I think these are delicious. Like make-myself-another-half-sandwich-even-though-I’m-not-hungry delicious. Like sneak-into-the-kitchen-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-see-if-the-mixture-tastes-good-cold delicious. Top it off with the fact that Sloppy Joes just feel like fall to me–you know, something warm and family-friendly that can simmer while everybody’s out trick-or-treating or something you can fill a thermos with and enjoy at a chilly football game.
One thing I love is that it’s versatile; you can make it in about 30 minutes, it can be semi-prepared and frozen and then cooked in the crockpot, or it can simmer in the crockpot for a few hours, whatever works best for you.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Lean ground beef – I use 90% or 93% lean. You could probably use any ground meat here, as long as it has a little fat for flavor and texture. I would just avoid super lean ground turkey because it tends to be pretty dry and flavorless and really fatty beef or pork to avoid having to drain off fat. Fun fact: Some people refer to Sloppy Joes made with lighter meats like ground turkey as “Sloppy Janes!”
- Seasoning salt – Or your favorite salt-based seasoning blend. I often use McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning.
- Minced onion
- Green pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Brown sugar
- Red wine vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tomato paste
- Black pepper
- Hamburger buns – You can also serve this over rice or with mashed potatoes.
- Pickle slices – Optional.
How to Make Dressed-Up Sloppy Joes
- First you’ll brown your meat with some onions and green peppers.
- Then you’ll build your sauce right in the pan with ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and a little water.
- That simmers away for about a half an hour and then it’s ready to serve!
Storing and Other Tips
- This sloppy Joe mixture reheats beautifully. Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- You can also freeze individual portions for easy meals later on.
- See the recipe card below for full details on cooking this recipe in the crock pot and for prepping it as a freezer meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! This sloppy Joe mixture reheats like a dream from both the fridge or the freezer.
Yes. Finely diced carrots, celery, mushrooms, or zucchini will blend in almost unnoticeably to the sauce, boosting nutrition even for picky eaters! Add them with the onions and peppers when you brown the beef and make sure they are in small enough pieces to cook through easily.
I like serving these with any combo chips, fries, tater tots, green salad, coleslaw, or fruit. You can also serve the Sloppy Joe mixture over potatoes or rice as well.
Dressed-Up Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- Seasoning salt to taste
- 1 medium onion minced
- ½ green pepper minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 10 teaspoons brown sugar (3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon)
- 1 ½ tsp. red wine vinegar
- ¾ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- ⅓-½ cup water to reach desired consistency
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 6-8 hamburger buns
- Pickle slices
Instructions
- Chop the onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. When hot, add the beef and brown it, stirring frequently, with the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt.
- Add in mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Combine tomato paste and water and add to hamburger mixture. Add more water if desired. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve on hamburger buns (we actually love them topped with pickles and served as sliders on King's Hawaiian Rolls).
Notes
- Nutritional information was calculated for 1/6th of the Sloppy Joe mixture, no bun.
Questions & Reviews
We LOVE sloppy joes at our house! Though the hubs and I grew up a little differently… at my house they were always made with the seasoning packet and a can of tomato paste – at his house it was always the Manwich stuff in a can. I admit, I like the zing from the canned stuff better but have often thought I could probably make this myself. Now I have a recipe to try! Good to see that my instincts for what would've gone in it are right on. 🙂
Can't wait to try these with the fall weather here! Oh, and my husband is a traditionalist when it comes to eating them – just the meat mixture and bun. I like mine put under the broiler for just a couple minutes with a slice of colby-jack or sharp cheddar cheese. Yum!!
– Jennifer
Oh, and I can't believe Martha did that. How rude!
seriously, sloppy joes in a thermos?? Can't say I've ever done that one 🙂
My mom used to make sloppy joes for sunday dinners…. i think from a can though! looks yummy!
Mmmmm these do sound delicious. The ingredient list sounds a lot like the one for our bbq'd brisket which is one of my favorite meals of all time! This would be a lot faster and easier though!
Oh and in Martha's defense, she was probably just sick of sloppy joes because it's all she ate while in jail 😉
We somehow have the same recipe as I just made these last night for dinner and the only difference is mine calls for crushed tomatoes rather than tomato paste. They are so good and I love that I can make a double batch and freeze the rest. I had just made buns the day before and they are a great pairing with it. Next time I will have to try it with the sweet potato fries and coleslaw …. yummy!
always make homemade Joes as I have NEVER liked the canned or packaged versions. This sounds like a great recipe too!
Luke loves sloppy Joes but I always refused to make it from the can. A couple of years ago i made it from scratch and now Luke won't even go back to the can. My recipe is very similar but It doesn't have mustard, I'll have to add and see how it taste.
Lolly, she really did! She said, "I don't eat that kind of food." It was all very…weird. The thing that kills me is that she has a recipe for sloppy joes on her website!
As you may have been able to deduce, I have a love/not-so-love relationship with Big M… 🙂
Martha really did that? Wow. hmmmm… I would never turn my nose up at a sloppy joe!!
These looks pretty good! I'll have to add them to list of things to make for the hubs! Homemade rolls are going to be in order to go with these too!
We love sloppy joes and I've never made them from scratch either. These look DELISH! I just love new recipes and I pretty much have most of the items on hand. May have to try this and SOON.
MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm That looks so yummy. I've never made a sloppy joe from scratch, I may have to try though because that looks positively delicious.