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Dinner has never been faster, easier, or more comforting than with my Sloppy Joes recipe! Using simple pantry ingredients, fresh vegetables, and beef, this recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and will get even the pickiest eaters excited about dinner.
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Sloppy Joe Recipe
There's a certain sort of nostalgia specially saved for sloppy joes. They're like the ultimate childhood comfort food: warm, tender, filling, and totally delicious. Growing up, I first enjoyed sloppy joe sandwiches at a friend's house, and even picky me (I preferred my mother's cooking!) loved every bite.
It took having my own family to understand just how perfect they truly are. They're ultra easy, super fast, and perfect for weeknight meals. I started making them on busy practice nights, and they were always a complete life-saver.
And don't get me started on the leftovers! Sloppy joe meat is versatile- you can repurpose the leftovers into bowls of chili, plates of nachos, and even big taco dinners. That's right- this is the ultimate meal planning recipe!
Even if you don't have kids and you're just making this sloppy joe recipe for yourself, trust me when I say I know you're going to love it. I know I do!
Ingredients in Sloppy Joes
- Ground beef
- Green bell pepper
- Yellow onion
Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce
- Ketchup
- Water
- Tomato paste
- Garlic powder
- Yellow mustard
- Chili powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
This recipe uses my Sloppy Joe Seasoning - which you can use for other recipes, too! Try it out!
How to Make Sloppy Joes
- Wash the pepper and onion, and dice into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add ground beef, peppers, and onions. Let the ground beef cook in one large piece for 5 minutes.
- Flip the ground beef, then break it up into small pieces and continue cooking until the meat is browned and the vegetables softened, 3-5 more minutes. Drain the fat.
- Add in all other ingredients to the pan, then stir well until fully mixed, and cook another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, and serve on buns. Enjoy!
Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe Tips
- This recipe uses ground beef, but you can use any ground meat for delicious results! Try it out with ground chicken, pork, or ground turkey, or swap out ground meat for leftover shredded chicken or pulled pork!
- Feel free to adjust the ratio of onions, peppers and beef! Sometimes I like making it with extra veggies and it's the perfect way to get picky kids eating their vegetables.
- Make sure to follow my instructions for cooking ground beef to ensure the most flavorful, delicious sloppy joes you've ever tasted! Trust me- it makes a difference!
- Make extra, and use it in homemade chili, tacos, nachos, empanadas and more.
- For a bit of sweetness, you can add 1 Tablespoon brown sugar to the meat mixture if you like.
- Try serving homemade sloppy joes with a side of french fries (like these steak fries!), chips, or the classic: baked beans.
Sloppy Joe FAQ
Here's a secret: there is no difference! Manwich is just a different name for a Sloppy Joe. The "manwich" mixes sold are just canned sauce to be added to ground beef.
A bland sloppy joe is never fun, but luckily, they're so easy to spice up! Using homemade sloppy joe seasoning and sauce makes the most flavorful sandwiches. Add extra sauce like BBQ, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, or something spicy and fresh like jalapenos or pickled red onion. Or, remix the meat entirely by using it for chili or tacos!
Sloppy joe sauce is a simple and pantry-ingredient sauce made from ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a few simple spices like garlic powder, chili powder, and red pepper flakes! It comes together in minutes and is incredibly budget friendly. Don't fall for pre-made mixes- it's so easy and cheap to make your own!
Sloppy joes are loose meat sandwiches made from ground beef and a chili and tomato sauce, paste, and/or ketchup! The ground beef is cooked with sauce to form a thick sandwich filling best served on hamburger buns. Other additions such as onions and green peppers are great for adding flavor and vegetables to the mix!
Cooking Ground Beef
- All my best Ground Beef Recipes!
- How to Defrost Ground Beef - quickly, easily, and most important, safely!
- How to Cook Ground Beef for the best flavor and texture every time!
If you loved this recipe, you'll love all my tips, tricks, guides and recipes for the best ways to cook with ground beef!
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📋 Recipe
Sloppy Joes Recipe
Equipment
- pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef
- ⅓ cup Green bell pepper
- ⅓ cup Yellow onion
- ⅔ cup Ketchup
- ⅓ cup Water
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Yellow mustard
- ¾ teaspoon Chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Coarse salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Wash the pepper and onion, and dice them into bite-sized pieces.⅓ cup Green bell pepper, ⅓ cup Yellow onion
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, peppers, and onions. Let the ground beef cook in one large piece for 5 minutes.1 lb Ground beef
- Flip the ground beef, then break it up into small pieces and continue cooking until the meat is browned and the vegetables softened, 3-5 more minutes. Drain the fat.
- Add in all other ingredients to the pan, then stir well until fully mixed, and cook another 5 minutes.⅔ cup Ketchup, ⅓ cup Water, 2 Tablespoons Tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Yellow mustard, ¾ teaspoon Chili powder, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon Coarse salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper, ¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- Remove from the heat, and serve on buns. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe uses ground beef, but you can use any ground meat for delicious results! Try it out with ground chicken, pork, or turkey, or swap out ground meat for leftover shredded chicken or pulled pork!
- Feel free to adjust the ratio of onions, peppers and beef! Sometimes I like making it with extra veggies and it's the perfect way to get picky kids eating their vegetables.
- Make sure to follow my instructions for cooking ground beef to ensure the most flavorful, delicious sloppy joes you've ever tasted! Trust me- it makes a difference!
- Make extra, and use it in homemade chili, tacos, nachos, empanadas and more.
Nutrition
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