Make a batch of hearty, homemade sloppy joes for dinner tonight. They're ready in less than 30 minutes, made from scratch, and packed with savory flavor!
For many, especially those in the Midwest US, sloppy joes are a childhood classic. Readers love my recipes for Italian sloppy joes and cheesesteak style sloppy joes. They're easy to make at home and can be ready in 30 minutes or less!
If you're looking for a classic, from-scratch sloppy joe recipe, you've come to the right place. Tomato sauce serves as the base for the sauce. We're adding ingredients like sauteed onions and peppers, mustard, and worcestershire sauce for plenty of savory flavor.
Serve sloppy joes for a nostalgic weeknight meal. Kids and adults alike will love them! I like to serve mine with oven roasted seasoned potatoes and a garden salad.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Ground beef - I recommend 85/15 ground beef for this recipe. If using a fattier beef, I recommend draining the grease from your pan before continuing with the recipe.
- Butter - Salted or unsalted butter works in this recipe.
- Onion and pepper - Adds flavor to the recipe. I don't recommend omitting these ingredients. For more heat, bell pepper can be substituted with jalapenos.
- Tomato sauce - The base of the sauce. I don't recommend substituting with ketchup because your sauce will turn out cloyingly sweet.
- Mustard - Adds tangy flavor to the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce - Adds savory flavor to the sauce. Worcestershire sauce could be substituted with soy sauce or steak sauce if needed for allergy reasons.
- Brown sugar - Adds a hint of sweetness.
- Seasoning - Chili powder, salt, and pepper add mild savory flavor.
- Garlic - Adds flavor to the sauce. I recommend using fresh garlic cloves rather than jarred garlic, which often has a harsh flavor. Two cloves of garlic can be substituted with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder if needed.
- Buns - I recommend a bakery-style brioche bun.
Tips and tricks
Drain grease if needed - If you're using a high fat content ground beef, like 80/20 or 75/25, you may want to drain some grease from the pan after the beef is done cooking.
Add more seasoning to taste - Before serving, give your sauce a taste test. Your sloppy joes should have a mild, savory flavor. Feel free to add a dash of your favorite hot sauce or additional chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
Lightly toast buns - To ensure your buns don't fall apart under the weight of your sloppy joes, give them a light toast in the toaster oven just before assembly.
Storage
Leftover sloppy joes will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, place in a skillet and warm over medium heat, adding a splash of water as needed to rehydrate the sauce. To reheat in the microwave, drape with a damp paper towel and heat until warmed through.
Frequently asked questions
First, I don't recommend omitting any of the flavor-adding ingredients in this recipe. This includes the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, salt, and pepper. As written, your sloppy joes will have a mild, savory flavor. To add more flavor, I recommend adding a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, or additional mustard and chili powder. The bell pepper could also be substituted with jalapeno peppers for a little heat.
Sloppy joe meat could be served over tater tots with shredded cheese, on a baked potato, or mixed into a batch of stovetop mac and cheese.
A potato side dish makes a great addition to sloppy joes, like fries, oven roasted potatoes, or tater tots. Add coleslaw or a garden salad for an easy, no-cook side dish.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounces 85/15 ground beef
- 15 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4 brioche buns, lightly toasted
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until lightly browned around the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Crumble ground beef into pan and cook until browned. If there's excess grease sitting in the pan, drain or soak up with a paper towel and discard at this time.
- Add tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 10-12 minutes, or until sauce has thickened to your liking. Add a splash of water if you'd like a thinner consistency.
- Remove from heat and divide between four lightly toasted brioche buns.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Extra flavor: Add a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce for a hint of heat and extra flavor. Bell pepper can also be substituted with a few jalapenos.
- Leftovers: Leftover sloppy joes will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!