The BEST Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese Recipe with Venison (2024)

My 8-year-old daughter is convinced this Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese Recipe with Venison is the BEST 30-minute meal I've made this summer. It's now at the top of my list for easy dinner ideas. Saucy, meaty, and so satisfying.

I made a promise on her last day of 2nd grade – 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 (and now video) for clients before the busy fall season. But I am also a father who made it a #1 priority to take his daughter to The Little Mermaid in the movie theater. I chose 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 – writing, editing photos, posting on social media, communicating with current clients, and submitting new recipes to potential clients. And 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 kiddo read a library book!

Every weekday I wake up before 5:00 a.m. and work in front of a screen for a couple 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 – when 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 Sloppy Joe 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. But instead of making her a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, I turned her into my recipe tester for the food blog. She helped me develop the Venison Shank Pizza Roll Ups, the Best Ever Venison Cheeseburger, and the Grilled Bear Steak with Cucumber Salad. What a great gift it has been to have her help me in the kitchen, measuring out ingredients, and jamming out to fun music in our aprons.

There are few dishes more kid-pleasing than mac and cheese. But a good sloppy joe recipe is also a family favorite. I developed this 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 recipe. This 30-minute-meal combines two classic favorites – sloppy joes and mac and cheese – into one delicious, cheesy, and meaty masterpiece.

The hearty and savory sloppy joe sauce, made with ground venison, tomatoes, onion, and seasoning, is the perfect complement to the creamy and cheesy macaroni. My 8-year-old daughter loves this satisfying and easy-to-make combination of a mac and cheese recipe and sloppy joe recipe. It’s a new favorite that is sure to become a regular recipe on the busy weeknight dinner rotation when school starts again this fall.

BEST CHEESE FOR MAC AND CHEESE

Cheddar is probably the most popular and best cheese for mac and cheese and sharp cheddar provides the most pronounced flavor. But if you want to experiment outside of the confines of cheddar, there are a ton of other cheeses that are great in macaroni and cheese! You can use one or a combination of cheeses to make your mac and cheese your own.

Here are some other cheeses that work great with macaroni and cheese:

– Parmesan

– Gruyere