Sloppy Joe Macaroni Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient. Tangy sloppy joe sauce, hearty ground beef, and soft macaroni noodles all cook together in one pot. It’s a simple, filling dinner the whole family will love every single time. This one-pot dinner is pure comfort in a bowl — cheesy, saucy, and so easy a kid could make it. Toss it all in the slow cooker and let it do the work while you relax!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- Ground beef → 1 pounds
- Sloppy joe sauce → 1 pieces (15–16 oz can)
- Dry elbow macaroni → 2 cups
- Water → 2 cups
- Salt and black pepper (optional) → 1 pinch
Sloppy Joe Macaroni: Making Steps
- Grease the slow cooker: Before anything else, spray the inside of your slow cooker with a little nonstick spray or wipe it with a tiny bit of oil. This keeps the pasta from sticking to the sides while it cooks.
- Brown the beef: Put a big pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the 1 pounds ground beef and break it apart with a spoon as it cooks. Keep stirring until all the pink is gone — this takes about 6 to 7 minutes 07:00. If you see a bunch of grease in the pan, scoop most of it out and throw it away.
- Add the sauce: Scoop your cooked beef into the slow cooker. Pour the 1 pieces sloppy joe sauce (15–16 oz can) right on top. Stir it all around until the meat is covered in sauce and it looks mixed together nicely.
- Add the pasta and water: Pour in the dry 2 cups dry elbow macaroni and then add the 2 cups water. Give everything a big stir so most of the noodles are sitting down in the saucy meat. It’s going to look watery right now — that’s totally normal! The noodles need that liquid to cook and soften.
- Cook and stir halfway: Put the lid on the slow cooker. Set it to LOW and cook for 2 to 150 minutes 150:00. When you get to the halfway point, take off the lid and stir everything around. Push any noodles that floated to the top back down into the sauce so they cook all the way through.
- Check and fix the texture: Once the noodles feel soft when you poke them, it’s almost time to eat! Give it a taste. If you want, shake in a bit of 1 pinch salt and black pepper (optional). Too thick? Add a tiny splash of hot water and stir. Too runny? Leave the lid a little bit open and cook it for 10 to 15 more minutes.
- Rest and serve: Turn the slow cooker off and just let it sit for 5 minutes 05:00. This helps it thicken up just right. Then scoop it into bowls while it’s still hot and make sure everyone gets lots of that yummy beef and sauce.