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.
Alexa says
This is the best Sloppyjoe Recipe Ever! My family can never get enough:)
Awesome!
Nancy says
Yummy! Great recipe!
Deb says
Was looking for my Mom’s recipe and found it! Love it…but I leave out the brown sugar. My Mom used brown sugar also. Thanks!
CarolynAlison says
This is an excellent recipe. I made it as stated except the chili power and I only had yellow peppers it turned out so good. The toasted buns are genius. I I’m single, so I have leftovers I’m going to divide into two more servings and freeze for future days when I know will I want this!
I think I found my go to Sloppy Joe jam. Thanks Amanda.
Marie Hilton says
We all LOVED this recipe! I added some finely chopped carrot and used red pepper instead of green. Winner!
Theresa says
WoW! This recipe has made my husband and I believers. We’ll never use the canned stuff again. I used a little more red pepper flakes and a little less brown sugar and that was perfect for our taste buds. Those were the only changes I made. Also buttered the buns and placed under the broiler. This added to the deliciousness of the sandwich. There was a little crunch when you bit into the sandwich, just yummy! Thank you for sharing! My husband just sat down and said “Great dinner Baby” 😊
Pam Oswald says
I’ve made this already numerous times and my family LOVES it
AJBoal says
This is sooooo delicious!!! My whole family loved it!
Mary Meyers says
This is one of the best sloppy Joe recipes I have ever made or have eaten. I have shared this recipe with all my family members and they are also hooked!!! The only thing I added was a scant tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I love sweetness and the little acidic bite it gives. But my family didn’t add it and loved it just the way it is. It’s perfect!!!
Jeffrey Steele says
Love this recipe!! Its awesome.
DDM says
This recipe was delicious. Very similar to the can but much better. Thank you for sharing! You’re such a great chef! I also LOVE your old fashioned apple crisp recipe, seriously delicious!!!
Ana Mason says
OMG Amanda! I remember having this as a child. I made a vegetarian version of this and even though its not ground beef and imitation beef crumbles; this sauce is a seller. This was absolutely amazing.
Thank you for sharing.
Brenda St says
I left out a few ingredients (butter and oil seemed unnecessary, red pepper flakes, green pepper and tabasco because of my young granddaughter, and the salt and pepper) and it was perfect and is now in our dinner rotation.
Sharon says
My picky eater 12 year old loves this
Shannon says
This is my go to sloppy recipe every time!!!
Wholesome Pastures says
We make this all the time and also recommend it to our customers who purchase our grass fed and finished ground beef! Thank you for the delicious recipe for us to share!
Stacey says
This is one of my favorite recipes! I love to serve it on top of oven roasted cabbage steaks instead of on rolls ❤️
DDM says
That sounds delicious! I will definitely try that.
Diann Bottorff says
Made it!! I didn’t follow the directions exactly as far as portions. I squeezed some mustard, a few shakes of some Worcestershire sauce, sprinkled some brown sugar and I did use a whole can of tomato paste because I didn’t want to waste, and it did make it a little too saucy so don’t do that 😁
Nancy says
This was delicious! I will never buy the canned sauce again. Thanks for the recipe
Theresa says
I have made this several times, and love it. I add a little more green pepper and brown sugar. I do not use Chile pepper or optional ingredients. This time I made more to have some to freeze.