Taco Sloppy Joes (freezer meal)

Looking for a recipe that’s familiar yet new? Taco Sloppy Joes combines two comfort foods to create your family’s next favourite meal.

Sloppy Joes is a meal that I’ve been eating since my childhood in the suburbs in Alberta, Canada. They remind me of wintery days when I could see big, fluffy snowflakes drifting down through our large square window in the kitchen.

And tacos? Well, aren’t tacos everyone’s favourite?!

My own kids like both tacos and sloppy joes, so I was pretty sure this meal would be a guaranteed winner. I was right.

Although we discovered after the first attempt that some of us preferred the texture with a toasted bun. The second time I made them and those of us who wanted to toasted our buns first, it was a glorious success!

Another great thing about this recipe is that everyone can customize it the way they want to by adding toppings of their choosing.

Taco Sloppy Joes Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1 cup salsa (I like to use the chunky kind)
• 1/4 cup water

For serving:

• buns
• optional toppings such as shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Assembly instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef. Allow it to cool slightly.
2. Place cooked ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic, taco seasoning, salsa, and water in a large resealable freezer bag.
3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Stovetop cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.
2. Heat in a pot or skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Slow cooker cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.
2. Cook in Crock Pot on low for 2-3 hours.
3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Note: I prefer the texture of this dish better if I toast the buns before adding the meat mixture, but it’s completely up to you.

Plant-based option:

To make this plant-based, use a veggie ground round beef substitute in place of the beef. My favourite one to use with this recipe is the Mexican ground round.

Taco Sloppy Joes Topping Suggestions:

• shredded cheese (tex mex or taco blends work well)
• shredded lettuce
• diced tomato
• sliced green onions
• cubed avocado
• salsa
• hot sauce
• black olives
• sour cream
• guacamole
• cilantro

Print

Taco Sloppy Joes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: sloppy Joes, taco

Servings: 6

Calories: 174 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1 cup salsa your favorite variety
• 1/4 cup water

For serving:

• buns
• optional toppings such as shredded cheese lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef. Allow it to cool slightly.

2. Place cooked ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic, taco seasoning, salsa, and water in a large resealable freezer bag.

3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Stovetop cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.
2. Heat in a pot or skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Slow cooker cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Cook in Crock-Pot on low for 2-3 hours.

3. Serve on bun halves with taco toppings.

Recipe Notes

I prefer the texture of this dish better if I toast the buns, but it's completely up to you. 

Check out these other make ahead meal options:

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casserole

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes