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
Sloppy joes and French fries was our Halloween meal every year. I did the same with my kids and now my grandkids. They all think it wouldn’t be Halloween without sloppy joes.
7 years later and this is still our favorite Sloppy Joe recipe hands down!!
Awesome!
this recipe was really awesome thank you are the best.
My husband liked it but since it was too sweet, all I could do was add more acid so I added more vinegar & threw in more Worcestshire. I didn’t have peppers & we aren’t really fans either so that didn’t matter. Next time, I’d cut back on the sugar.
Yum! I made these for a dinner tonight and they were a hit with the whole family! I think I might use just a touch less sugar next time, just personal preference, but they were pretty tasty as is. Sloppy Joes are one of my husband’s favorites and he really liked these. Glad I have a homemade version to make now! I think next time I’ll plan to double the recipe and freeze half per your instructions. It would be nice to be able to pull a batch of these from the freezer!
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I got halfway into this recipe when I realized I didn’t have any brown sugar! I used molasses instead and they still turned out great. Thanks for the recipe, Kate!
These have now become my family’s favorite Sloppy Joe. My husband and son won’t even touch the stuff from a can anymore! Thanks for sharing!
Just made these for dinner and everyone loved them! Great Recipe!!! 🙂
This is now on my family’s go to menu! They’re delightful… Although my daughters always question what the green stuff is. It’s helping us teach them how to be more well rounded. 🙂
Thank you for another fab meal. I used a yellow pepper, ground turkey, no onion (just onion powder), and tomato sauce instead of paste/water. I had to alter it because the alternative was hauling my 3 young children to the store and you know how fun that is. 🙂 Even with all the changes I had to make, it was delicious. I loved how your recipes are flexible and I almost always have the ingredients I need in my pantry! Your website has literally taught me how to cook since I have become a stay at home mom. Thanks for all the effort you put into making such a great blog/business. You both are great! 🙂