This recipe for Crockpot French Dip Sloppy Joes features the perfect combination of juicy, seasoned ground beef, tender onions, and gooey melted cheese that’s slow-cooked in a savory au jus sauce. Served on pillowy soft buns, they’re awesome for a busy weeknight meal or a hearty appetizer.
Crockpot French Dip Recipe
If you’re looking for a delicious and easy-to-prepare meal to serve at your next gathering or family dinner, look no further than crockpot French dip sloppy joes. This recipe gives you the best of both worlds with the convenience of ground beef sloppy joes but all the rich beefy flavors in a classic French dip.
With an incredibly savory filling and melted provolone cheese, you can serve the meat mixture in slider buns for hearty and satisfying party appetizers or on larger hamburger buns with a simple side of potato chips or some French fries for a complete meal your whole family will devour.
The best part is they’re made in your slow cooker, making them ideal for busy weeknights or lazy weekends when you don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen.
This Beef Stroganoff and our Honey Garlic Chicken are two other easy crockpot recipes that make cooking a hearty meal a breeze.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe: Using just a few basic pantry staples and fresh ground beef, this recipe for sloppy joes cooks in the crockpot for easy hands-off cooking.
- Versatile: You can serve them as appetizers for when you’re serving a crowd on game day or as an easy weeknight dinner for the family. Instead of serving on a bun, you can serve the sloppy Joe mixture over rice or mashed potatoes.
- Delicious beefy flavor: This recipe adds a fun twist to the traditional sloppy joe mixture by using ground beef, but instead of a tomato sauce base, they have all the same beefy, savory French dip flavors.
Ingredients
- Lean ground beef
- Onion
- Quick cooking oatmeal (unflavored)
- Beef broth
- Beefy onion soup mix
- Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Provolone cheese
- Slider Buns
How to Make French Dip Sliders in the Slow Cooker
Step One: Brown the Ground Beef with Onions
- In a large pan add your ground beef and thinly sliced onion.
- Sauté the mixture, over medium-high heat, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook until the beef is cooked through.
Step Two: Add the Meat and Sauce Ingredients to the Crockpot
- Drain excess fat and add the meat and caramelized onions mix to your slow cooker.
- To the ground beef mixture add the oatmeal, beef broth, beefy onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Step Three: Top with Cheese and Serve
- About 5 minutes before serving place the slices of provolone cheese on top and cover. Heat until the melted cheese is nice and gooey.
- Serve on brioche buns or slider buns.
Variations of Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches
- Ground beef: You can swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey, ground chicken, or a combination of both.
- Other meats: You can use thinly sliced roast beef and sauté it the same way you do ground beef. You can use a rump roast or for super tender beef, a beef chuck roast is great. You can use any type of tender beef that you can find on sale at the grocery store.
- Veggies: Though they are more like French dips, you can give them a Philly cheesesteak twist by adding mushrooms and bell pepper.
- Bun options: You can use slider rolls, hamburger buns, brioche buns, a French roll, or a couple of slices of crusty bread.
- Sauce ingredients: If you like a sweeter sauce, add in a tablespoon of brown sugar beef to the broth. For a more intense beefy flavor, you can use beef consommé instead of broth. Or, for a spicy kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Cheeses: You can use any melty cheese you prefer. Pepper Jack, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, Swiss, and Monterey Jack are all great choices. You can also add a combination of a couple different types of cheese.
How Long will Sloppy Joes Last in the Fridge?
You’ll want to cool meat until it reaches room temperature in an airtight container. The mixture will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze leftovers, though it’s best to do so before adding the cheese.
Why are They Called Sloppy Joes?
There’re several stories about where Sloppy Joe’s got their name. The sandwich dates back to the 1950s as a variation of the loose meat sandwiches. One popular legend is that a cook named Joe at a café in Sioux City, Iowa, added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches and they were such a hit, they were named after him.
Can I Make This Recipe Stove Top?
Absolutely. If you need to shorten the cooking time, just brown the meat and onion in a large skillet or Dutch oven, add the au jus ingredients, and cook until nice and bubbly. Add the cheese and serve.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Slow Cooker Pickle Chicken
- Homemade Chicken Alfredo
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- Leftover Turkey Casserole
- Fajita Burgers
- Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Pasta Shells
- Beef and Broccoli
- Easy Taco Bake with Crescent Rolls
Slow Cooker French Dip Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 large onion sliced thin
- ½ cup quick cooking oatmeal
- 1 1/3 cups beef broth
- 1 once onion soup mix 1 packet
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 6 buns
Instructions
- In a large skillet add your ground beef and thinly sliced onion.
- Saute over medium heat until the beef is cooked through.
- Drain any grease and add the meat and onion mix to your slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker add the oatmeal, beef broth, beefy onion soup mix, worcheshire sauce, garlic powder and black pepper.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Right before serving place the slices of provolone cheese on top and cover for 5 minutes until the cheese is melty.
- Serve on brioche buns or slider buns.
Nutrition
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