Dr. Pepper gives sweetness to slow cooker sloppy joes

‘365 Slow Cooker Suppers’ offers recipes for a year’s worth of slow cooker suppers.

It’s always nice to have a recipe like sloppy joes on hand for an easy dinner.

It’s even easier when they can be made in the slow cooker, like this recipe from the new book 365 Slow Cooker Suppers ($24.99, softcover, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by Stephanie O’Dea. The book offers recipes for a year’s worth of slow cooker suppers, including this one that gets a little sweetness from the addition of a cup of Dr. Pepper soda.

Ms. O’Dea also includes instructions on how to convert the recipe to gluten-free.

Dr. Pepper Sloppy Joes

1 pound extra-lean ground turkey

1 onion, grated

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or gluten-free rice flour)

½ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or gluten-free)

1 cup Dr. Pepper soda

6 hamburger buns (or gluten-free buns)

Use a 4-quart slow cooker.

Put the turkey into the insert and add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and flour. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce until all the ingredients are well-mixed. Pour the Dr. Pepper over the top. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Stir well and serve in the hamburger buns.

Makes six servings.