The Gluten-Free Homemaker

Last week I bought one of those really big packs of ground beef at BJ’s (I think it was 6 pounds).  We had burgers Friday night, and yes, I worked on that burger challenge.   But I still had a lot of beef left over.  Well, Saturday most of us were sick with a tummy virus and didn’t eat, but by Sunday my husband and kids were ready for a meal.  I was anxious to try the new crock pot I bought, and I still had a bunch of hamburger buns (not gluten free for the rest of the family) since I bought a big pack of those at BJ’s.  If I knew we were going to get sick, I would never have bought large quantities of food, but you never know when these things are going to hit.  Anyway, I set out to make Sloppy Joes in my slow cooker.  The picture shows it in a bowl because that’s how I ate it, when I did get around to eating, along with some delicious Udi’s bread.  You could of course serve it on a bun the way the rest of my family ate it.  I was out of gluten-free buns, and I wasn't about to put a picture of a wheat bun on this blog!

This recipe is based on my Mom’s recipe.  It makes a lot so you can cut it in half if you don’t need so much, or freeze some for later use.  If you are cooking for a crowd, you might need to double it.  You can also adjust the ingredients to your taste.

Sloppy Joes

• 3 lbs. ground beef (I used 85% lean)
• 2 c. chopped onion
• 1 1/2 c. diced celery
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 Tb. brown sugar
• 2 Tb. gluten-free soy sauce (Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or San-J wheat free)
• 2 Tb. apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 c. ketchup (I used Wild Harvest organic)
• 1/2 c. water

In a skillet, cook the ground beef and onion until the meat is browned and the onion is soft.  Drain.  Place all ingredients in your slow cooker and stir to mix well.  Cook on low 4 – 6 hours. 

Note:  Today’s slow cookers are much hotter than old ones.  Even on low I find that 4 hours is often enough.  Since the beef is already cooked in this recipe, test the celery for doneness to determine when it’s ready.  If it gets done and you are not ready to eat, use the warm setting if you have one.

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For more great recipes, visit Delicious Dishes, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, and Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Labels: beef, main dish recipes, slow cooker