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.
Marcia says
Great taste. My husband doesn’t like spice so left out the cayenne pepper. Also didn’t add brown sugar didn’t want too sweet. They do taste like the canned stuff only better because you use all fresh ingredients.
Elaina says
THIS IS DEFINITELY A 5* meal! the tang/sweet/savory notes are a WIN! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Nancy says
Fantastic, made it exactly according to the recipe
Mary says
Do you use ground chuck?
The Chunky Chef says
You can use any ground beef variety that you’d like 🙂
Ruth says
I made these tonight using pure ground venison, no added pork or fat, instead of ground beef. My husband is a hunter and with the prices of beef, I’m trying to find more ways to use the ground venison that the entire family will like. I left out the green pepper then added an extra clove of garlic and a bit more Worcestershire sauce. They were absolutely delicious. If I wasn’t the one who made these, I would have never known it wasn’t beef. This recipe is definitely a keeper. PS. I used a cast iron skillet and it does add the perfect sear as well as bonus flavor.
Marina says
Leave the mustard out and add a touch of cumin.
Tracy says
I just made a vegetarian version of this and it is great!
Very happy with how it came out and will definitely make again.
Griffin says
Love this recipe, I make it often. I like to use the entire onion and green pepper personally and go very heavy on the hot sauce for a spicy kick.
matthew says
thanks
Kim says
SO easy and SO delicious!!! My kids and I love these! I double the recipe so there’s at least a little leftover!
Bri says
I usually use the can sauce but I’m trying to cook from our pantry. I found your recipe and it was a hit!! Way better than the can and I had all the ingredients 🙂
Jim Coles says
I made the sloppy Joe… absolutely killer!!
I had to make a couple of changes — my wife doesn’t like catsup so I substituted a garlic & spice BBQ sauce…and she doesn’t care for Worcestershire sauce so I used soy sauce … Otherwise, it’s your recipe.
Totally easy to make &even easier to eat.
Jen says
So simple and tasty! I’m a uni student and was looking for something cheap and easy to make, and this was an absolute hit! I’ve got lunch for the rest of the week sorted 🙂
Deb says
Super easy recipe. We mixed the meat with chorizo meat to add spice and works well. Awesome taste.
Quick in the slow cooker.
Adrian Keith says
Excellent recipe. Thank you very much 😊
Debbie says
So easy to throw together and the flavors of the peppers and garlic just pops in every bite! Definitely keeping this recipe!!
Pamela W. says
Made these tonight it was delicious. I used ground turkey, didn’t have green peppers, still delicious. Will be making again.
Elsa S. says
Delicious and easy! Not as quick as opening a can… but I easily made it before I left for work so we could have dinner before our busy evening! Couldn’t wait to taste it and burned my tongue! Lol. I’m sure it will be even better tonight! I did add a bit extra brown sugar as we like a slightly sweeter sauce! A++!
Bobbie says
I made these tonight and they are delicious!!!
Crystal says
This is my first time making sloppy joe from scratch. This was so much better than Manwhich could ever be. I will always use this recipe. Thank you.
Lj says
Yummy