My 9-year-old daughter is convinced this Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese Recipe is the BEST 30-minute meal I've made this summer. This Sloppy Joe Pasta is now at the top of my list for easy dinner ideas.
Spending Time With Your Kids
I made a promise to my daughter on the last day of school before summer break. Do not let these next few months slip by without taking the time to intentionally create lasting memories with your daughter this summer. As a parent working from home, it can be hard to strike the balance between creating amazing summer memories with our kids while staying on task with work, staying on budget, and keeping our house clean.
I have lots of venison recipes, pheasant recipes, and duck recipes I need to develop, cook, and photograph for clients before the busy fall season. But I am also a father who made it a number one priority to take his daughter to The Little Mermaid in the movie theater. I just had to choose a Tuesday afternoon when the tickets and popcorn were less expensive.
Most of what I do isn't the cooking and food photography. The vast majority of my time is spent on the computer. I write, edit photos, post on social media, communicate with current clients, and submit new recipes to potential clients. Although my wife (she works outside the home) and I try to seriously limit our daughter's screen time, I'm concerned I'm being a bad example with the amount of time I spend on my laptop and smartphone. I'm busy typing away while insisting my child reads a book or works on coloring pages.
Every weekday I wake up before 5:00 a.m. and work in front of a screen for a couple of hours while my wife and daughter are still sleeping. As soon as a sleepy redhead in princess pajamas emerges from her slumber, I take a break from client work. My new favorite time of the day is at this very moment. My daughter crawls up in the chair with me and snuggles for a few minutes before I start on breakfast for her and her mom.
Mac And Cheese Recipe
This Mac and Cheese Recipe came about after asking my daughter what she wanted for lunch. "Mac and Cheese," she replied! I got the same request every day for the first week of summer.
I refused to make her a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese every day. Instead, I turned her into my recipe tester for the food blog and we worked together to create this Sloppy Joe Pasta.
My daughter also helped me develop the Venison Shank Pizza Roll Ups, the Tater Tot Nachos, and the Venison Sloppy Joes. What a great gift it's been to have her help me in the kitchen, measuring out ingredients, and jamming out to fun music in our aprons.
Sloppy Joe Mac And Cheese
There are few dishes more kid-pleasing than a mac and cheese recipe. But a good sloppy joe recipe is also a family favorite. I developed this ground venison recipe for my daughter and for all you busy parents out there with venison burger in your freezer.
If you're looking for the ultimate comfort food mashup, look no further than this Venison Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese. This 30-minute meal combines two classic favorites - sloppy joes and mac and cheese - into one delicious, cheesy, and meaty masterpiece. A sloppy joe pasta!
The hearty and savory sloppy joe sauce, made with ground venison (or ground beef), tomatoes, onion, and seasoning, is the perfect complement to the creamy and cheesy macaroni. My 9-year-old daughter loves this satisfying and easy-to-make combination of a mac and cheese recipe and sloppy joe recipe.
Sloppy Joe Pasta
When we aren't inside cooking up new recipes for the food blog, we are running around in the outdoors. I must admit this Sloppy Joe Pasta is a pretty good meal to feed a hungry kid and her parents in order to fuel up before a long hike.
This Sloppy Joe Pasta is a new favorite dish that is sure to become a regular recipe on the busy weeknight dinner rotation when school starts again this fall.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese
1. Melt the butter in a large enameled cast iron skillet or casserole dish over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the ground venison, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it is browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
4. Season with salt, black pepper, and chili powder.
5. Add the broth, macaroni, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
6. Cover and cook until the macaroni is cooked and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
7. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese until melted.
8. Garnish with the remaining cheese and the parsley. Serve immediately.
Need Another Kid Friendly Recipe?
If you want one more kid-friendly venison recipe, be sure and check out my Venison Stroganoff made with venison steak and mushrooms and served over egg noodles.
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If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.
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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE
If you make this Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese Recipe, tag @wildgameandfish so I can share it on my Instagram stories.
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The BEST Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 pound ground venison
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cups venison or beef broth
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large enameled cast iron skillet or casserole dish over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the ground venison, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it is browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Season with salt, black pepper, and chili powder.
- Add the broth, macaroni, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook until the macaroni is cooked and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese until melted.
- Garnish with the remaining cheese and the parsley. Serve immediately.
Robert voves says
This looks yummy, can't wait to make it
Jeff Benda says
Let me know how it turns out!
Tristan Stanton says
Love that you are able to find ways to balance your work life with family time. I remember eating just about anything that was put in front of me as a kid, im sure she will be one of the best taste testers you will ever have!
Esteri says
Not only a great recipe, but it freezes dries and comes back to life really well. First thing to disappear from our stock of camping meals. We love it!
Jeff Benda says
Great idea on the freeze drying! So glad to hear you love it as much as we do.