Homemade Sloppy Joes – Easy and Tasty

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Flavorful Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe! This sandwich consists of minced beef simmered in a seasoned tomato-based sauce and it’s cooked in a skillet. The homemade Sloppy Joes sauce is made from scratch, without Manwich! The sauce is pretty similar to BBQ sauce but much lighter. It just has the perfect touch of sweetness and tanginess.

Sloppy Joes are a classic American sandwich recipe. This super easy Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe makes for a comforting meal. It can be ready in less than 30 minutes and is the perfect sandwich for a crowd or just as a quick meal on a busy weeknight. This ground beef dish is an easy one-pan meal for the whole family.

Sloppy Joe sandwiches are a little messy but also very tasty. The loose meat in a tomato-based sauce on a bun is one of my favorite burgers. It’s so easy to make, inexpensive. and made from ingredients that you can find in your pantry! It’s delicious for my kids and my husband always wants seconds, too.

Also check out more ground beef recipes: KOREAN BEEF BOWL – SWEET AND SPICY, INSTANT POT HAMBURGER HELPER – GROUND BEEF MAC AND CHEESE!, ASIAN GROUND BEEF STIR FRY, GROUND BEEF QUESADILLA WITH CHIPOTLE SEASONING, CABBAGE ROLLS WITH BEEF AND MUSHROOM

Homemade Sloppy Joes Ingredients:

To make old fashioned Sloppy Joes you will need the following ingredients:

• Ground Beef / Minced Beef
• Green Bell Pepper
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ground Mustard
• Wosterschire sauce
• Brown Sugar
• Ketchup
• Canned Tomato Sauce
• Chili Powder
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Hamburger Buns (or any bun of your choice) for serving

How to Make a Tasty Homemade Sloppy Joes:

To make a Sloppy Joes Sandwich is super easy and takes less than 30 minutes.

• First, you need to brown the beef in a skillet for a few minutes.
• Second, you need to add the solid ingredients and cook for a few more minutes.
• Third, you need to simmer the meat in a tomato-based sauce for about 15 minutes.
• Finally, just serve the Sloppy Joe Sandwiches on a bun. Easy-peasy!

Storing Your Sloppy Joes Leftovers:

A Sloppy Joes Sandwich is one of those recipes that you can thankfully make in advance. If cooked and properly stored in an airtight container, this cooked ground meat will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

You can also further extend the shelf life of cooked ground beef like that in a Sloppy Joe by freezing it. Just be sure to cool the Sloppy Joe meat completely in the fridge before you freeze it. Then put it in covered airtight containers or freezer bags. It should last up to 3-6 months. You can find more info about when to throw leftover out here

Sloppy Food and Kids

As mentioned my kids really enjoy this one, they both like meat and the sauce on this one is definitely to their liking as well. They’re getting better about not making a complete mess while eating Sloppy Joes, too. I love stuffing these sandwiches pretty high and coached my kids on how to best hold the sandwiches (their first instinct is to hold it with just one hand and that doesn’t end well!). From my standpoint, if Sloppy Joes spill that’s fine, just as long as it lands on their plate. They’re at that age when they sometimes devour food and don’t have the best table manners, but I take advantage of every meal (fancy or casual, clean or messy) to try to instill some better table manners while keeping our meals fun. This is a good one for that!

5 from 6 votes

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Homemade Sloppy Joes

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

 

Stir to combine, and then cover and simmer over medium-low heat, about 20 minutes. 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hamburger, ground beef, minced beef, sloppy joes, tomato sauce

Author: Rika Livingston

Ingredients

• 1 pound minced beef or ground beef
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 8 oz canned tomato sauce (unsalted)
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp Wosterchire sauce
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

To Serve:

• 6-8 Sandwich Buns

Instructions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef for about 1 minute on one side undisturbed. Then flip, continue cooking, and using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to break up the meat into equal-size pieces as it cooks for about 1-2 minutes. Drain excess liquid if necessary.

2. Add onion, garlic and green bell pepper, cook for about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Wosterchire sauce, mustard powder, chili powder, water, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, and simmer over medium-low heat, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

4. Serve on a bun. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Draining fat from Cooked Ground Beef

Carefully tilt the pan so the liquid fat falls to one side. Using a spoon to scoop it out onto another bowl. 

 

 

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