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.
Lyn T. says
Delicious! I doubled the brown sugar after making it the first time…..
Chrissy says
Yummo!
Denise Farinacci says
Excellent!
Marilyn says
made this for a group of friends and it was a big hit!! easy to make and delicious!
George Calbert says
One of the best sloppy Joes I have ever had. Great hit at Super Bowl Party
Bill says
Just made this tonight. It’s not the best. I think it needs some tomatoes not just tomato paste.
I don’t see any negative reviews on your postings. I wonder about that. This can not be the best sloppy joe recipe ever. There should be some negative posts.
Don’t really care for it.
The Chunky Chef says
Well I’m sorry you didn’t find this sloppy joe recipe to be your favorite. I don’t delete negative reviews, this recipe just happens to be to a lot of people’s tastes and has gotten great reviews.
Sue Vidoni says
Didn’t have tomato paste used a jar of homemade salsa and omitted water…used red bell pepper…delicious and hearty…
Jenna Dean says
Just made this for the first time tonight and it was a huge hit. We all loved it, including our almost two year old. Loved the dash of hot sauce. Delicious!
Michelle says
I have been looking for a good recipe not only for dinner but to can for quick meals. My kids do not like Manwich, not even a little so they were expecting this to be a copy cat recipe. I had to convince them to try it and they all had seconds begging me to make more for lunch tomorrow.
Only thing I did different was add red peppers because that was what I had in the fridge. I will be making a huge batch to can up this weekend. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!!! We have found our new go to recipe.
Connie says
If you made it with tomato sauce, is there anything that makes it taste like ketchup
The Chunky Chef says
You’d have to add a bunch of other things to make it taste just like ketchup. Ketchup is made from tomatoes, garlic, onion, vinegar, sugar or corn syrup, and a whole host of spices.
Phaedra Wolfe says
Not only is this an amazing recipe, but it can be adjusted easily to fit any eating lifestyle! I was attracted to this recipe, but my family is pescatarian, so I made a few changes. We left out butter, increasing the olive oil, and I used tofu crumbles that I make myself (a lot like meatless ground beef sold at the store). We also don’t use catsup, so I made my own, just the amount called for with agave instead of corn syrup. The sloppy Joes came out awesome!! My husband went back for seconds and my 11 year old raved about it! We will certainly be making this again!
Sarah says
I made two large batches for a diverse crowd, one with ground turkey and the other with cauliflower (for a vegetarian option). They’re great! This is truly an outstanding recipe that you can suit to your taste.
Marissa says
Cauliflower! What a fantastic variation idea!
aletha palaszynski says
Made this today for my husband and I no I did not measure eye ball it and I am taster but I did it all and I also added Bison meat 1 lb It is so good this is a KEEPER
Kim says
This sloppy joe recipe is the bomb!!
You eat this and you will throw rocks at the canned stuff!! So easy. So delicious 😋 Do not change a thing!
Linda says
Yummy recipe. I substituted red bell pepper for the green, as that was what I had in the frig. Hubby said “don’t lose this recipe”. High praise!
Chelsi says
Super easy and delicious, this has become a staple in our home my husband raves about it! Thank you!!
Susan says
Made mine with deer burger…. was delish!
Marilyn Walker says
Really easy and yummy!
Kayla says
I don’t usually leave reviews, but this recipe is amazing. My husband is a picky eater, but he loves this! The amount of sweet and spice is perfect. Definitely adding it to my regular menu rotation!
Connie says
I don’t normally eat sloppy joes. haven’t had one since I was a child until yesterday. this recipe is the greatest. I made it following recipe but omitted the brown sugar as it was sweet enough without it.