My Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe is an easy to make, nostalgic, delicious dinner. Savory and slightly sweet, these sandwiches are perfect for feeding hungry family members in about 30 minutes. The Sloppy Joes are also great for game days when you want to feed a small group too. Save it now so you can always find it.
I have been craving nostalgia lately in food. Foods that I grew up with, that my mom made quickly in our little kitchen after a full day of work and school. Most nights, she did it all herself. My dad worked 6 days a week and would not get home during the week until almost 10 p.m. So my mom did all the things. I don’t know if she has ever loved cooking in the way that I do, but she has certain dishes that make me think of her and our life in the 80’s and 90’s. Sloppy Joes is one of those meals. Our sloppy joes were always made with Manwich (which is completely fine), but in making this cozy, easy and childhood comfort food for my children, I decided I wanted to make it from scratch. Maybe one day they will also crave these easy Homemade Sloppy Joes when they need a little reassurance and cheer in this big, messy world too.
The origins of Sloppy Joes
Have you ever wondered how this sandwich became known as Sloppy Joes? There’s two stories with one being that homemade Sloppy Joes were invented by a cook named joe in Sioux City, Iowa. Apparently, loose meat sandwiches were very popular there in the 1930s. Research at the Carnegie Library in Philadelphia supports this idea. It was conducted by H.J. Heinz, who owns the ketchup brand that is most commonly used in Sloppy Joes. The name first appeared in print in an Ohio sandwich shop in the 1940s. Still, others claim it was invented in a Cuban bar by a man named Jose and that it is a version of Cuba’s ropa veija. A final theory links it to a Cuban bar in the Florida Keys.
My Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe
No matter which theory you believe, the recipe has varied from place to place and probably decade to decade. For my Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe, I tried to keep it simple. To me the sauce is the biggest component in making the recipe true Sloppy Joes. Because let’s face it, with out it, it is just kind of ground meat. It is made mostly of tomato sauce and then ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard are added. If you cook on a regular basis most of these things are probably in your pantry right now. I really wanted to make this a recipe you might be able to whip together in a pinch and didn’t have a lot of specialty ingredients.
The ground meat mix
In my recipe I use 2 lbs. of ground beef. I do this for two reasons. 1. Sloppy Joes can be one of those sandwiches you overload a little. 2. I love to eat the leftovers from this for lunch throughout the week. It reheats really well and I honestly just reheat it and eat it straight from a bowl. Also, if you have a larger family, this is one of those recipes that can feed more than 4 people. In addition to the ground beef, I add diced green pepper, diced yellow onion, fresh garlic, a little bit of onion powder and then a little bit of salt and pepper to taste. If you really want to use 1 lb of beef, feel free to do that but I would make the sauce for the homemade Sloppy Joes recipe as is. It never hurts to have extra sauce and have them bee a little sloppier.
Looking for more cozy and comforting recipes?
If you love simple and cozy recipes like my Homemade Sloppy Joes, try these too.
- Creamy Italian Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta {HERE}
- Homemade Beef Tacos {HERE}
- Dijon Pork Tenderloin {HERE}
- Homemade Chicken Piccata {HERE}
- Bacon Wrapped Gouda and Apple Stuffed Chicken {HERE}
- Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers {HERE}
- Cottage Pie {HERE}
- Slow Cooker Creamy French Mustard Chicken {HERE}
- Lemon Butter Pasta {HERE}
- White Wine Dijon Chicken {HERE}
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Thank you so much for visiting today, friends. I hope you love my Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe. You can find a full, printable recipe below with all the ingredients and steps. Happy eating.
Ingredients
For the Sloppy Joes Sauce
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
For the sandwiches
- 2 lbs ground beef 85-90% lean
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1/2 finely diced yellow onion
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sesame seed buns
Instructions
- Combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard in a bowl. Whisk to combine well and then set it aside.
- Heat a large skillet or sauté pan on the stove and then add the ground beef. Break it apart with the spatula and cook it until it just browns. About 5 minutes. If grease gathers from the beef, tilt the pan and spoon it out of the pan and into a heat safe container to discard later.
- Add in the green pepper, onion, garlic and onion powder. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes to let the beef finish browning and the vegetables soften. Stir regularly over a low to medium heat.
- Add the sauce to the pan and simmer it for about 7 - 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve on a sesame seed bun. You can toast them if you like.
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