Homemade Sloppy Joes
by Chungah
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Hands down THE BEST sloppy joes made from scratch! So saucy, so hearty. Serve in hamburger buns for a quick dinner!
Featured Comment
Let’s just say that sloppy joes aren’t just kid-friendly. They are 100% a family-favorite for EVERYONE including all grown-ups. I mean, saucy, tender ground beef goodness with a hint of sweetness served on toasted brioche buns? Yes, sign me up!
WHY you’ll love this sloppy joe recipe
- Lightning fast. Skip the canned sloppy joes! This homemade version comes together in lightening speed in one single pan for the easiest clean up ever. Not to mention, it’s so much better (and healthier) than the canned stuff!
- Budget-friendly. Using ground beef, a dinnertime staple, this is just one of those budget-friendly weeknight heroes that is loved by both kids and grown ups.
- Adaptability. This recipe is so easy to double or triple for guests, making it perfect for a big party or tailgating season.
- Versatile. You can add in as little or as many veggies (carrots, mushrooms, zucchini or leafy greens) for a heartier sloppy joe.
What is a sloppy joe?
A sloppy joe, known as messy comfort food, is a popular American sandwich typically made with ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and garlic.
How to make homemade sloppy joes
- Crumble the beef. Brown the ground beef (or desired protein), draining the fat but leaving just enough for flavor.
- Add the aromatics. Stir in the onion and bell pepper, making sure to dice them finely to avoid large chunks in the sauce.
- Stir in seasonings. Stir in all the seasonings and liquids to keep everyone happy and saucy.
- Let it simmer. Let it all come together and simmer until all the flavors meld for that perfectly thick texture and consistency.
- Serve. Serve in your favorite buns – toasted brioche buns, pretzel buns or even hot dog buns (for less mess!).
Sloppy joe variations
Meat
Swap the ground beef for pork, chicken or turkey.
Veggies
Add different vegetables such as mushrooms, celery or carrots.
For serving
Serve in hot dog buns, pita bread, garlic bread or naan instead of traditional burger buns.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SLOPPY JOES
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Homemade Sloppy Joes: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Ground pork, chicken or turkey can be used instead of ground beef. Ground lentils are also a great vegan option.
Yes! It is best to drain most of the fat to avoid greasy sloppy joes, leaving just enough for flavor.
Zucchini, celery, carrots, mushrooms and leafy greens (such as kale or spinach) would be great additions. The vegetables cook down so the kids won’t even know they’re in there!
Simmer for longer over low heat, uncovered, allowing the liquid to evaporate until the desired consistency is reached.
We love toasted brioche buns and our favorite homemade hamburger buns that we can pull out of the freezer in a pinch!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers up to 3 months in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and reheating on the stovetop until warmed through (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
Homemade Sloppy Joes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, 90/10
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in beef stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir in ketchup, Dijon, Worcestershire and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavors have blended, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use 90% lean ground beef. 85-90% lean ground beef is ideal for sloppy joes – more fat will make it too greasy, too lean will make it too dry.
- Finely dice the onion and bell pepper. The onion and pepper add texture to the sloppy joes, dicing finely to melt in the sauce (and to avoid large chunks).
- Let it simmer. Let the mixture simmer for at least 15-20 minutes for that “sloppy” consistency – thick, rich and saucy!
- Adjust the consistency. For a thicker consistency, simmer for longer. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out as needed by stirring in 1 tablespoon of water, adding in more as needed.
- Toasting the buns is key. Toasting the buns beforehand will make a huge difference, preventing the buns from becoming soggy and the sandwich from falling apart.
- Freeze as needed. The leftovers can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, ideal when frozen in single-serving portions for easy reheating. To freeze, let cool completely and portion into plastic freezer bags, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat and stirring occasionally until heated through.
Did you make this recipe?
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Love this recipe and I even cut back on worcestershire, mustard, and ketchup because my husband doesn’t like them. Still tasted great. We both had seconds!
I make my Shepards pie with sloppy Joe! My kids love it!!! Layer of sloppy Joe then corn layer then add layer mashed potatoes covered with salt, pepper and cheese and bake for 30 minutes!
My husband has been diagnosed with CKD so I am making almost everything from scratch so I can control the amount of sodium in our meals. This is way better than the canned stuff. Two thumbs up from us!
I looked at several recipes before choosing this one. Instead of using beef, I used lentils! I am a vegetarian. I sauteed finely chopped carrot, celery, onion, and then added garlic. I toasted the spices before i added the remaining ingredients. I cooked the lentils in vegetable stock, with half the amount of water (I use the paste stock, here I used roasted veggies) until they were half way done. I added the lentils to the sauce with the stock they cooked in. I let them simmer in the sauce until soft. This really thickened the mixture. I used barbecue sauce instead of ketchup. It was delicious, but a bit sweet for me. I added more tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, and Worchestshire sauce. I will making this to take to cook outs, as an option for vegetarians.
I followed the recipe to a tee and we loved it. I wish I had added the pickles at the end but forgot about that part, which is odd because I love pickles. The only thing I had to change was I started using the largest cast iron skillet we have but it still wasn’t deep enough and I ended up pouring it into a larger, non-stick skillet that could handle the recipe without it spilling over every time I went to stir it. I’m definitely keeping this recipe.
I’ve made a few different recipes of sloppy joes but this one will be my go to. I don’t have to try anymore recipes and add my spin on them bc this is delicious. Thanks for sharing!!!
This was delicious! I doubled it for a larger get together with family and it was a hit. We ended up serving the sandwiches open face with a fork and found it a lot easier to eat that way. It was nice and filling too – many people in my family usually go for seconds but one was enough with this. Leftovers are delicious as well. Even the people who claim to dislike sloppy joes (and ketchup) thought this was tasty. I would definitely make this again! A previous commenter suggested serving it over roasted bell pepper, which sounds amazing too, so I might try it that way next time.
Delish as usual – I have learned that if it’s from DD, I can count on it being a great recipe. Super easy and the family loved it. Served in roasted bell pepper halves for the low carb-ers and it was a win there, too!
excellent, substitute Venison for beef and 1 TBSP dry mustard for Dijon…
didn’t have peppers, used jalapeños in a jar, diced fine. added a bit more brown sugar, used Hawaiian buns, yummy!
My husband said best he’s ever had. Winner again.
Glad u didn’t put “The Best” in ur title. I would’ve passed u up. This is actually the best . Teaching a young person how to look up recipes and cook them. Told this person to automatically pass over anything that says “the Best”. He made followed ur recipe and four people are really happy and full. Thank you.
Damn Delicious Does It Again!
This recipe is quick, easy, and tastes so much better than the canned Sloppy Joe mix we used when I was growing up! This is not the only recipe of yours I’ve tried. Your recipes are well written, concise, but most of all flavorful. Please keep up writing your amazing recipes. You are appreciated!
It was AMAZING & will definitely be adding it to our normal rotation! Thank you for sharing!
My kids are picky as a penguin looking for a pebble; And I quote, “perfect daddy, can we have this every night!!” Thanks guys!!!
I tried this tonight for diner. The recipe’s a keeper, nice blend of flavors.
Yummy! Maybe did not need quite as much ketchup, but this is really good!
The recipe is delicious, but for some reason mine were too saucy and runny..even when cooking muck longer then recommended to remedy. Next time I’ll add a half pound more meat..
Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
I’ve tried many… this one is the best I’ve found. Good job girl.
We loved this recipe, I was concerned it might be to sweet. I was wrong, it was perfect. Than You!
Delicious! My picky husband loved it!