My readers have spoken and it’s clear that you want MORE slow cooker meal ideas like my Pizza Casserole or my Cheesy Chicken Casserole. So I’m letting you guys know that I hear you LOUD and clear and am sharing my new Slow Cooker Sloppy Joe Casserole today! Perfect for the Big Game coming up! I don’t know about you guys, but as a kid growing up, my mom made Sloppy Joe’s quite frequently and it was always something my brother and I looked forward to. I’ve grown up using the Manwich brand for my Sloppy Joe’s and to this day still do. So I thought it may be fun to turn the classic sloppy joe on it’s head and try it as a casserole in the slow cooker! Let me walk you through the recipe and why it’s the perfect meal for a busy weeknight that ALL your family members will love! If you want to know the benefits of slow cooking – read it here.
How to Make Slow Cooker Sloppy Joe Casserole
You’ll start by browning your beef in a skillet. This is the only “outside the slow cooker” step of the recipe. While your beef is browning, add one box of penne pasta (or other shaped pasta as desired) to the slow cooker and add 3 cups of warm water per instructions on the box. Important: I use the Pronto pasta, no boil/no drain pasta for this recipe. **If you use regular pasta, you’ll need to cook it al dente and then add to the slow cooker.
Once your beef is cooked, drain off excess fat and add to slow cooker. Stir in one can of Manwich Original Sloppy Joe sauce and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and place lid on it, cooking on low for 2 hours. Once pasta is cooked, stir in an additional can of Manwich sauce, I mixed it up and added Manwich Thick and Chunky for some variety. Then top with cheese and let cook for another 15-20 minutes on low until the cheese has melted.
Chop up some fun toppings for your family or guests to add on top of their casserole like jalapenos, green peppers, or onions and let them make their own delicious creations!
Manwich is a great meal solution for any night of the week, it’s perfect for our busy nights after tae kwon do or baseball and it gets my family around the dinner table quickly. I always loved Manwich night as a kid and it’s fun to see my own kids loving the same meals that I used to growing up! And as true with any Sloppy Joe, Manwich is best enjoyed with both hands – so it gives us parents a quality ingredient to bring your family’s attention back to mealtime and away from everyday distractions, like texting or video games (of which we’re all guilty of!).
I hope you enjoy this simple and delicious recipe!!
Helpful tools for your casserole…
GBHome Square Ceramic Serving Bowls
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joe Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. beef browned
- 1 box no drain/no boil pasta like Pronto
- 2 cans Manwich sauce
- 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to taste
- 2 cups of cheese for topping
Instructions
- Start by browning and draining your beef.
- In your slow cooker, add 1 box of pasta, 3 cups of warm water, and browned beef. Season with salt and pepper and add 1 can Manwich sauce.
- Cook on low heat for 1 hour or until pasta is cooked.
- Add second can of Manwich sauce and then top with cheese, let cook another 15-20 minutes.
Looking forward to making this! Question, are you supposed to cook on low for 1 hour or 2? In one place, it states 2 and then in the list of directions it says 1.
Thanks!