Our easy sloppy joe chili recipe in slow cooker is a favorite family recipe that requires just 6 ingredients! Similar to our easy Crockpot chili but with the flavors of your favorite loose meat sandwiches, this is going to blow your mind friends!!
Ok so I make our 3 ingredient sloppy joe recipe for YEARS and since then have tweaked it to make all sorts of things. I think this was the best change up of all though!! Especially during the winter months I am all about comfort foods and this hit the spot.
If you have only used canned sauce to make this Old Fashioned dish, first off you have to make it with ketchup, mustard and brown sugar. It is SO much better with no Manwich used I tell you. If you have ever bought not so sloppy joe sauce it is even better than that.
In this go around I was cooking for just the two of us (new empty nesters here) so I used 3/4 lb. of meat but you could certainly double or triple this recipe below to make a much larger batch if you are feeding a crowd.
Ingredient Notes
When it comes to the meat for loose meat sandwiches the best is 80/20 ground beef. You do want a bit of fat because that adds to the richness and flavor, but too much will thin out the sauce so I do drain the excess. You can saute this with diced onions if you want (optional).
To make the easy sloppy joes sauce you need 3 things; some brown sugar (light is best), a bit of yellow mustard and to make it nice and saucy you want a decent amount of ketchup to round things out.
Then to transition this into chili you are going to add either a can of diced tomatoes or I like Rotel better because it has a bit of heat to it (I use mild). It also gives a nice chunkiness to the dish…
To make things easier I use a can of kidney beans (not drained). I prefer the light variety because the skins aren’t quite as firm but you could use either.
Can you use dry beans?
You could make this like our chili with dried beans recipe though it would take quite a bit more time on your part to prep. It would involve soaking dry beans overnight and then cooking to tender before you start the steps below, but an option for sure.
Variations
If you wanted to make this spicy I would suggest using the HOT version of Rotel and call it a day. Alternatively if you use diced tomatoes you could heat it up with some diced roasted jalapenos. I keep it mild because I want the sloppy joe flavors to really shine thru though so keep that in mind.
How Long to Cook Sloppy Joe Chili
If you want to cook it in a Crockpot like we did here I let it simmer on low for 4-6 hours. It is probably my favorite way to cook it as I can prep it in the morning and it has a long time for all the flavors to meld together and deepen.
Stovetop Cook Time
On the stove you would need a decent sized pot with a lid. I like to stir every 15 minutes or so and let it bubble over low heat for 30 minutes to an hour or so. This is probably the best way if you want to make a really large batch of it for a crowd.
Instant Pot Cook Time
If you wanted to make this as Instant Pot chili you would use the saute function to brown the meat and onions and then add the sauce. Turn off, add rest of ingredients and then set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
How to Serve
Our favorite duo is to make a batch of Jiffy Mexican cornbread. You can make this as mild or spicy as you want really. Baked in a square pan works or use a muffin tin like you see here for individual portions that get a bit crispy.
Sloppy Joe Chili Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound ground beef
- 1/4 small onion, optional
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/8 cup mustard
- 3 tbsp brown sugar, dark was used
- 1 can rotel, or diced tomatoes
- 1 can kidney beans
Instructions
- In a pan on the stove over medium heat add a bit of olive oil. When hot add diced onions and ground beef. Break up and cook until almost all browned with a little bit of pink left. Drain any excess grease.
- Turn heat to low and add brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Stir together. Allow to bubble for about 3-5 minutes. Then dump into slow cooker.
- Dump in can of rotel and can of undrained kidney beans. Stir together and close lid. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until beans are softened to your liking. Serve with cheese on top!!
Notes
Stovetop Directions
If you want to cook on your stove vs. a slow cooker use a larger pot when sautéing your meat and onions so everything will fit. Follow directions above but after sloppy joe sauce is combined and mixed add can of rotel and beans in the same pot. Keep on low, put a lid on and cook for 30 min – 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes until beans are as tender as you would like.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
