My sloppy Joes recipe has been handed down through generations and features a hearty taste of classic 1940s diner food. The meaty mixture is combined with tomato sauce and seasoning to make a perfectly messy and tasty sandwich filling. You'll ditch the canned sloppy Joe meat for good once you try it made with ground beef from scratch!
Pair your sloppy Joe sandwiches with some quick and easy air fryer potato chips or sweet potato fries, or see what to serve with sloppy Joes.
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Do you remember the lunchroom sloppy Joes from your childhood? Does it make you cringe? The ones from my memory always did!
It's a lucky thing for me that my Granny made awesome sloppy Joe sandwiches. I use tomato sauce and basic sloppy joe seasoning, just like the vintage recipe that my grandma used. I can't wait for you to try them!
🌎 Origin
Many things were made in the late 1800s to early 1900s with fillers in ground meats to make the meat stretch further. Thus, the birth of hamburgers, meatloaf, meatballs, hamburger soup, and the original 'sloppy joe', also called a loose meat sandwich. This 'sloppy' sandwich was first served at Ye Olde Taverne Inn of Sioux City, Iowa.
Where did the 'Joe' come in? Well, like G.I. Joe, it's an all-American name for an all-American sandwich!
The many names for this 'loose meat sandwich' include:
Toasted Deviled Hamburgers, Good Housekeeping Cook Book, Katharine Fisher [1944] (p. 534); Chopped Meat Sandwiches, Young America's Cook Book, Home Institute of the New York Herald Tribune [1940] (p. 36); Hamburg a la Creole, Prudence Penny's Cookbook, [1939] (p.67); Beef Mironton, The New Butterick Cook Book, Flora Rose [1924] (p. 266); Minced Beef Spanish Style, Mrs. Rorer's New Cook Book, Sarah Tyson Rorer [1902] (p.157).
~FoodTimeline
Other names the sloppy joe sandwich is known by (some with variations) are dynamite, slush burger, yum yums, spoonburgers, or tavern burgers.
Difference Between Manwich and Sloppy Joes
What's the difference between a Manwich and a Sloppy Joe? Manwich is actually the commercially available canned sloppy joe sauce produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's. The brand originally introduced Manwich in 1969 and has since added Bold, Bourbon BBQ, and Thick & Chunky varieties as well as the Original Manwich flavor.
A sloppy joe is a sandwich made with ground beef or pork, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning traditionally served on a hamburger bun.
🥘 Ingredients
- Ground Hamburger - I like my ground beef to have a higher fat percentage. I am using an 80/20 ground chuck in my recipe here.
- Bell Peppers & Onions - I'm not a fan of the green bell pepper flavor (on its own), but I cannot imagine my sloppy joes without the taste of the little green pieces. Onions, too. make sure to cook both down so your potentially picky eaters won't notice the texture.
- Hamburger Buns - The perfect way to eat your sloppy joes always includes a good burger bun. Whether you manage to pick up your sloppy joe sandwiches or choose to serve your sloppy joe open-faced, you still need a bun!
Sloppy Joe Sauce
- Tomato Sauce - 1 can of tomato sauce or a tomato sauce substitute makes up the base of the sauce.
- Ketchup - Ketchup for that classic sweet tomato flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce - The combination of ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce is what makes these sloppy Joes so addictive.
- Mustard - The vinegar in mustard gives the sauce a delicious tang without being overpowering.
- Brown Sugar - I prefer light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will work too. Use more to taste if desired.
- Seasoning - Garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper to taste. Hold off on adding any salt until the flavors of the meat and sauce have come together, then taste and adjust the salt amount to your liking.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Homemade Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
There's no need to buy canned Manwich sauce when you master this simple meaty combination that comes together in a skillet in no time. Grab your measuring utensils, a large skillet or frying pan, and a spatula to get started.
In general, each pound of ground beef used should make 6 sloppy joe sandwiches.
Pro Tip:
To feed a crowd, divide the number of guests or sloppy joes needed by 6 to figure out the number of times to multiply the recipe by.
Example: to feed 20 people, divide 20 by 6 for 3⅓ pounds of hamburger needed to make your 20 sloppy joes.
Saute Veggies & Brown Beef
Step 1: Saute bell peppers and onions. Start out your sloppy joes with a large, deep skillet, Dutch oven, or non-stick frying pan. Heat the skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add 1 diced onion and ½ of a diced green bell pepper and sauté until tender and fragrant.
Step 2: Brown the beef. Once your peppers and onions have reached your desired level of tenderness, add 1 pound (453.59 grams) of ground beef and cook until browned. Break the ground beef into pieces after letting it cook for about 5 minutes undisturbed.
Step 3: Drain the grease. Again, the hamburger will continue cooking while simmering, so it can be slightly pink when you move onto adding the sauce ingredients and seasoning. Drain off the excess grease.
Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce
Step 4: Combine sauce ingredients. For 1 pound of ground beef, add an 8-ounce (226.8 gram) can of tomato sauce to the skillet. Followed by ¼ cup (60 grams) of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and ½ tablespoon of yellow mustard for the sauce base.
Step 5: Season. Add the sloppy joe seasoning: 1 tablespoon of light or dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper, then ¼ teaspoon of onion powder.
Simmer & Serve
Step 5: Simmer. Simmer until the sauce thickens and is heated through before serving. *If you missed some grease that is still in your sauce, use paper towels to wick away the grease from the top of the sauce. Stir and repeat if needed.
Step 6: Assemble and serve. Portion the sloppy joes out for 6 sandwiches on buns, toasted or not. Serve with a slice of cheese and/or dill pickles on the sandwich.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Any ground meat can technically work. So, if you want to use a lower-fat protein like ground chicken or ground turkey, go right ahead and do it!
- Is your sloppy Joe sauce still kind of runny? Use a tablespoon of either flour or cornstarch and make a slurry with an equal amount of cold water. Stir well and add to the sloppy joe mixture slowly. Stir the slurry into the sauce thoroughly and repeat if needed.
- Feel free to add a little kick. I like a touch of chili powder on occasion, and red pepper flakes can also be used to add a little 'heat' to your sloppy joes.
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🥡 Storing & Reheating
Store any unused sloppy joe meat and sauce in an airtight container. The remaining sloppy joe mix will store for up to 3 -4 days when refrigerated.
Freezing
The cooked beef in sloppy joe sauce is ideal for making ahead and freezing! Store the sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container or ziptop bag for 3-4 months in the freezer.
Reheating
Thaw the frozen sloppy joe mix in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a large skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through. If your sloppy joes are too thick when reheated, add water a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
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📖 Recipe Card
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- ½ large green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 small yellow onion (or white onion, diced)
- 1 lb ground beef (I use 80/20 ground chuck)
- 8 oz tomato sauce (1 8 ounce can)
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 6 hamburger buns
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet, non-stick frying pan, or Dutch oven with a 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced ½ large green bell pepper and 1 small yellow onion. Saute until tender.
- Add 1 lb ground beef and let sit for about 5 minutes. Break apart the ground beef and continue to brown until mostly browned (a little pink is OK as the beef will continue to cook in the sauce).
- Add 8 oz tomato sauce, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup ketchup, ½ tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the meat is cooked and the sauce is warmed through and thickened.
- Portion the sloppy Joes out for 6 servings on 6 hamburger buns, toasted or not. Serve with a slice of cheese and/or dill pickle on the sandwich.
Brady Steele says
Do you drain the grease from the meat after browning?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
That depends. I usually don't, depending on the fat percentage in my ground beef. Leaner ground beef doesn't need to be drained, and I even go up to 80/20 chuck without draining the fat. If I feel that there is a ton of grease (and based on your preference as well) then I do drain off some of the excess. Thanks for asking!