The Pioneer Woman's 1-Pot Sloppy Joe Mac Is the Easiest Dinner You’ll Make This Week (Exclusive)

What makes a good dinner? For us, it’s something that gets a meal on the table quickly and easily while using household ingredients—and tastes great, of course. However, we do give bonus points for anything that’s made in one pan because, let’s be honest, who actually likes cleaning up after cooking?

If that’s your definition of a great dinner, too, then we have some fantastic news for you. Ree Drummond, better known as The Pioneer Woman, is releasing her eighth cookbook, and this one is all about getting a delicious dinner on the table in no time.

“The Pioneer Woman Cooks—Dinner’s Ready” hits shelves on October 24 and features “112 fast and fabulous recipes for slightly impatient home cooks.” We couldn’t name a cookbook more suited for us if we tried.

The cookbook features recipes from pasta and pizza to burgers and Tex-Mex—plus some appetizers, sides, desserts, and even condiments sprinkled in. But the one recipe that spoke to us is Drummond’s One-Pot Sloppy Joe Mac. The 30-minute meal is what Drummond calls her homemade Hamburger Helper but with a Sloppy Joe twist.

Drummond exclusively shared her One-Pot Sloppy Joe Mac recipe with Allrecipes so you can enjoy it as much as we did.

The Pioneer Woman's One-Pot Sloppy Joe Mac

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 12 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 1/2 cups grated mild Cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
• minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
  

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic along with the green bell pepper, chili powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, crumbling the beef until it’s cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the macaroni, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and broth. Stir to combine then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring two to three times during the cooking process.
3. When the macaroni is al dente and about three-quarters of the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat. Add the Cheddar and stir until it’s totally melted in.
4. Serve up heapin’ helpins with a sprinkle of Cheddar and parsley!

Variations

• Add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms along with the onions and peppers.
• Make a taco mac version by adding taco seasoning and pepper Jack cheese.
• Spice it up by adding red pepper flakes and hot sauce!

This recipe can be found in "The Pioneer Woman Cooks—Dinner's Ready" available on Amazon.

I Tried The Pioneer Woman's Sloppy Joe Mac

Let me preface this by saying I’m not the biggest Hamburger Helper fan—mainly because I think it tastes like it comes from a box. So, this fresh version with added veggies and extra flavor really caught my eye.

It was so incredibly simple to make, especially because I threw my onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the food processor, so I didn’t even have to get out a knife. I also love that I didn’t have to cook the macaroni noodles separately and could just let the broth do all the work in the skillet. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the flavors because I’d likely never make Hamburger Helper or Sloppy Joes for myself. However, this Sloppy Joe casserole had the right amount of sweetness, plus a hint of spice, and an all-around fresher taste. I actually went back for seconds.

All in all, this 30-minute recipe has definitely joined my rotation as a dinner mainstay—alongside Drummond’s other "Dinner’s Ready" recipes, like Pasta Fagioli and Chicken Pot Pie Skillet. Though, flipping through her cookbook, it's hard to choose just one thing to make for dinner tonight—so, it's a good thing we need seven day's worth of meals!