Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joes made with Italian chicken or turkey sausage, tomatoes, peppers and onions made in the slow cooker for an easy weeknight meal.
Italian Sloppy Joe
This easy dinner recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights. If you don’t want to serve this on toast, you can have this over soft potato buns, 0r over spaghetti squash or pasta. If you want to go with the classic, use this sloppy Joe recipe. Slow cooker dinners are huge time savers! See more Slow Cooker recipes here.
I almost forgot about this recipe from the archives I posted back in 2013. I remade it and served it over toasted garlic-rubbed Italian bread finished with melted cheese.
Variations and Tips
You can double the recipe for more servings. On the stove top, simply simmer in a heavy pot for 30 to 40 minutes. For a more traditional Sloppy Joe, try this Sloppy Joe recipe. And for those of you who don’t have access to turkey or chicken sausage, you can easily make your own with this recipe, homemade turkey sausage.
I have not tried this in the Instant Pot, if you do please comment below. My favorite Slow Cooker is this Hamilton Beach Set and Forget 6 Quart Slow Cooker. I’m sure there may be others that are just as good, but I can only vouch for this one.
Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian turkey or chicken sausage, removed from casing
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes, Tuttorosso
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
For serving:
- 6 1-inch thick slices Italian Bread, from 1 large loaf (2 oz each)
- olive oil spray
- dried Italian seasoning or Parsley, to taste
- 2 tbsp grated cheese
- garlic clove, cut in half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
Instructions
- In a medium non-stick skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up as it cooks into small bits until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add onions and garlic, and cook another 2 minutes.
- Transfer to the slow cooker and add the bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, rosemary and fresh cracked pepper.
- Cover and cook on low 4 hours.
- Prepare the garlic bread slices. Place 6 slices of the bread on a sheet pan, spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning and Parmesan on each side. Spritz with a little more oil and broil about 6 inches from the heating element, until the top of bread is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes keeping an eye on it. When toasted, remove from oven and rub a garlic clove over the bread.
- Top each slice with 1/2 cup meat and add shredded mozzarella, about 2 1/2 tablespoons on each. Place back into the oven for about 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Where do you find or what kind of chicken or Turkey Italian sausage are you using? I’m having problems finding anything other than pork
Made this with Dietz and Watson chicken italian sausage. I used 1 1/2 pkgs. I used a hamburger bun for my husband and a 647 English muffin for me. I treated each half as a slice of the Italian bread in the recipe. It was outstanding. I have 4 servings left. 2 will go in the freezer and we will have this again later in the week. Sorry I didn’t try the recipe sooner.
One of our favorites! Love that there is a crock pot and stove top option!
My kids and I absolutely LOVED these sandwiches! Plus they are so easy to throw together. Thanks for providing yet another healthy and easy go-to recipe to our mix!
Glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂
Do you think this would taste good over a baked potato?
Ok I gonna try my new slow cooker with this recipe…plus I need to use my fresh rosemary…recipe looks easy and delicious! Thanks Gina!
Made this last Sat. Only changes I made were, used Italian Pork Sausage, casing removed and shards of sharp cheddar cheese. I had purchased rusty hoagie rolls and cut them length wise in half. All else as written.
It was fabulous. Will definitely make again.
Looks great. Going to try this weekend.
Question: What temperature for when you are melting the cheese? I do think you mentioned it. I am thinking 350°?
Thanks.
Sunny Drohan
This was delicious and easy! We will definitely put this on regular rotation. I love the crunch of the peppers.
I used the Boarhead Chicken Italian Sausage, and it was not edible. I will try this recipe again with a different brand of meat and update my review.
I swear by Premio!
My traditional sloppy joe loving husband approves!! These were excellent and a nice switch up from the traditional style. I used ciabatta rolls and they worked perfectly – even the kids devoured them! Will definitely be having these in our rotation.
This was so good! Perfect flavor combinations. The next morning I made the leftovers for breakfast – added an over easy egg under the cheese before broiling and it was delicious!
This recipe was surprisingly delicious. It’s perfect for a weekend lunch.
I made these tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Even my two year old approved and had seconds lol. I’ll definitely be making them again.
Perfect!
Outstanding! The meat mixture is so flavorful and delicious, even on its own. I made it with plain ground turkey because I don’t care for sausage and it was still amazing! I can’t wait to make this one again. Definitely one of the best!
Just made this recipe for dinner tonight. It was so easy to make. Funny how such simple ingredients were so flavorful! I’m kinda mad at my husband because he ate so much there won’t be leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Seriously so good! I can’t wait to make it again!!
Gina, the recipe says to season BOTH sides of the Italian bread with olive oil, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese, although the video looks like only one side is toasted. Am I getting this wrong?
Follow the recipe, the video girl made a mistake.
the original from 2013 we’ve made over a hundred times. Seriously. Putting it on garlic toast is genius and will happen this weekend.
We recommend turkey sausage as the protein.
Enjoy!!!
Hi Gina I have been making this recipe since you first published it. My family loves it. I’m wondering how many calories for a cup of the meat mixture alone?
Amazing flavor and filling. I simmered it on the stove top for 30 mins. Great summer time dinner. Quick and easy too!
Incredibly easy to make and super delicious. Gina, we need an Instant Pot conversion recipe!!
Can I just use one pound of Italian seasoned ground turkey? I have this in the freezer and don’t want to stop at the grocery store
Sure
Hi I love your recipes! Quick question, does the nutrition information include the bread and the cheese? Thank you!
Thanks and yes
These were great! i had lots of leftovers so the next day instead of using a bun, I mixed with cauliflower rice and added spinach and cheese to make a bowl. It was amazing!
That is a good idea. I serve mine over zucchini or butternut squash noodles with spinach.
Can you use half turkey sausage and half ground turkey? Not sure if it would come out as good…
Sure!
neat idea! thanks
My family loves this! But the kids are growing so I need to double the recipe! Would you need to cook it a bit longer for doubling??
I don’t think so. Glad you enjoy it!
One of my faves. Flavorful and is like eating healthy comfort food! I sometimes have an issue finding low fat provolone but I always manage to find it somewhere!
Can you do this in an instant pot? If yes how long etc any changes in directions? freestyle points
How would you do this in the instant pot
I will double check.
Could this recipe be made in an Instant Pot?
This was so delicious! I served it over sweet potatoes (like your other sloppy joe recipe) and we LOVED it- so flavorful and filling.
Is the calorie count including the cheese?
Gina, I am so excited to try this tonight, but I just wanted to say thank you! I have been using your site for about a year now and absolutely love it. My long term relationship unexpectedly ended last June and these recipes really kept me going and motivated me to eat better. Last week I hit my goal weight after losing 15 pounds since finding your website!
Too wet to eat the regular way. Had to do open face sandwiches. Followed recipe exactly.
How long would you cook this in an Instant Pot?
Made this tonight and it was yummy. It was too wet for my white bread buns, though. (I think I added too much crushed tomatoes.) Next time I’ll make it on the stovetop and spoon it over something. I like the idea of calzone stuffing.
If I make this in the Instant Pot, would I need to add any water?
No
How could you convert this to instant pot???
Sure, I would add 1/3 cup water and cook high pressure 15 min.
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how much saturated fat?
What are the Smart points for just the filling?
I put this into WW recipe building and it comes out to 3 SP for 1/2 cup filling, or 6 SP for 1 cup filling
I made this last night and my husband LOVED it! The only change I made was that I had a can of Italian stewed tomatoes instead of the crushed tomatoes. Very delicious! I had the leftovers for lunch today with brown rice 🙂
The Smart Points value on this is wrong! I ate two, thinking they were only 5 SP each, I calculated it and it is actually 9 points each – yikes!
These were so good! I modified slightly due to what I had on hand. I only had 12 oz of cooked chicken sausage, so I removed from casing, cut them up and "browned them" along with some ground beef. I cooked that mixture per your instructions. Turned out so good!
Made this yesterday for dinner, SO good! I used italian chicken sausage and loved it. I also ate the leftovers for lunch and didn't even put it on a bun, it was good by itself. Huge hit, my husband loved it as welL!
Can you please let us know the Smart Points and/or Nutritional value for "Filling Only"? I don't eat this with the cheese or bun. Thanks!
I made this the other day and it was amazing!!! I used 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in the pan to brown the turkey to give it some added flavor (doesn't change the points plus value). Also, I totally skipped out on the bun, just ate this from a bowl like chili! Delicious and so easy to make!
I don't have time in the morning to brown the sausage first, will it be too mushy or taste off if I just toss it all in the crockpot and let cook all day?
Could you brown it the night before and stick it in the fridge? My husband put raw ground beef in the crockpot once and the texture came out weird.
Made this tonight and it was excellent. We all really liked it.
Do you use the 93% or 99% turkey sausage?
Would i be able to avoid doing the stovetop portion by extending the length of time in the slow cooker?
Could you use regular meat sausage instead of turkey or chicken?
I bet this would be great as the filling for a stuffed pepper or cabbage, plus it would be healthier… more veggie, no bread! Love it the regular way and am having it as such tonight for the 3rd time…. but next time I might try it as a stuffed pepper!
Wow! This is really good. There are only two of us so I had a lot left over after yesterday's dinner. I used some of the leftover tonight as a pizza topping with some very thinly sliced fresh button mushrooms and low fat mozzarella and it was fantastic.
Home today, so simmering right now on the stovetop. Smells like heaven. Trying not to taste because once I go in for a mouthful there's likely no going back.
Does the cals/ points include the roll?
I added a bag of baby spinach in at the end and served this over spaghetti squash. So good!! Thank YOU!!
I added some pork Italian saugage to placate my non-fatfree sister. This went well with a spinach salad with homemade Dijon dressing. We all loved it!!!
This so good!!! Any ideas how I could thicken it up for next time?
I made this last night with Jenny O Sweet Turkey sausage, skipped the bun, and just melted a slice of 2% Sargento Pepper Jack cheese on the top. WOW! It was delicious! Will definitely make again!
I made this last night for my husband and some friends. It is now my husband's favorite meal of mine! Thanks Gina!
Katie
I asked my nephew to try it he loved it then he called me the next day and asked if I had anymore for him.
I asked my nephew to try it he loved it then he called me the next day and asked if I had anymore for him.
Hi there! I just put this delicious recipe in the crockpot. It's been about an hour but looks like it isn't going to mix very well. I'm new to the crockpot and just imagined the meat and sauce would look more 'soupy' like the old school sloppy joes I'm imagining! Will it cook down more as time goes on? Just wondering!
Is there a way to make this on stove top? Seems like you could easily do that, but I am not sure how long it would need to cook. Any thoughts?
Sure, just simmer it on low for about 35 to 40 minutes.
Just a note that I'm making this now and even though I bought lean turkey sausage, there was quite a bit of fat in the skillet after browning it. I assume you drained the fat and did not pour that along with the veggies into your crock pot?
It looks great now and it's just started cooking. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
I want to cook this, but I work all day and do not have a crockpot with a timer. Would 8 hours be too much?
I don't think that would be an issue on low.
This was so good!! Thank you for the recipe
Made this last weekend and it's AWESOME!!!!! The only thing I did different was I used Chicken Italian Sausage. Great flavor! We put the slices of provolone on the bottom of the sandwich.
To Mary,
I used Italian seasoning! Hope it works, waiting to taste the outcome in a few hours!
Gina, would it be okay if I used ground beef? Do you think it would still taste good?
Anyone want to save me?!? I'm out of rosemary!?! Should I add something else or just leave seasoning out of it? FYI – The crushed tomatoes were the Tutturosso ones with basil in them.
Pinch of oregano or basil or even Italian seasoning would work fine.
A big hit for our Super Bowl gathering! We used chicken sausage and it was delicious. We debated leaving the cheese out, but opted for it to hold everything together!
Just finished eating this, and it is delicious! Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
I made this today and used half regular Italian sausage and half ground turkey (no Italian turkey at my store). I used diced tomatoes b/c I forgot to buy crushed. I added tomato paste. It's delicious! Thanks for posting such great recipes!
OMG this was sooo good! My hubby who swears he doesn't like sausage gobbled this up. I think I may just use this as a spaghetti sauce instead of sloppy joes:)
This was delicious! I used the leftovers the next day as filling for my eggbeaters omelet. Sprinkled a little cheese on top and voila breakfast is served! So good. THANKS!
I love this recipe! I used Jimmy Dean Turkey sausage crumbles and added some italian seasonings. I froze part of the recipe and pulled one out of the freezer today. Yumm!!
We made this on the stovetop tonight with chicken sausage (I couldn't find turkey sausage). I'm adding it to the meal rotation. It is simple and delicious. I've never put cheese on a sloppy joe before…so good!
Hi Gina, this is delicious and it will be part of my super bowl Sunday. Thanks
i made a double batch of this today in the crockpot. i figured we would eat half and freeze the other for another meal. my daughter's fiance is a very picky eater and he loved it. he had two large sandwiches. i am not sure if i will be able to freeze the other as he is inhaling this stuff right now as i type. i think it is delicious and my daughter loved it. it would be amazing over rice or pasta. definitely a keeper!!thank you for another delicious recipe.
Really liked this recipe! Made it stovetop and it was good. Next time, I'm thinking this filling would be great in calzones!
When I ran this recipe's fat, fiber, carbs, protein amounts through the WW calculator, the points calculated came out to be 7 points not 4 points. Can it really be 4 points? What is the measured serving size if you don't mind me asking?
I just saw the serving serving size – sorry about that question. I don't think it could be 4 points per serving. But I wish it were!
This was delicious! I was afraid it would be bland with as few ingredients as it has. I didn't even have to add salt or pepper and it was delicious! Thanks for another great recipe!
Okay! I am now reading the points information for myself. Thanks for having it measured out.
Yummy! I usually avoid crockpot recipes that require cooking (I prefer to just chop and open cans and dump it in). I made an exception for this because it was so simple! 1 year old daughter approves too.
Hi Gina! Sorry if this is a dumb question – but do you get Italian Turkey "sausages" (that's what I have been using for other recipes – take a couple and remove the casings) or do you use some sort of bulk sausage (like Jimmy Deans)? Thanks!
I use sweet uncooked Italian turkey or chicken sausage, whichever I can find. Not Jimmy Deans. Al Fresco or Premio are brands I usually use if I don't get it fresh from the butcher.
Jenny O is another one
This recipe is simply delicious!!! I made it this morning and just had one for lunch, I have to say they are amazing! I had to tease my boyfriend about how good they are and he has to wait till he gets off work to try them. Hes excited to get home and try them!
SO happy you enjoyed it!
I made this tonight with turkey bratwurst and it was fantastic! It will be added to my weekly rotation!
My husband and I love your blog! We made this earlier this week, it's great comfort food for these cold winter nights! I really liked that it wasn't too greasy i've been eating the leftovers for lunches! 🙂
🙂
I use salsa instead of crushed tomatoes, gives it a slight kick.
I made this tonight and it was sooooo good! The provolone melted right on top and I may or may not have emitted a moan hehe 🙂
I paired it with a green salad and it was perfect!
I'll be blogging about it soon!
Journey of a Substitute Teacher
What is a good side to serve with these?
What is a good side to serve with these?
I would do a chopped salad!
I have been wanting to try Italian style sloppy joes! They look great!
Thanks Kevin!
The burger looking so delicious , thanks for the recipe
Delish! Only used one pepper (red). Left off the spinach since I don't think my children would have eaten it. Thank you for yet another marvelous recipe!
I make something similar to this with about half and half of Italian Sausage & ground beef (or turkey – whatever I have at home). I love them so, so much. Yum.
I made this morning for dinner tonight. Have a group of hungry movers stopping in so I tripled the recipe. The only thing I changed is that I used the 93/7 Italian Seasoned ground turkey and added a large can of petite diced tomatoes. They smell fantastic and I can't wait to have one later.
Also, I could not find the whole wheat potato rolls so settled for the SaraLee 80 calorie whole wheat hamburger buns. Gina, I love your site and make almost all my meals with your recipes.Your a great inspiration for healthy eating. Great Recipes!
So glad you enjoyed them.
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What are the calories of the sloppy joes alone? I'm serving over pasta 🙂
very delicious !
Delicious! I made them on the stovetop and they were perfect! Definitely a keeper…as usual!
What a great idea! I love sloppy joes, and this is a super fun way to snazz them up!
This food looks so appetizing but full of CALORIES!!
I made this lastnight I have to say it was delicious. It tasted more like a meatball sub more than a sloppy joe. Still loved it I would make it again.
This recipe is amazing! Looks delicious!
i really don't like sloppy joes. but this is different! it really looks so good!:D
This is looking soo good, and perfect for dinner:)I was just wondering what to do next and this is an excellent idea.
I have that same slow cooker (I think you rec'd it to me!) still in the box, for whatever reason I'm still using my OLD one that I can't seem to part with (early marriage gift – nostalgic I guess, lol). My husband always will ask for sloppy joes when I ask him what he wants for dinner. Love this slow cooker one with an Italian twist!
The kid got sloppy joes at daycare today, and my husband commented how jealous he was because it sounded so good. I'll have to make this next week. I've got the same crock pot too; it's fantastic. Since I'm gone about 11 hours a day, and most crock pot recipes suggest cooking for 8-10 hours, I generally end up with overcooked, too mushy food in a regular crock pot. Having one that turns itself to warm after the right amount of time is a life saver!
As an option: You could always cook in your crockpot overnight while you sleep. Place it in the fridge in the morning and reheat at dinner time too.
This recipe certainly looks versatile. I'm sure it could be used in spaghetti sauce or lasagne too. And that it cooks in the crockpot. Gina you are the bomb. Thanks so much for your great recipes.
I cannot wait to try these! My husband and I just love your site and recipes. There is not one thing on here that we have tried and not liked. This is sure the be delicious as well! And I love new slow cooker recipes!
Gina, me and my pregnant self need to stop reading your blog while at work and therefore, not able to eat the recipes;) This is definitely one to try! I feel like I've already said this multiple times, but FYI I can't get enough of your pork carnitas, chicken enchiladas and/or the enchilada soup! Every time I make one I feel the need to tell you:)
-Lauren
congratulations Lauren 🙂
Made these last night for dinner and shared the recipe with everyone here at work today! BIG HIT! I've been asked by my guys to NEVER buy the canned sloopy joe sauce again! I love using the turkey sausage!
Thank You Gina
Great! I've actually never had the canned stuff.
You could also use a Flatout fold out (rosemary and olive oil) instead of a roll and make it into a panini!
Perfect!
love that idea!
Hi! I love everything you post on here. I stumbled upon your site on Pinterest and have been addicted ever since! I am in the market for a slow cooker – any reccomendations??
I just added the link above the recipe.
Is there a substitution for the red & green peppers?
Made these last night and they were really tasty.. def. in our regular rotation. The cheese in the photo above actually removes the eating difficulty… place the cheese on the bottom half covering meat and zap in microwave for 15 seconds. It binds all the meat to the bun and is delicious to boot! Great recipe Gina, well done.
Yes it makes it less sloppy 🙂
Hi Gina!
I got a pressure cooker for Christmas and thought I could use it to make these quick! However, since it was a pressure cooker I thought it needed more liquid, so I added a cup of water. It didn't absorb as much as I thought it would, but I ended up with a great Italian Chili!!
Thanks Gina!
Brooke
Hi Gina, I can't get my hands on anything other than pork italian sausage, so what herbs etc would I need to add to turkey or chicken mince to get a similar taste?
thanks
Gina – Ireland
I actually posted a recipe a while back: https://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/01/homemade-turkey-sausage.html
Brilliant, thanks
This looks insanely good. I might try to use this to stuff peppers. Thanks!
It's got to be frustrating that you take the time to separate the nutritional info out for your readers yet so many people ask questions without even bothering to click to open the recipe first…
; )
I was JUST thinking that!!!!!
What are the calories for just the filling?
Thanks!
Gina, what is the points plus value of your whole wheat bun? This recipe looks yummy and will likely add to next week's menus.
Thanks so much!
Does the points include the bun and cheese?
These look awesome and like my whole family will love them! is it okay to ask what brand the potato rolls are just to make my search easier? Thanks!
I love Martin's. They make whole wheat potato rolls, not sure if other brands do as well.
Hi Gina, This recipe sounds great, but I'm wondering if I could make it without peppers and how that would change points. My husband doesn't like peppers. :-/
Sure, it won't change the points but it will be less than 1/2 cup serving.
Thanks for all the great recipes! I made this for with my Dad who does not love peppers like I do, and substituted about 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped mushrooms for one of the peppers. It was very good and I think you could substitute mushrooms for both of the peppers and get a good serving without changing the points.
Besides the set and forget benefit of using a crockpot, is the flavor better than stovetop because it sits longer?
I personally don't think so, I think it's convenience. This is just as good simmered on the stove 25-30 minutes.
Made your turkey,beef picadillo,chicken catcctorie using my crockpot. Great recipes. Thanks, Vivian
Going to make this over the weekend with Italian seasoned ground turkey. Not a huge sausage fan so I'm hoping the extra seasoning will work well in this recipe. Thanks for another great updated recipe and for crock pot as well.
Brilliant! I am planning my menu for OAMCC (once a month crockpot cooking) and you have sooo many recipes with great reviews.
And I also wanted to say thank you. (: Because of your site, I just started weight watchers, and I love it. It just makes sense:
Little square of dark chocolate… 5 points.
Slice of homemade whole wheat pizza… 6 points.
I've been making the right choice the last few days and already dropped 3 pounds. Thank you for being such a great influence and providing all these recipes and ideas. You make our lives easier!
That's wonderful!! 🙂
I love this twist on sloppy joes and I love it even more because it's for the slow cooker!
Hi Gina – this looks AMAZING, but what if I wanted to make this tonight for dinner thus not having time for the crockpot? Could I just use the stovetop and simmer for 20-30 minutes?
Absolutely!! 30 minutes should be perfect.
Gina – I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend and I pretty much devoured the whole thing! I highly recommend to any other Skinny Taste readers!
Could you use ground turkey instead of the turkey sausage?
You could but the flavor will change a bit.
I made this today and used ground turkey and asked the meat counter to put their Italian seasoning in it. It tasted amazing!
Tona good idea!!!!
I had ground turkey on hand so I used it and added some seasoning – italian seasoning, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr, salt, pepper, paprika, dried parsley. Tasted great!
WOW Gina!!! this looks good….
Could you use chicken sausage?
Diane
Yes, of course! I use them both, whichever I find.
looks yummy and healthy 🙂 cant wait to try it