Crockpot Cranberry Turkey Sloppy Joes for Meal Prep

These slow cooker cranberry apple turkey sloppy joes deliver the ultimate hands-off fall comfort meal. Ground turkey absorbs a savory-sweet blend of smoky barbecue sauce, jellied cranberries, and crisp apple bits while it simmers to tender perfection. Ideal for busy Halloween nights, game day gatherings, or weekly meal prep, this dish keeps dinner stress-free and full of seasonal flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 cup jellied cranberry sauce
• 3/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup finely diced Honeycrisp apple
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 6 brioche sandwich buns, toasted for serving

Instructions

1. Add the ground turkey, jellied cranberry sauce, barbecue sauce, diced apple, yellow onion, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to the slow cooker insert.
2. Stir thoroughly to break up the ground turkey and blend the sauce ingredients into a uniform mixture.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours (or HIGH for 2 1/2 hours) until the turkey is fully cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.
4. Uncover and break up any remaining meat chunks with a wooden spoon, stirring well to let the sauce thicken slightly for 5 minutes.
5. Spoon generous portions of the hot turkey mixture onto toasted brioche buns and serve immediately.

Tips

• For weekly meal prep, divide the cooked turkey meat into glass meal-prep containers and store toasted buns separately to keep them fresh.
• If you prefer a thicker sloppy joe texture, leave the lid off for the final 15 minutes of cooking on HIGH.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze the meat mixture for up to 3 months.