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Slow Cooker Sloppy Joe Casserole

This tasty meal made in the slow cooker has your name written on it! So easy and kid friendly this Sloppy Joe Casserole is the perfect meal for your busy life!sloppy joe casserole on a gray plate with a fork

Let’s face it… sometimes, we just need simple meals with the flavors we all grew up loving… but with a little twist.

Sloppy Joe Casserole is that quick and easy one-pot meal that combines all of the “comfort food” flavors that your family already craves. It comes together quickly in the morning and is ready to eat when you get home. It’s perfect for dinners on busy nights.

Why not add some more antioxidants to your family’s diet? This is a versatile recipe that allows for adding extra veggies such as bell peppers and onions. Your family will get a nutritious meal instead of greasy drive-thru food.
sloppy joe mixture in a white slow cooker

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Sloppy Joe Casserole In A Slow Cooker:

  • ground beef
  • tomato sauce
  • BBQ sauce
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • apple cider vinegar
  • onion powder
  • garlic powder
  • dried mustard
  • salt
  • pepper
  • red pepper
  • frozen hash browns
  • sharp cheddar

Lower your cholesterol intake by substituting ground turkey for the beef.

Add some zip to your casserole! Substitute up to 1/4 cup prepared mustard for dried mustard.

If you don’t have some of the ingredients, play around with alternative ones. 

hashbrowns on sloppy joe mixture in a slow cooker

How To Make Sloppy Joe Casserole In A Slow Cooker…

  1. brown and drain ground beef and place in slow cooker
  2. add remaining ingredients, except for hash browns and cheese, stir to combine
  3. top with frozen hash browns
  4. cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours
  5. top with shredded cheese and melt for 15 minutes before serving

You can brown up the top of the hash browns by drizzling with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and placing in the oven (if your slow cooker liner is oven safe) for a few minutes at 400 degrees.

sloppy joe casserole in a white slow cooker

Pro Tips:

Browning several pounds of ground beef and then portioning it into one-pound servings saves a lot of time! Just freeze each serving in airtight freezer bags. It will thaw quickly and you’ll have meat on hand for cooking on busy days!
If you want the top of your casserole crispy, you can brown up the top of the hash browns by drizzling with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and placing in the oven (if your slow cooker liner is oven safe) for a few minutes at 400 degrees.

Don’t run out and buy a bunch of ingredients if you don’t have something in your pantry. Substitute whatever you have that works in the recipe.

sloppy joe casserole on a gray plate with a fork

Love casserole recipes? Try my other slow cooker casserole recipes!

sloppy joe casserole on a gray plate with fork

Slow Cooker Sweet BBQ Sloppy Joe Casserole

Jennifer Draper
This tasty meal made in the slow cooker has your name written on it! So easy and kid friendly this Sloppy Joe Casserole is the perfect meal for your busy life!
4.67 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 426 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 8 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
  • 12 oz shredded frozen hash brown potatoes
  • 4 - 6 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions
 

  • Brown and drain ground beef and place in slow cooker
  • 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

Notes

  • make up a big batch of ground beef and keep in the freezer for even quicker prep on recipes like this
  • drizzle with melted butter and cook in oven for a few minutes to brown hashbrowns
  • store leftovers in airtight container in fridge up to 3 days or freezer up to 3 months 

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 29gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 924mgPotassium: 660mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 690IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 371mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @slowcookergourmet or tag #slowcookergourmet!
Important nutritional disclaimer

26 Comments

    1. Ain’t that a blessing and a curse when it happens? You know it was a hit because of the clean plate, but many will be wanting more because of the clean plate.

      Nevertheless, I got to start collecting recipes for when my nieces and nephews come over.

  1. Hello and thank you for this recipe.
    I would love to try it out, but in my part of the world I can’t buy frozen hashbrowns.
    Could you perhaps tell me if I can just use shredded raw potatoes to substitute the hashbrowns?
    I am still new to the slowcooker and don’t know if I can easily substitute things.
    Thank you for your help!
    Kind Regards Corinna

  2. 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!

    1. 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!!

      1. 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!!!

        1. 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?

  3. 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!!!!

  4. 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. 😉

      1. 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. 🙂

  5. 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

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