindy! I think you’d easily serve 6-8 with the regular recipe. And if you serve other sides it could easily be stretched further. A great idea for a party!!
Could this be baked instead of made in crock pot? I’m making this X4 for a grad party and baking would be easier and then keeping warm in foil pan over a stereo ???? Thanks!!!
I don’t see any reason why not. I’d be tempted to go with a slightly higher heat… like 375 or 400. Not sure how long so just keep a close eye on it! Maybe 20 mins?
Ok, so I’m 28 years old and this winter I had an unexpected weight gain due to a slower metabolism. So trying to eat healthy wasnt as big of a challenge as finding something hearty to keep my boyfriend (a carpenter) satisfied. I love your recipes and have added a lot of them to my out of milk app!!! Thanks for being a life saver!!!!
Thanks so much for the kind words! So glad you found some recipes that you both love! 🙂
So I can use a can of sloppy joe mix and hamburger and then the hash browns and cheese, right??? I’m not much for recipes with more than 5-6 ingredients. 😉
yes, that should work 😉
I am making this later in the week…I hope I can wait that long! This looks like the perfect fall food. I’m so excited to try it!
Great! Let me know how it turns out for you!
Jennifer, I made it tonight for dinner and it was awesome! I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef, but it still had a ton of flavor. I will definitely be adding this to my list of recipes to try again. 🙂
Great!! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi! I’m modifying the recipe a bit. Adding some frozen onions and substiting 1 can of tomato soup and 1 can of cheddar soup for the BBQ/vinegar/Worcester. I also doubled the recipe. Can’t wait to eat tonight! Yum!
–Michele
Sounds very yummy! Let me know the verdict!! 🙂
I am making this tonight for dinner. I had an extra pound of ground meat and my kids LOVE hashbrowns. Pinterest brought me to you!! I just turned on the slow cooker with all of the ingredients. Thanks!!!
So glad you found me!! Let me know how it turns out!
This looks really good! Love the hash browns addition!
Thanks!! My family really enjoyed it!