All-Time Best From-scratch Sloppy Joes
Straightforward from-scratch sloppy joes are the reliable weeknight dinner recipe. Saucy, spiced ground beef tops a hearty hamburger bun for a finger-lickin’ rich meal. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have this ultra-comforting sandwich on the dinner table in no time.
Our grandma and her sister (our great aunt) lived on opposite sides of a duplex house; when we were kids and would spend time at our grandma’s, we also would spend a good bit of time over on our aunt’s side of the house as well. Our great aunt was famous for a few of her specialty items – poor man’s cookies, broccoli casserole, and, our favorite, sloppy joes. There was nothing terribly fancy about it – a can of Manwich and some ground meat, but there was something about eating such a messy sandwich we just loved. It must be a kid thing!
A while ago, sloppy joes popped into our head out of nowhere; we hadn’t had them in at least 10 years, but we suddenly was on a quest to make a version from scratch. We remembered there sometimes being onion and green pepper in our aunt’s recipe and then went from there. Here’s to favorite kid flavors and from-scratch replications!
What is a Sloppy Joe?
Sloppy Joes are a “loose meat sandwich” made with ground beef and a hearty tomato sauce mixed with onion and peppers and seasoned with simple spices. Typically served on hamburger buns, the meaty middle can hardly be contained and often spills over the side of the sandwich, making them a truly sloppy meal.
There are a few versions about how the sloppy joe came about. They could have been invented in:
- Havana at a bar called “Sloppy Joes”
- Key West, FL by someone who went to “Sloppy Joes” in Havana and then created their own restaurant with this loose meat sandwich.
- Sioux City, Iowa where a cook named Joe made these loose meat sandwiches.
No matter how they were invented, one thing is certain, these sloppy sandwiches are sure to fill you up and leave you with a sloppy, saucy grin.
How to Make From-scratch Sloppy Joes
We're always totally enamored with a nostalgic taste that can be replicated from scratch. These from-scratch sloppy joes come together with a handful of ingredients and will be ready for dinner in 45 minutes.
- Aromatics: Onion, green pepper, and garlic give a depth of flavor to the sauce that keeps you coming back for more.
- Ground Beef: Literally the meat of this sandwich.
- Tomato Puree + Ketchup: Tomato puree keeps the sauce thick while the ketchup adds in sweet tomato flavor.
- Sugar + Spice: Brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and pepper give this iconic sandwich some much-needed flavor.
- Cook the aromatics: Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and pepper to the pan. Sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan to a bowl and set aside.
- Cook the meat: Add the ground beef to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high heat. Cook the beef, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks, until the beef is completely browned. Drain excess fat and grease from the pan.
- Make the sauce: Add the vegetables back to the pan. Stir in tomato puree, ketchup, brown sugar, and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the sloppy joe mixture until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve on hamburger buns.
Serving Suggestions for From-scratch Sloppy Joes
The beauty of these from-scratch Sloppy Joes is that there is no wrong way to go about serving and eating them. You can keep it simple with a hamburger bun and nothing else or dress it up to your heart’s content. Here are a few different ways you can try out these straightforward sloppy joes.
Serve them on:
- Sandwich between buttery pieces of Texas toast.
- Loft the sloppy joe filling on a fresh baked potato.
- Serve on Hawaiian rolls for mini sloppy joe sliders.
Serve them with:
- A side of from-scratch macaroni and cheese.
- Salty potato chips.
- Straightforward from-scratch french fries
Top your Sloppy Joes with:
- Shredded cheese
- Pickles
- Diced white onion
- Pickled jalapeños
Baker notes
Can you use other meat in this recipe?
We use 2 pounds of ground beef to make these straightforward Sloppy Joes. You can easily swap out the ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or even a beyond the meat substitute depending on your dietary needs.
How do you safely drain the fat from the pan?
To easily drain the grease from the pan, push the ground beef to one side of your cooking dish. Then:
- Use a spoon to scoop out the grease into a foil-lined bowl.
- Squeeze the grease out of the pan using a turkey baster and transfer to a foil-lined bowl.
- Or wipe the grease out of the pan by absorbing it into 3-4 paper towels.
How do you make sloppy joe sauce from scratch?
Making sloppy joe sauce, like Manwich, from scratch involves a blend of tomato sauce, ketchup, onion, green pepper, and spices. In place of tomato sauce, we use tomato puree to make it a thick sauce that clings to the meat.
Storing, Freezing, Make-Ahead
- Storing: Keep leftover sloppy joe meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Cool the sloppy joe meat completely before freezing. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Move the sloppy joe meat from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you plan on eating the sloppy joes. Heat the meat in a saucepan or skillet until warmed through.
- Make-ahead: You can brown the meat in advance and simply add it to the skillet when you are cooking it with the sauce before serving.
- Double: To make a double batch of the sloppy joe meat sauce, double the recipe ingredients. We would suggest cooking the sloppy joes in a large pot like a 7-qt dutch oven to contain all of the meaty goodness.
Sensational Sandwiches To Make Next:
- Monte Crisco Sandwich
- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
- Chipped Ham BBQ Sandwiches
- From-scratch Primanti Bros. Sandwich
From-scratch Sloppy Joes
Straightforward, meaty, and filling, these from-scratch sloppy joes are everything you love about a sloppy joe sandwich with no canned ingredients. Reliable for your busy weeknights and your childhood classic cravings!
From-scratch Sloppy Joes
Yield: 8 servings This straightforward, from-scratch sloppy joe recipe comes together quickly for a classic sandwich that is sure to make you feel like a kid again.- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds (907.18 g) ground beef
- 2 cups (524 g) tomato puree
- 1 cup (240 g) ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Hamburger buns, to serve
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and pepper and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the pan to a bowl.
- Add the ground beef to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the beef is completely browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. If the beef has released a lot of fat, drain off most of it.
- Add the vegetables back to the pan and stir in the tomato puree, ketchup, brown sugar and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve on hamburger buns. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Ground Beef: You can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or even a "beyond the meat" product.
- Storing: Keep leftover sloppy joe meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Cool the sloppy joe meat completely before freezing. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Move the sloppy joe meat from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you plan on eating the sloppy joes. Heat the meat in a saucepan or skillet until warmed through.
- Make-ahead: You can brown the meat in advance and simply add it to the skillet when you are cooking it with the sauce before serving.
- Double: To make a double batch of the sloppy joe meat sauce, double the recipe ingredients. We would suggest cooking the sloppy joes in a large pot like a 7-qt dutch oven to contain all of the ingredients.
Photography by Lauren Grant.
- Yield: 8 servings
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 30 minutes
- Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds ( 907.18 g ) ground beef
- 2 cups ( 524 g ) tomato puree
- 1 cup ( 240 g ) ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Hamburger buns, to serve
Method
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and pepper and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the pan to a bowl.
- Add the ground beef to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the beef is completely browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. If the beef has released a lot of fat, drain off most of it.
- Add the vegetables back to the pan and stir in the tomato puree, ketchup, brown sugar and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve on hamburger buns. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Ground Beef: You can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or even a "beyond the meat" product.
Storing: Keep leftover sloppy joe meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Cool the sloppy joe meat completely before freezing. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Move the sloppy joe meat from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you plan on eating the sloppy joes. Heat the meat in a saucepan or skillet until warmed through.
Make-ahead: You can brown the meat in advance and simply add it to the skillet when you are cooking it with the sauce before serving.
Double: To make a double batch of the sloppy joe meat sauce, double the recipe ingredients. We would suggest cooking the sloppy joes in a large pot like a 7-qt dutch oven to contain all of the ingredients.
Photography by Lauren Grant.
