The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes
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Make dinner fun and flavorful with our best sloppy joes recipe! Quick to prepare and bursting with taste, it’s perfect for busy nights when you need an easy dinner.
Finding a recipe that pleases everyone, especially picky eaters, can be a challenge. This homemade sloppy joe recipe is a perfect solution for those busy weeknights when you need a quick dinner idea and it’s budget friendly too.
The homemade sloppy joe sauce is rich and flavorful, and just what you need to make dinner a hit. Even if your kids are hard to please, they’ll fall in love with these easy sloppy joes, just like my family has!
Ingredient Notes
This easy sloppy joe recipe uses simple ingredients that you likely have in your pantry. See the recipe card for the full list.
Ground beef – I love to make sloppy joes with lean ground beef but ground turkey is another great option.
Onion – You can use any of your favorite cooking onions or sweet onions. If your kids really won’t eat anything with onions then try using some onion powder instead.
Tomato sauce – Any of your favorite tomato sauce will work, I often use a homemade hearty tomato sauce. Italian or three cheese tomato sauce are other family favorites.
Ketchup – Ketchup helps to add some flavor and zest to the sauce.
Yellow mustard – Classic yellow mustard gives the sauce a nice zest. You can use any of your favorite mustards as a substitute, honey Dijon is another one of my favorites.
Oil – You’ll need a little oil for frying the meat and onions in. Vegetable oil works well, but you can also use olive oil, lard, or bacon grease.
Seasonings – Simple salt and pepper are all that’s needed to enhance the flavor of the sauce and meat.
How To Make Sloppy Joes
Add your oil into large skillet and warm over medium high heat. Then add your ground beef and break it up as it’s cooking.
When the ground beef is nicely browned add your chopped onions and continue cooking until the onions are soft and the meat is fully cooked.
Drain off the excess grease and add the tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, and salt and pepper to the meat mixture.
Stir well and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes or until it’s thickened to your liking.
Serve the sloppy joe mix on your favorite hamburger buns.
How To Serve
There are so many ways to enjoy sloppy joes.
Buns – Serve sloppy joes on classic hamburger buns, but pretzel buns, brioche buns, and hotdog buns all make great choices. Then add your favorite sides like potato chips, fries, baked potato wedges, or creamy pasta salad.
Fries – Make some loaded French fries by topping them with sloppy joes and shredded cheese.
Hot Dogs – Instead of chilli dogs spoon sloppy joe mixture overtop of your hotdogs.
Baked potatoes – This meat sauce makes a tasty addition to baked potatoes, serve over top or add it to the filling of twice baked potatoes.
Macaroni and Cheese – Another tasty way to use sloppy joe meat sauce is to add it to your macaroni and cheese.
Storage
Refrigeration – Let the sloppy joe sauce cool and then place it into an airtight container you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing – To freeze let the mixture cool and then place into freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bags. Press them flat so they can stack in the freezer well and label. They freeze well for 2-3 months.
When ready to use simply thaw in your fridge overnight.
Reheating Tips
The best way to reheat sloppy joe mix is to place it into a skillet over medium heat. Heat it stirring often until it’s warmed through. If it gets to dry add a little tomato sauce, ketchup, or water and stir it in while warming.
If you are in a hurry you can also reheat it in the microwave.
How To Spice Up
If you love spicy sloppy joes try adding some chopped jalopeno or red pepper flakes to your meat mixture. Just add it in when you add the onions to the ground beef.
Can I Make This In A Slow Cooker?
Yes, it’s so easy to make this recipe in your slow cooker. Simply brown the meat in a skillet then add the meat and remaining ingredients into your slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours.
Can I Make Sloppy Joes Ahead Of Time?
Yes, this recipe is easy to make ahead of time. Simply prepare the recipe and refrigerate or freeze until needed. Then follow the reheating directions and you’ll have dinner ready quickly.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion chopped
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tbs. Vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
- 1 tsp. Yellow mustard
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Pepper
Instructions
- Add vegetable oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat.
- Add the ground beef and brown breaking it up as it cooks.
- When the meat is almost done add the onion and continue cooking until the meat and onions are fully cooked.
- Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine with the meat and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
Notes
Nutrition
These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.
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Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
