Sloppy joes are a loose meat sandwich that is made with ground beef, onions and peppers and spices that are simmered in a savory tomato based gravy and served mile high on a toasted bun. But more importantly, they are the ultimate in messy hand to mouth comfort food!
How many of you remember eating Manwich growing up? Boy I sure do.Â
“A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal”. Remember that?
In case you are unfamiliar with this quintessential childhood favorite, let me fill you in.
What’s a Classic Sloppy Joe?
Depending on where you live, a “Sloppy Joe” can mean many different things. Supposedly a guy named Joe invented it in Iowa. It is a sweet and tangy ground beef concoction that you pile a mile high onto a hamburger bun.
It’s a mess. Intentionally so. Even though it’s in a bun, it WILL fall out of the bun resulting in the rest being scoffed up with a fork. Every single meaty bite getting messier and messier.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
- Combine all the sloppy joe sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.
- Begin by sautéing the onions and peppers in a little oil in a large skillet. Add the ground beef and turn the high on heat. Brown until a deep brown crust appears before breaking the beef apart. This gives the meat a deeper flavor.
- Stir the ground beef and continuing browning it until a deep crust appears. Drain the fat and continue breaking the meat up into very fine pieces.
- Add the sauce and warm through.
- Pile HIGH and serve on toasted hamburger buns.
Whether you call them Yip Yips, Slushburgers, Hot Tamales, Taverns or Wimpies, these ground beef sandwiches are loved by all ages!Â
FAQs:
Can this be made with ground turkey?
- Absolutely! I go a step further and add finely diced carrots and celery too. Dijon adds a little more zing than yellow mustard.
What Side Dishes can I Serve?
- Ask any kid what goes with Sloppy Joes and the answer will always be potato chips.
- For those who want a little more “grown up” (and I say that carefully) version, steak fries or French fries are a go to.
- Personally, my new favorite is over a baked potato! Man is that good.
- I’ve even seen some people here in the Midwest treat their Sloppy Joe just like a hamburger… pickles cheese and all! I’ve never tried it that way so I can’t say how it tastes. But it sure looks good.
Make Ahead and Storage:
- Fridge – Store any unused sloppy joe meat and sauce in an airtight container. The remaining sloppy joe mix will store for up to 3 -4 days when refrigerated.
- Freezer – Store the sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer storage bag for 3 – 4 months in the freezer. Thaw the frozen sloppy joe mix in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a large skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through.
The PERFECT Sloppy Joe Recipe
Description
Sloppy joes are a loose meat sandwich that is made with ground beef, onions and peppers and spices that are simmered in a savory tomato based gravy and served mile high on a toasted bun.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. Lean Ground Beef
- ½ Cup Green Bell Peppers (red works too)
- ÂĽ Cup Onion, diced finely
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 1 Tbsp Minced Onion Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ÂĽ teaspoon Pepper
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 6 oz. Tomato Paste
- ½ Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- ÂĽ Cup White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Chili Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ÂĽ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large skillet, over low/medium heat, sauté the diced onions and peppers in 1-2 Tbsp olive oil for approximately 4-5 minutes or until they being to soften.
- Turn the heat to high and add the ground beef. Sprinkle with the minced onion, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Brown the beef until a deep brown crust appears before breaking the beef apart.  Once you see the beef begin to brown on the bottom, give it a good stir and being breaking the beef up with a wooden spoon or fork.  Cook the beef until it’s almost cooked through. Drain the excess oil if there is any.
- Once drained, continue breaking the beef up as finely as possible.
- Add the sauce and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Turn the heat down to a simmer and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes, partially covered.
- Remove from the heat and pile the meat mixture on to toasted buns.
Note: You can sub tomato sauce or ketchup for the tomato paste and water. I choose to do it this way to lower the sugar content.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THESE:
PERFECTLY ROASTED STEAK FRIES
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WOW! THIS is how Sloppy Joe’s are supposed to taste! The BEST ever Sloppy Joe’s recipe I have tried. I couldn’t believe it! The secret is this sauce, y’all! This is a treat everyone can enjoy.
★★★★★
Best sloppy joe recipe ever tried & definitely bookmarking! We added a tsp of Sriracha to sauce and some chili powder & red pepper flakes to mixture for a little heat then melted some Colby jack cheese and served open-faced. Super Yummy!
I can’t compete with the last review, like at all, but I will say these were delicious.
★★★★★
I’ve made this a bunch of times; spouse and I love it. Thank you for a non-ketchup version! I tend to find ketchup-based sloppy joes too sweet.
We serve it with tater tots, dill pickles, and honey mustard apple slaw.
thanks for your comment Rachael!
Perfect flavor. Messy and delicious
★★★★★
I agree with the other reviews. These were hands down delicious. There was a slight sweet tang but also a deep flavor as well. I topped them with shredded cheese and they were amazing. Thanks for your recipes Debi! – Jill
★★★★★
I made these exactly as written and they were perfect. I toasted some fresh bakery buns and even made your steak fries to go along. Dinner was ready in 40 minutes and there was nothing left
★★★★★
I knew as soon as this recipe came up that I was making it! I absolutely remember manwich. We ate sloppy Joe’s all the time as kids. Now I can make them for my family and feel proud of it
★★★★★
Hi Debi!
I just wanted to say my husband and I LOVE so many of your recipes! They are seriously yummy and we love that they are non-processed. Just wanted to share 🙂
Also these sloppy joes are great! We tried them last week and loved them so much we are having them again tonight haha. Keep ’em coming!! 🙂
– Chelsea
awww Chelsea thank you! That was really nice you took the time to leave a comment. I’m working hard in the kitchen everyday and turning my focus now to more one skillet meals or under 30 min meals per my readers request. I hope to live up to your expectations.
I love that you encourage people to make sloppy joe from scratch. My family likes it a bit spicier and robust (with lots for left overs) and I don’t mind investing more prep to make our own that will provide several meals and be more substantial as far as peppers, onions and tomato-based ingredients.
In advance, I slice and roast well 4 red and 2 green bell peppers with some quality olive oil in a large casserole dish that will eventually hold everything.
While browning 4 medium to large chopped onions in a bit of organic ghee in the oven in a cast iron pan, I mix the grass fed organic ground meat with a cage free organic egg, 1 can organic tomato paste, 1/3 cup pastene grated parm, 2 teaspoons of dried mustard and 2 tablespoons Annie organic Worcestershire sauce. I mix in the ground meat then add about a cup of whole wheat bread crumbs. I brown this mixture in olive oil in a fry pan, adding organic garlic and some garlic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for last 5 minutes or so..
I then add all (onion, browned meat mix) to the large roasted pepper filled casserole dish. Using a 2 cup measuring glass , I stir together 1 and 1/4 cups organic Hunts ketchup, 1 to 2 tablesppon bragg organic vinegar, 2 heaping teaspoons roasted ground cumin, 2 heaping teaspoons smoked paprika, 1/4 heaping teaspoon ground cayenne peeper, and 1 and ½ to 2 tablespoons of unsulphured blackstrap molasses. After I pour this liquid mixture in the meat/pepper/onion filled casserole dish, I add 8 oz of water to the measuring cup and stir around to get the clinging to the glass ingredients mixed with the water. I stir this liquid in with the others in the large casserole pan.
I now add maybe ½ to 1 cup of Nonnas sweet sauce (http://www.citysaucery.com/nonnas-sweet-sauce). Stir and bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, stirring a couple times, to cook all the tomato-based ingredients.
We get about 3 meals out of this, usually freezing enough for the third meal to have at a later date.
wow Deirdre that was some comment! Thanks for taking the time to leave it!