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.
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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.
Kimberly says
Can I just tell you this was the BEST Sloppy Joe EVER! My 18 year old son and I have a thing where he rates my meals. I long to earn a 10. And, your recipe along with a side of grilled corn on the cob earned me the PERFECT 10.
Sully says
So good! First time making sloppy joes! My husband and I really enjoyed them, look forward to making them again!
Jodie S says
So, I never comment… however…these are delicious. I ran out of buns and ended up putting this on garlic bread right out of the oven and drizzled it with Russian dressing. This was a HUGE hit with my family. Thank you!!!
Courtney H. says
I’ve been using this recipe for six months now after trying countless others. These really are the best sloppy joes! I use ground turkey instead and a generous splash of hot sauce. So great!
Tiffany P says
Wow! I must say I am impressed! I made this with TVP instead of meat and I am tearing this stuff up right now as we speak! It truly is delicious and the best sloppy joe recipe I have come across so far! Thank you for the recipe!!
Brittney Poppe says
Tried this recipe for dinner. Although I did have to play around more with the measurements, I found this recipe to be outstanding and delicious
Pam says
The best homemade sloppy joes I’ve ever made using 80/20 organize ground beef. I did go with half teasp of chili powder vs. three-quarters. I did not use the red pepper or hot sauce because it bothers my husband, but I did add three small drops of the hot sauce to my sandwich. I also added a touch more tomato paste in a tube. A keeper!
Beth says
This is a great recipe. Here is a suggestion to shake it up: in a greased glass pan layer butter rolls sliced in half along the bottom. Smooth sloppy joe mixture over top. Cover in shredded cheese. Top with top half of buttered rolls. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes so rolls don’t burn. Serve with slaw. Delicious.
Faraway Noose says
A hit today with my finicky 12 year old. Thank you! Used Beyond ‘meat’ in place of ground beef. I needed about twice the water, probably because the Beyond Beef doesn’t have as much fat as real beef.
Neen says
You weren’t kidding! These are incredibly delicious and addictive! I used toasted brioche buns. Forwarded to family and friends. Just subscribed to your blog too! Thank you!
Nancy says
Omg! This was so delicious!!! I forgot the tomato paste but even without it, it was so delicious. !!! Thank you!!
666 says
Very good!
christie singer says
Second go round for us with this recipe! My picky teenager requested it! That’s a win in my book!
Maggie says
This is the best Sloppy Joe recipe I have ever made. I highly recommend it.
M.E. Furman says
Great, easy lunch for teenage boys during stay-at-home school days. This is what I remember sloppy joes tasting like, but the familiar can doesn’t taste like my memory of it.
I made a few changes to suit my tastes, but the foundational recipe is great! I used molasses instead of brown sugar (because I like it), Sriracha instead of hot sauce, BBQ sauce in place of mustard (although I thought about adding some dry mustard), and extra Worchestershire sauce (because I don’t think there’s ever too much with the exception of the time that I went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered a steak in Worchestershire sauce and got a steak in a lake of it!). I could honestly just eat a bowl of this with a spoon (I did go back to the pan a couple of times!). I like that it makes a pound of ground beef go a lot farther than making it into patties for burgers (as long as your buns aren’t huge). Definitely a keeper!
Zahida Ali says
These were the best sloppy joes I ever tasted. I do not even by Manwich anymore, since these are WAYYY BETTER than it. If you want to make more than a pound, just increase seasonings to your liking.
This will go in my recipe book for later use. Thanks
Ty says
Delicious. Couldn’t stop eating it. I used 1/4c tomato sauce instead of paste. Toasting bun is a must.
Stephanie Hill says
Very good! My family loved them made a double batch for dinner, served the rest for lunches that week. Family asked when would I be making it again.
Robert says
I just made this recipe as is. It is like the gourmet version of sloppy Joes!! I will never never never make any other version. My wife who is picky loved it and wants to make it at our next family gathering. One important thing to remember and I am proud to say I did, is to get a good quality bun. The secret to any really good sandwich is the bread. I used fresh made Kaiser rolls from the grocery store.
Ryan says
Delicious!
I didn’t have tomato paste so I chopped up a chipotle pepper in ancho sauce, gave it a nice spicy kick. Also added a packed of beef bullion, and made sure to crisp the meat/sauce up in a lil bit in the cast iron before serving. Yummmm!!!!