Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes

You can’t beat old fashioned sloppy joes when it comes to the perfect comfort food sandwich. With its caramelized sweet sauce with a little spice and its meaty texture, this sandwich is irresistibly delicious and quick to make in less than 20 minutes.

Comfort food is a thing! A BIG thing! We all have cravings, we all have that food that reminds us of “home” or our childhood. Old fashioned sloppy joes are one of those childhood, comfort food meals. Am I right? 

A sloppy joe is a loose meat sandwich with tomato sauce. You serve the loose meat on a bun and enjoy the mess and amazing taste.

Being a busy mom, I am all about quick and easy. This recipe I had put together and served to the table in 20 minutes. It is one of those meals you can make in a dash on busy days before everyone ends up over-hungry, aka hangry.

Here are some other quick and easy meals you can make or prep ahead for your family. Some of my family’s favorites include Macaroni and Cheese, Hamburger Soup, and Crockpot Chili.

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INGREDIENTS

• Ground beef: It is the best meat for this recipe, but you can use ground chicken or turkey.
• Extra virgin olive oil: To brown the meat and some extra flavor we sauté the meat, onions, and peppers with olive oil for this easy sloppy joe recipe.
• Onion: For a subtle flavor we use fresh onions.
• Beef stock: To bring more depth to the sauce we add beef broth.
• Ketchup: To add some tomato flavor we use ketchup instead of tomato sauce in this classic sloppy joe recipe.
• Brown sugar: To add some sweetness we use brown sugar.
• Salt/pepper: Enhancing the flavors is key, salt and pepper will do the trick.
• Mustard: To add another layer of flavor we use mustard.

• Worcestershire: For more depth and flavor Worcestershire adds the perfect taste.
• Vinegar: To add a pop of acidity to this easy sloppy joe recipe we use some vinegar.
• Garlic/chili powder: Both add a little kick to this tasty recipe.
• Bell pepper: Fresh bell peppers add a nice little crunch and texture.
• Lemon juice: For more acidity and to help balance out the sweetness we use lemon juice.
• Dried parsley: To add more flavor and depth we use parsley.
• Cheese: For some added flavour top your sloppy joes with cheese for garnish!

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat a large skillet with olive oil.
• Finely chop onion and bell pepper, and add to heated skillet. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes on medium-high heat until onion and pepper start to brown, stirring continuously.
• Reduce heat to medium and add in your beef, season with salt and pepper, mince the meat into small fine chunks as it cooks, and cook until well done about 8-10 minutes, until juices run clear.

• In a small mixing bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients. Set aside until the meat is fully cooked
• Add the sauce to the meat, and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.

• Serve hot on a bun.
• Garnish with cheese

EXPERT TIPS

Finely mince your meat as it cooks using a meat mincer. The finer the ground meat the finer the texture and the most perfect turn out for sloppy joes.

We also like to ensure that the vegetables are finely chopped as well, this vegetable chopper will give that onion and bell pepper a finely chopped texture.

You can use all four colors of bell peppers. We personally enjoy red the best for the added sweetness, classic sloppy joes are made with green pepper.

Usually, there is always some leftover. The best way to use the leftovers of this sloppy joe recipe includes:

• French fries
• Hot dog
• Nachos
• Grilled cheese

SERVING TIPS

When it comes to serving sloppy joes there are a few different ways to serve it using different buns. Onion buns/rolls add such a nice flavor. You can also use toasted buns, potato buns, sub-buns, slider buns, or brioche buns.

Some of my family’s favorite side dishes to serve with this easy sloppy joe recipe include:

• Corn on the cob
• Salad
• Fries
• Potato Chips
• Roasted potatoes
• Roasted Veggies
• Coleslaw

STORAGE TIPS

Once the cooked sloppy joes have cooled completely to room temperature you can store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.

To reheat the sloppy joes, you can microwave. Microwave a serving for 45 seconds, remove from heat, stir, and continue to heat for 30-second increments until the sloppy joe is heated through. Add the sloppy joe filling to a bun and serve.

You can also freeze leftover sloppy joe filling. Once it has cooled completely, add the filling to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 4 months to maintain freshness. To thaw, refrigerate overnight.

HOW TO PREPARE AHEAD

You can easily prepare this quick sloppy joe recipe ahead of time. Simply cook as per the directions, let the sloppy joe filling cool completely, and store in a large airtight container for 3-4 days until you want to reheat it and serve it.

To reheat simply reheat in a saucepan or microwave until heated through.

You can also pre-measure out all of the ingredients, make the sauce for the meat and refrigerate it. Then all you have left to do is sauté the vegetables and cook the meat, add in the sauce, and simmer.

SUBSTITUTIONS

For this easy sloppy joe recipe, you can easily substitute ground beef for ground turkey or chicken. Please note, that the taste will change when you substitute the meat.

Instead of ketchup, you can use barbecue sauce or tomato sauce. Please note, that the taste will differ slightly as tomato sauce is not as sweet as ketchup. I recommend adding in some extra brown sugar.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’s)

RELATED QUICK RECIPES:

• Spaghetti Sauce
• Meatballs
• Tomato Bisque Soup

PS: Here you can find our two recipe ebooks:

• Healthy Balance eBook
• Salads eBook