Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

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Published: July 10, 2019Updated: July 21, 2021Author: Camille Beckstrand
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Our simple Sloppy Joe recipe modified to cook in the slow cooker! Loaded with flavor, vegetables, and made without cans of sloppy joe sauce, this recipe will become your go-to dish. Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes can be made in a crock pot or on your stove top.
Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are a family favorite at my house and this recipe is one of my go-to meals!

This recipe for Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes only takes a few minutes to throw together and then you put it in the crock pot and let the flavors slowly meld together while they cook at a low heat.

It’s the perfect recipe for a big party or family gathering – you can easily double or triple this recipe and keep it all warm in a crock pot until it’s time to eat.

When I know it’s going to be a busy day, I will make this at the beginning of the day and then keep it warm in the slow cooker for hours. I love coming home to dinner ready to eat.

Ingredients needed for Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

  • ground turkey
  • onion
  • celery
  • green pepper
  • can of condensed tomato soup
  • ketchup
  • mustard
  • brown sugar
  • salt and pepper
 

How to make Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes:

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add turkey, onion, celery, and green pepper until turkey is no longer pink.
  2. Drain the grease and add to slow cooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Add tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar to ingredients in slow cooker and stir together.
  4. Cook on low for 4 hours, keep warm until serving. Serve on hamburger buns.


How to make these sloppy joes on the stove top:

  1. If you are short on time, don’t worry about letting them cook in the slow cooker – you can make them right on your stove top!
  2. In a large skillet, add turkey, onion, celery, and green pepper until turkey is no longer pink.
  3. Drain the grease, then return meat and vegetable back to pan over medium heat.
  4. Add tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar to the skillet and stir together.
  5. Cook in skillet over low heat for 15-20 minutes (stirring occasionally) to let the flavors meld together. Serve on buns.

could I use ground beef with this recipe?

Ground beef works great in this recipe!

Just follow the same instructions, making sure to fully cook the ground beef in the skillet before adding it to the slow cooker.

For this recipe, I would recommend a leaner ground beef – the sauce doesn’t stick as well to the meat when it’s a fattier percentage because of the additional grease.

looking for more ground turkey recipes?

Serves: 6

Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes Recipe

Our simple Sloppy Joe recipe modified to cook in the slow cooker! Loaded with flavor, vegetables, and made without cans of sloppy joe sauce.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 4 hrs
Total Time 4 hrs 10 mins
Print

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 celery stalks diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 10.75 ounces condensed tomato soup 1 can
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 whole wheat hamburger buns

Instructions

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, add turkey, onion, celery, and green pepper and cook until turkey is no longer pink. Drain the grease and add to slow cooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Add tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar to ingredients in slow cooker and stir together.
  • Cook on low for 4 hours, keep warm until serving.
  • Serve on hamburger buns.

Nutrition

Calories: 282 kcal · Carbohydrates: 38 g · Protein: 24 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 42 mg · Sodium: 678 mg · Potassium: 720 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 15 g · Vitamin A: 407 IU · Vitamin C: 25 mg · Calcium: 66 mg · Iron: 3 mg

Equipment

  • Large Skillet

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Adapted from Taste of Home

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  1. Karen - Quilts...etc. says:
    March 31, 2013
    most of us lead boring lives, but it must have been nice to get an offer like that even if you don't want it. Love your recipes :)
    Reply
    • Kathy Vose says:
      October 9, 2014
      I love this recipe.. Actually I have cooked alot of different recipes from this site and they have all turned out good.. This recipe was fantastic.. Every child in my house loved it.. Which dont happen very often.. I made it with ground white turkey and organic tomato soup.. Tastes so much better than the canned stuff and you know exactly whats in it, using your own fresh ingredients.. <3 this recipe...so delicious!
      Reply
      • Emilie says:
        February 6, 2016
        This is also good with BBQ sauce instead of mustard. It also modifies to a great chili recipe. I don't like tomato-y chili but with BBQ sauce its unbelievable.
        Reply
  2. Amber Brady says:
    March 31, 2013
    Oh my gosh! That is too funny! Your life sounds a lot like mine. Just normal mom stuff. :)
    Reply
  3. Sandra Carson says:
    April 1, 2013
    Delicious...:)
    Thanks for sharing

    pet meds
    Reply
  4. brenda o says:
    April 1, 2013
    does anyone else have a CHALLENGE with the smells when cooking turkey??? My hsb is not too excited about the smell of the holiday turkeys roasting and likes the ground turkey recipes during cooking even more objectionable. I do notice some also.
    Reply
  5. Eric Pepple says:
    April 1, 2013
    I haven't had sloppy joes in forever, now I am definitely craving some!

    Happy Blogging!
    Happy Valley Chow
    Reply
  6. Deon says:
    April 1, 2013
    Even if you don't go to the party, it is always nice to be asked, right? Congratulations on receiving the invitations; that's gotta feel great :D

    My mom used to make a recipe almost exactly like this with the addition of a can of pork 'n beans, of all things. We called them bean burgers which doesn't sound all that appetizing, but believe me, they taste so delish!

    You guys are terrif!
    Deon @iPinnedIt.com
    Reply
  7. Trish - Mom On Timeout says:
    April 1, 2013
    Nothing better than sloppy joes - looks delicious!
    Reply
  8. Tabitha says:
    April 1, 2013
    I would love to see someone like you guys on tv. Someone with a normal life like mine and who cooks stuff I would eat. I hate watching some of them because they cook fancy stuff that I would never buy or cook. Im a very picky eater and I love the reciepes you guys put up because it's stuff my family and I would eat. I love your website and i would love to see you guys on tv. i would tape every episode.
    Reply
  9. Jackie says:
    April 1, 2013
    Congrats on your tv offer! I would much rather see you guys on television than the Kardashians any day.
    I love sloppy joes because they remind me so much of my childhood. My mom use to make the sauce from scratch but since my child hates them, I got away from making them. I can't wait to try your recipe. I love your blog, it's one of my favorites!
    Reply
  10. Ruth Soukup says:
    April 5, 2013
    Anything you can throw in a crock pot is a winning meal for me! I think a reality TV show is hilarious - what a glamorous life you lead! (Sounds a lot like mine!) Thanks again for linking up!
    Reply
  11. Emily Thompson says:
    April 6, 2013
    hi! Thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays!
    Reply
  12. Holly Waterfall says:
    April 8, 2013
    I think it would be amazing if you had a reality show. I'd love it and I'm sure a lot of people would watch it.
    Reply
  13. KC Coake says:
    April 12, 2013
    I need to try these for sure. I'm always looking for crock pot meals for those busy days. I think having a reality show would be stressful... too much intrusion, but how fun to have been asked.
    Reply
  14. Ben says:
    April 15, 2013
    HI,
    Thank you so much for the recipe! I'll definite spread the word, and get it out there!
    Reply
  15. Julia Kendrick says:
    April 15, 2013
    I can't wait to make this! Looks easy and yummy and I love crock pot meals!
    Reply
  16. muffinsandmocha says:
    April 27, 2013
    This was DELICIOUS! husband loved! I blogged about it <3 My husband loved. Thanks!
    Reply
  17. T says:
    June 8, 2013
    Can you leave this in the slow cooker for a longer period of time (say, 9 hours instead of 4)? I work 9-6, but would love to be able to make this recipe so that it would be ready at the end of the work day...
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      June 10, 2013
      May need to add just a little more liquid to have it cook that long so it doesn't burn. You could also make it and put it in the fridge. Then just reheat it when ready to eat. We have reheated it in the microwave. Hope this helps.
      Reply
  18. Rachel says:
    June 19, 2013
    These were quick and easy and very delicious! My sloppy joes never turn out this saucy! I am definitely going to be using this recipe from now on! Thanks!
    Reply
  19. Tami says:
    June 25, 2013
    You HAVE to try this crock pot recipe.
    Reply
  20. Kristi says:
    July 8, 2013
    Wow, this was delicious!! My husband gobbled down two helpings and gave the recipe two thumbs up! We are on a low sodium diet so i substituted low sodium tomato sauce for the ketchup and some of the tomato soup and it was still really yumy! Will definitely make this again and will share with friends!
    Reply
  21. Kat says:
    September 29, 2013
    Hi, i love your blog. This recipe tastes amazing! I have one problem though. It is too "liquidey" to stay on the bun. I added 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and water and it hasn't solved the problem. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      September 30, 2013
      So sorry that this didn't work out for you. Be sure you drained the grease after cooking your turkey. Not sure if it was so runny that using a slotted spoon would help as you put the mixture on your bun. We just haven't had a problem with this before.
      Reply
  22. Kat says:
    September 29, 2013
    Oh and i doubled the recipe and followed it exactly. Thanks again, kathy
    Reply
  23. Lauri says:
    October 24, 2013
    Looks great!! Question - Do you use a can of tomato soup or a can of condensed tomato soup...
    Reply
  24. Carmel J. says:
    December 7, 2013
    I've made this several times and my family loves it! I've used beef as well as turkey and even simmered everything together on the stove rather than putting it in the crockpot. I'm thrilled as I've avoided commercial sloppy joe sauce because of the corn syrup for so long that my kids hadn't really ever HAD sloppy joes before this recipe! The fact that it includes a bunch of vegetables is the icing on the cake. So I am very grateful for this recipe already. That's not why I'm commenting. Today I go to make this and look in the pantry- where there's no tomato soup! The meat was already browning, so when I saw the jars of Indian simmer sauce I keep around I went for it. The Tikka Masala sauce is mild and even tomato based. I considered the ketchup but decided on that half bottle of chili sauce in the fridge. So in the end what I added to the meat (turkey today) and vegetables was one 11.8 oz jar of Tikka Masala simmer sauce and 1/2 cup of chili sauce with a sprinkling (maybe a teaspoon) of light brown sugar to bring out some sweetness. Between there being more sauce than the tomato soup called for and my package of ground turkey being slightly more than a pound I think I won't miss the mustard. I think this is going to be good- Indian Sloppy Joes! :)
    Reply
    • Carmel J. says:
      December 7, 2013
      And now for the final judgement- Two Thumbs Up! After the time in the cooker it didn't actually end up tasting all that different than the original recipe. Less sweet and with a little zest but no real heat (and I'm not a person who can do heat!). In fact, it was so balanced you almost couldn't describe a direction for the taste to take. I'm glad I used the chili sauce over ketchup or it might have ended up bland!
      Reply
    • Cyd says:
      December 10, 2013
      Sounds delicious! Don't you love when using what you have on hand all turns out great (or even better)!
      Reply
  25. Amber says:
    January 30, 2014
    I wish I would have seen the comment about "drain off the liqued before adding to crock pot" I thought I should but when I didn't see it in the instructions I went ahead and left it. Now it looks like it will be too runny in 4 hours :( if possible could you add that step into the instructions in the original recipe above so others might not make the same mistake? Hopfully it will work out anyway since I trippled the recipe and have a ton. Thanks!
    Reply
  26. Tracey says:
    April 15, 2014
    Can you use tomato sauce instead of tomato soup? We trying to leave out the high fructose corn syrup that is in tomato soup.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      April 15, 2014
      Tomato sauce should work fine too!
      Reply
  27. Tom says:
    September 26, 2014
    Thank you for the good food ideas and for not being like the Kardashian sisters.
    Reply
  28. Donna says:
    October 17, 2014
    Thanks for such a great, easy, quick recipe! Had no idea what I was making for dinner at 4:30 this afternoon, found the recipe and dinner was on the table before 6!! Pinned now to my favorite recipes:)
    Reply
  29. noelle says:
    May 27, 2015
    Hi. I have been loving recipes from your cookbook - i have a question about the mustard in this recipe - what kind of mustard? dry mustard? yellow mustard? dijon mustard? The rest of the ingredients are in the crockpot waiting, so any one's reply would be very appreciated. thanks much.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      June 1, 2015
      This recipe used prepared mustard, which is yellow mustard.
      Reply
  30. Carie says:
    December 21, 2015
    Love this recipe. I'm thinking of trying it with lentil's instead of ground beef. Any thoughts on how to modify the recipe so the lentils cook properly?
    Reply
  31. Katrina says:
    February 21, 2016
    I found this recipe and went to make it OH OH, NO tomato soup, so I substituted a can of cream of onion soup and DaHubs loved it. It really turned out to be pretty good.
    Reply
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