Sloppy Joes
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Homemade Sloppy Joes! Brimming with hearty browned beef, lots of veggies and a rich, lightly sweet, lightly smokey tomato based sauce. This recipe is fast, flavorful and sure to satisfy those old time cravings!
Want to make them next level delicious? Serve them on homemade hamburger buns, you can even butter and toast them!
Easy Sloppy Joes with the Best Sloppy Joes Sauce!
Who doesn’t love a classic sloppy joe sandwich? So many of us grew up eating these in the 90’s, made with that canned sauce of course that isn’t anything near as good as this homemade version.
This easy sloppy joes sauce from scratch don’t take much more effort than a store-bought Manwhich sauce and it’s easily worth the few extra steps! Made from scratch is always better.
These beefy sandwiches are saucy, messy, and just so simply satisfying. You’ll always find them piled high and spilling over because it’s impossible for any bun to fully retain all that tasty goodness.
They definitely may not be the fanciest most appealing dish, but they are just good for the soul comfort food.
And I think it’s fitting to say these are always one of the highlights of summer. Bakery fresh (or homemade) burger buns sandwiching a rich, meaty, tomato-y filling, with a nice balance sweet and smoky and a welcomed background flavor of seasoning throughout them.
Pair them with all your favorite summer sides, and an ice cold drink of course to polish it off. This is how you do real people food.
Watch the Video!
Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make the homemade sloppy joe sauce and the rest of the sandwiches:
- Olive oil – another neutral oil will work, like vegetable oil. This is just to help brown the beef.
- Yellow onion – this adds a lot of background flavor.
- Red bell pepper – green bell pepper will work too, red just tend to be a little sweeter.
- Ground beef – be sure to use lean ground beef, it’s better quality and has less fat to drain.
- Garlic – fresh garlic will offer the best flavor.
- Chili powder – standard chili powder or ancho chili powder works well in this recipe.
- Paprika – sweet or smoked paprika can be used in the filling.
- Ground mustard – this is the dry powder you can find in the spices section, not prepared yellow mustard.
- Canned tomato sauce – use a small can, not the standard size can.
- Ketchup – I like to use a ketchup without corn syrup. But any will do, use what you have.
- Worcestershire sauce – this adds a lot of depth to the sauce, don’t skip it.
- Hickory smoke flavor – this is a natural ingredient (a liquid) usually found in the condiments section of the grocery store (by ketchup, bbq sauce, etc).
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make Sloppy Joes
Pre-heat skillet: heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sauté veggies: add onion and bell pepper, sauté until nearly tender, about 6 minutes. Scoot to one far side of the pan.
Brown the beef: crumble beef into skillet and cook, breaking up and tossing occasionally, until nearly fully cooked through.
Drain fat and season mixture: drain excess rendered fat from beef. Add garlic, chili powder, paprika, mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste and cook beef through, about 1 minute.
Add liquid ingredients: stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, and hickory smoke flavor. Reduce heat and warm through, about 2 minutes. Thin sauce with a little water or chicken/beef broth as desired.
Serve filling warm in hamburger buns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Recipe be Doubled?
The recipe can be doubled but you’ll want to sauté vegetables and beef in batches in a skillet, then add each batch to a pot so it will all fit before proceeding to add sauce and so forth.
What About Using Ground Turkey?
Ground turkey would work here too if you are trying to make it a little healthier. Just don’t use a super lean turkey (you need some fat for flavor and to prevent the mixture from being dry).
How do You Make Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes?
You’ll first need to sauté the veggies and brown and season the beef as directed. Then pour into slow cooker along with liquid ingredients and a couple of tablespoons of broth or water. Cook on low heat 3 hours.
How to Make them Spicy?
Add cayenne pepper to taste along with the other spices if you want them to have a nice kick. Another option would be to use a few chipotle chilies in place of the chili powder, or add a minced jalapeno with the bell pepper.
Can I Make the Sloppy Joe Filling in Advance?
The meat filling can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge, it rewarms quite well.
What Can You do with Leftover Sloppy Joes Meat?
You can add leftover sloppy joe mix to a grilled cheese, a quesadilla, an American style taco, add to eggs or toss with hash browns.
How to Store Sloppy Joes and Reheat
- Store the sloppy joe beef filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Store hamburger buns separately of course or they will be completely soggy by the next day.
- Sloppy joes will keep in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Rewarm the filling in a skillet set over medium heat. Add splashes of broth and even a little oil or butter to thin the sauce back to the proper consistency. Heat until warmed through, stirring frequently so the sugars in the sauce don’t burn.
What to Serve with Sloppy Joes
This easy sloppy joe recipe pairs well with almost any summer side dish. If you need a few ideas, here are my favorite sloppy joe sides:
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Red Potato Salad, Fries or Tater Tots
- Rainbow Fruit Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Potato Chips
- Pickles
Tips for Making the Best Sloppy Joes
- If you like a little kick, feel free to add some cayenne pepper to the mix. Red pepper flakes will work too.
- If you want a smokier flavor, try the sloppy joe sauce with smoked paprika (not hot).
- You can enjoy your homemade sloppy joes as is, or you can top with some coleslaw.
More Sandwiches Recipes You’ll Love:
- Slow Cooker French Dip
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Veggie and Hummus Sandwich
- Turkey Burgers
Follow Cooking Classy
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 lb lean ground beef*
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp)
- 1 tsp chili powder (regular or Ancho)
- 1 tsp paprika (sweet or smoked)
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup**
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp natural hickory smoke flavor
- Water or broth, for thinning as needed
- 4 hamburger buns, homemade or bakery fresh
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper, saute until nearly tender, about 6 minutes. Scoot to one far side of the pan.
- Crumble in beef, let sear until browned on bottom, about 2 - 3 minutes. Then turn and start to break up beef and toss with peppers and onions, continue to cook 2 - 3 minutes or until nearly cooked through.
- Drain fat from beef. Add garlic, chili powder, paprika, mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste and cook beef through, about 1 minute, tossing occasionally.
- Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, smoke flavor. Reduce heat and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Thin the mixture with splashes of water, beef broth or chicken broth as needed.
- Serve warm in hamburger buns.
Notes
- *Ground turkey can be substituted (don't use super lean).
- **I like to use a corn syrup-free ketchup such as Simply Heinz or Trader Joes.
- Pair with grilled corn, coleslaw, potato chips, pickle spears or potato salad.