Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe

Looking for a nostalgic, quick, and easy one-pot dinner for the whole family? Try these Homemade Sloppy Joes. They’re a messy, yummy dinner that’s fun! 

An Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe

Sloppy Joe’s? What’s this, 1994? 

Well, no – but why not eat like it is? I loved Sloppy Joe night as a kid and I’m here to make my kids Sloppy Joe lovers, too! What’s more fun than eating an intentionally messy dinner? Uh, nothing. 

Have some fun and introduce your kids to this childhood family favorite!

What is a Sloppy Joe?

Sloppy Joe is hamburger meat mixed with sauteed veggies, ketchup, brown sugar, and water (plus loads of other yum) to create a saucy meat mixture that’s served on a hamburger bun. It’s messy fun so you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a fork and loads of napkins. They became popular around the 1950’s as an alternate use for hamburger meat, but loose meat sandwiches date back to the 1920’s. 

Sloppy Joes were immortalized in the 1990’s by Adam Sandler in “Lunch Lady Land”. “Sloppy Joes, Slop-Sloppy Joes”, I can still hear it in my head! 

Recipe Ingredients

Sloppy Joes are a great way to use up that ground meat you’ve had in the freezer forever. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• olive oil
• ground beef
• green bell pepper
• yellow onion
• garlic
• chili powder
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• tomato paste
• brown sugar
• hot sauce 
• ketchup
• water
• worcestershire sauce

How to Make Sloppy Joes

1. Heat: Add 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil to a large 12-inch skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. 
2. Brown the Beef: Stir in the beef and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned, breaking it apart as it cooks. 
3. Drain the beef and remove it from the skillet. Set aside and keep it covered. 
4. Sautee: Return skillet to the stove. Heat the remaining oil and add the peppers and onions. Cook until they are softened.
5. Add: Stir in garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
6. Stir beef back into the skillet and mix in the tomato paste, brown sugar, and hot sauce.
7. Add the ketchup, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix and stir until thoroughly combined. 
8. Simmer: Lower the heat to MEDIUM and continue to cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.
9. Serve: Remove from the heat. Serve over toasted buns.

Tips for the Best Sloppy Joes

These tips will make your Sloppy Joes better than your moms ever were!

• If you’ve got veggie haters in your home, prep your veggies in the food processor. They’ll never know they’re hiding in the meat mixture!  
• Adding hot sauce is optional but I recommend it. If you or your kids are super sensitive to spice, though, you can go without it. 
• The amount of water needed might vary, add it slowly and watch for the consistency you’re going for. 
• You can use any ground meat you have in your freezer, ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken – you name it. 

Serving Suggestions

Sloppy Joe’s are best served as a sandwich. I like mine on a toasted, seeded bun. Throw some oven baked potato wedges on the side, maybe a crispy green veggie, and you’ve got yourself a complete meal. You could also do a Sloppy Joe sandwich on a wrap or flatbread.  

But, let’s think outside the box here. Maybe consider topping some fettuccine with your sloppy joe mixture. How about making some Sloppy Joe quesadillas? The possibilities are endless! 

How to Store Leftovers

Let your Sloppy Joe mixture come to room temp and then transfer it into an airtight container. Pop it in your fridge for about 5 days. Don’t store your Sloppy Joe’s with their buns. The buns would become soggy and well – gross. Be sure to store them separately. 

Can You Freeze Sloppy Joes?

Sure, you can make your Sloppy Joe mixture ahead of time, let it cool, add it to a zip top freezer bag and store it in the freezer for 3 months. It’s so easy to reheat, too! Just defrost, dump into a skillet and simmer on medium-low until heated through. Add a bit of water if you need to loosen it up a bit. 

This makes it a great freezer meal for your family or to bring over to a new mom friend. Just be sure to label your freezer bag so you know when to use it.