EXPERT TIPS:
Sauce: Taste the sauce as you add the seasoning. You might like things a bit sweeter (add more brown sugar), more spicy (a bit more chili powder), or extra tangy (another splash of vinegar). You really can’t mess this one up!
Beef: We like to use a lean ground beef and we always drain off any excess grease after cooking. This recipe will also work well with ground turkey or plant based meat substitutes.
Serving: We usually serve this on buttered and toasted buns, but my kids also love this one piled on top of a serving of our mac and cheese casserole.
Ingredient Notes:
For the ground beef mixture:
Ground Beef – We keep it traditional with ground beef more often than not, but this recipe also works well with ground turkey or plant based ground beef substitutes, like Beyond or Impossible.
Onion & Bell Pepper – I like to cook the ground beef with onion and bell pepper to add a little texture and flavor. These are easily left out for picky eaters.
Garlic – Some minced garlic will also add flavor to the ground beef when cooking!
For the homemade sloppy joe sauce:
Ketchup & Mustard – The base of this sloppy joe sauce starts with a mixture of ketchup and mustard. So simple, but flavorful! We’ll enhance it with a few other ingredients…
Vinegar – Distilled white vinegar is best here but ACV works great too. It’ll add the tangy flavor to the sauce.
Brown Sugar – The best sloppy joe sauce is savory and sweet! We sweeten this sauce up with brown sugar. You won’t need a lot, as the ketchup is already sweet.
Tomato Paste – It’s basically concentrated tomato flavor and a little bit goes a long way! Tomato paste will definitely add some tomato vibes to the sauce. We buy it in a tube and keep it in the fridge to add a pop of concentrated tomato flavor to dishes.
Worcestershire Sauce – This savory sauce is one of our favorites for all kinds of recipes. You don’t need much of it either.
Seasoning – Nothing major here, just some salt, pepper, and chili powder!
Serving- Keep it traditional and serve these on a buttery toasted bun, or serve this over your mac and cheese or as a dip for chips!
What We Love About This HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOE Recipe:
Flavor: Sure, the canned stuff is tasty, but homemade is always better! This simple sauce recipe has lots of savory, sweet, tangy flavor that makes the perfect sloppy joes!
Versatile: There are lots of great toppings and sides that go well with sloppy joe sandwiches and just about everyone loves them. These are perfect for weeknight dinner recipes with whatever sides you like!
How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes:
Sauce: Whisk together ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar until smooth and combined.
Ground Beef: Brown a pound of ground beef in a large skillet, breaking it up as it cooks. When the meat is about halfway cooked through (you should still have lots of pink throughout), add in some chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
Continue cooking and stirring until the meat is cooked through and the veggies have softened. Drain off the fat.
Helpful Tip!
If you have picky kids (or a picky husband, like I do) you can 100% omit the onions and peppers. Anytime I make this for dinner (meaning my husband is home to eat it), I leave the onions out. If I make this for lunch while he’s at work, I leave the onions in. Totally works both ways!
Sloppy Joe Sauce: Pour all of that sweet and tangy homemade sloppy joe sauce right over the meat and stir it all up. Simmer this mixture for about 5 minutes.
Serve: Spoon the homemade sloppy joe mixture onto your sandwich rolls and top them however you like. We prefer dill pickle slices or some dill pickle slaw, but you can even just serve them plain as is!
So easy and always a kid-pleaser! These go great with a pile of potato chips on the side too. See below for more serving suggestions!
