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.
Lisa says
Great flavor!. I mixed the paste in with the rest of the sauce. Came out great.
ceani Barnes says
this will be my first time making Sloppy Joe and i wanna be able to make sure that everybody would like my cooking and how does it taste. I really can’t wait to make it!
Erica says
If I put this in the crockpot and it gets too thick, how much water can I add to make it ‘sloppier’ again without watering it down? Thanks.
Amanda says
That’s all a personal preference, so I would add the water about 1/3 cup at a time, stir it in, then check the consistency and add more if you need to.
Laurie says
Made tonight – very good! Used slightly more meat and red bell pepper instead of green because that is what we had. Might cut back in the sugar a bit next time, but all in all, a big improvement over Manwich, our former go-to. Thanks!
Kim Bush says
I made this and it turned out pretty good! I followed the recipe for the most part. I used pepperoncini peppers from my garden (instead of green pepper) that I had pickled and poured a little of the juice in it was well. I added a little more brown sugar and did use some red pepper flakes. It had a nice sweeter taste with a little kick at the end. Very good….thanks!
GMAC says
Definitely delicious. Pretty much followed the instructions as written. Total time for me was about 30 minutes for the prep and cooking, which is quick for something that tastes this good. A keeper. Thanks for the recipe.
Karin says
SO yummy!!! Just finished making this, and it’s literally so good that my kids wanted to eat dinner early. It’s 4pm right now and they are eating this for dinner. What a delicious recipe, thank you!!
Mac says
Easy, not too sweet just about right. Wife and others loved it !
Cathy says
Definitely one of my favorite sloppy joe recipes out there! I always come back to this as my base recipe for modifications.
Mary Walls says
Made for supper this evening . They were delicious! Fast, easy recipe. Only change I made was to leave out the sugar.
Seasons01 says
What can I use to replace Bell Pepper??
Amanda says
You can use any pepper, like a jalapeno, poblano, etc, or you can just omit it 🙂
Diane Palmer says
Best sloppy joes ever!!
Rebecca Simonson says
My husband is from WI. He ate Manwich that his mom doctored growing up. I have never liked any Sloppy Joes I’ve tried & I’m not a picky eater. I made this for my husband. He likes a bit of spice. I used a 3/4 TB spoon of brown sugar. Tested it…I know it would have been to sweet. I added cayenne powder. I served it with melted extra sharp cheddar on a toasted bun with a side of tatter tots! He LOVED it! I loved it too! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Zoe says
Absolutely the best! We topped ours with cheese and pickles and put ‘em on a potato bun. YUM!!!!
Nicole says
I used lentils instead of meat and it tasted amazing! Definitely making again
Susan says
You do not lie! I’ve tried a lot of Sloppy Joe’s recipes and this one is The Best. The only change I made is to double the water for a looser sloppy joe. I’m having company next weekend and look forward to having a batch on hand.
kathleen hagberg says
AWSOME. TOOK THIS RECIPE TO MAKE ME LIKE SLOPPY JOES
Linda says
Thank you for this recipe!!
Juliana says
Super yum! Reminded me of my childhood. So happy to share it with my kiwi partner. He loved it.
Tommy says
The canned stuff can’t even compare! Made the recipe exactly as written. Thanks for a winner.
deanna says
the best…