Step away from the canned sauce and give these homemade sloppy joes a try! They’re truly the best version of a childhood favorite!
As we head into the upcoming holiday season, I’ve been thinking about family-friendly meals. You know, those meals that your kids always want to eat. In our house, this Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese is number one on our list… with these sloppy joes being number 2! With two little ones myself, I know ALL too well how frustrating it is to cook a meal and have them promptly turn up their noses and say it’s “gross”. *facepalm*
I’ve always been a fan of classic sloppy joes. There’s something so innately satisfying about the sweet and savory combination and messiness of it all! And I know you all love them too, since I’ve been getting a lot of requests for sloppy joe recipes.
I’ve made a LOT of sloppy joe recipes lately, trying to come up with the perfect one. Some were too sweet, others too spicy. Well guys, I finally got it. The perfect balance. This sloppy joe recipe is sweet, tangy, zesty and savory, with the perfect texture and consistency.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
Homemade sloppy joes are incredibly easy to make, and come together in one skillet in about 20 minutes or so. Browned beef is mixed with onion and green pepper and simmered in a sweetened tomato/ketchup sauce. The secret is in finding the right seasoning for the sauce!
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANWICH AND SLOPPY JOES?
Technically Manwich is a pre-made sauce that’s used to make sloppy joes. I’m not sure exactly what’s in it, and have never tried it myself, so I can’t say that my recipe tastes similar or not. Manwich is marketed as a easy way to make sloppy joes… but in reality, homemade sloppy joes are JUST as easy to make!
HOW DID SLOPPY JOES GET THEIR NAME?
From what I can glean from the good ol’ internet, a cook named Joe in a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa added a tomato sauce to a loose meat sandwich. It must have been a favorite and took off!
WHAT CAN I DO WITH SLOPPY JOE MEAT?
Number one, slap some on a toasted bun!! After that, here are some of my favorite things to do:
- Spoon some over some crispy waffle fries. Bonus points if you also melt some cheese over the fries before adding the sloppy joe meat!
- Add some to a grilled cheese.
- Roll up in crescent roll dough and bake at 375 F degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Cheese makes a great addition to these as well!
- Add some on top of a burger.
CAN YOU MAKE SLOPPY JOES IN A CROCKPOT?
You can! Just brown the beef and add all the remaining ingredients (no buns though), and cook on LOW for about 4-6 hours, or HIGH for 2-3 hours. This will have a softer texture than skillet sloppy joes though.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES:
- Before you get started, toast your buns. Toasting the bun makes ALL the difference, and only takes a few minutes. Crank up the heat under the skillet to high, and add a drizzle of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the buns, then place the buns cut side up on a cooling rack after they’re toasted.
- Watch the sauce so that it doesn’t reduce too much. When too much of the sauce reduces, it gives you a dry sloppy joe mixture. Everyone likes theirs a little differently, but for me, I cook it down so that I can see the bits of meat, and when I drag my spoon through the sauce, it leaves a trail where the sauce is parted. If the sauce immediately flows back into that trail, it’s too liquid-y. I want a few seconds before the sauce covers the trail, which gives me a saucy consistency that’s not too liquid.
- Choose your favorite type of bun. I usually go for either a pretzel bun (like I did in these Beer and Chorizo Sloppy Joes!), or a brioche bun.
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Skillet – I like to use either stainless steel or cast iron for this, as they both give a great sear!
- Wooden plate – I love these for sandwiches!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/3 green bell pepper, minced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar (or less, if you prefer)
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- dash of hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Heat butter and oil in large skillet over MED/MED-HIGH heat. Add beef and brown, breaking apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain.
- Add onion and bell pepper to same skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Add beef back to the skillet and add tomato paste. Stir well.
- Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, red pepper flakes (if using), and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Cook over MED heat for 10-15 minutes, until mixture has thickened to your liking. Remove from heat and serve over toasted buns.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Cool the mixture completely, then add to freezer containers and freeze for up to 4 months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Mary says
Made this during covid 19 as I had a large frozen package of ground beef. Was heavy handed on brown sugar due to lumps. It was lovely. Made it for another night. So I’ll pull it out for lunch or dinner with some frozen French fries.
John Jenkins says
I made this the other night and it was great. I only changed the recipe up a little. I did not add any Worcester Sauce, Pepper Flakes or Hot Sauce. However, I did add 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika and used King Hawaiian Buns. I will make it again and again
Sue Allison says
Absolutely loved this recipe. Will definitely make it again! Two thumbs up!!
Joann firsdon says
This is good over a hot dog. Chili dogs are the best!!!!
Sandy says
I made this, as per the recipe, last week. It was very good, although it was a bit too sweet for our liking. The next time I will likely either cut the amount of brown sugar, or leave it out completely.
Al says
Great suggestion! Thanks!!
Yvonne says
This has become a family favourite!
Colleen says
Made this recipe for the first time tonight. Absolutely love the flavor blend. Thank you so much for this.
Mollie Holtman says
Loved this! Finally, a great sloppy joe recipe! I didn’t have green peppers but I had almost everything else so I made it tonight. I threw in extra brown sugar and a T of Gray Poupon. I have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow, when I’m sure it will be even more delicious.
Lynn says
Once I got used to the difference in taste from Sloppy Joe in a jar, I really enjoyed this recipe and I would use this instead in the future. I don’t make sloppy joe’s very often. My daughter really liked it and she is a picky eater. I might tweek the recipe a little bit the next time.
Karen says
This was an awesome recipe!!! My family enjoyed it so much. I doubled the recipe and we had leftovers. We toasted the buns and added shredded cheese. Yummy!!
Karen says
Great recipe. I just substituted spicy bell peppers to kick up the heat .
Sandy says
Gear flavie. Very enjoyable
Susan Johnson says
So flavorful! I made it pretty much as the recipe said to. But i m sure you could add/leave out whatever you dont have or like. A great pantry recipe!! Probably will never by sloppy joe mix again. 😉
Emily says
As delicious as it is easy!
Kelly Aldrich says
Wonderful! So happy I found this. Made exactly as written and needs no changes. Toasting the bus as recommended was spot on.
Patty says
I grew up on Manwich, and I was skeptical about this recipe for that reason. But, sometimes, you have to work with what you have. This was awesome! FYI, I didn’t have any tomato paste, so I used a Goya chicken and tomato bouillon packet and no extra salt.
Dorothy J Carver says
Everyone loves these Sloppy Joes.
They are a big hit with everyone. Thanks for the recipe.
Jas says
Excellent recipe! I followed the recipe exactly, except I had to substitute ketchup with tomatoes sauce. The flavors were great and had just the right amount of kick to it. Will be using this again! Thank you for sharing!
heather irwin says
Made this for my hubby for dinner tonight. He says very good and never wants another manwich sloppy Joe again!! Very good!!
Janira H says
Delicious!!! I like that I can control the amount of salt I add to it. My family really enjoyed it. Very easy to make already had all the ingredients except for bell peppers. Love recipes that i don’t have to go on the hunt for some spice I don’t already have.
Will definitely be making this again. 😁
Jake says
Why would add butter and oil to beef? Heart attack? And don’t tell people to put the beef in a strainer to drain the grease, unless you do it over the trash you’re going to have a $700 plumbing bill one day when they have to come out and clear the grease build up in the pipes. Use the lid to drain the grease into an old jar or can then throw it away.
The Chunky Chef says
Because I like the flavor, and our hearts are just fine… thanks for the “concern”. I also never said to put the colander in the sink. Each individual is free to drain the grease as they see fit.
Tony says
Right on sister.