Sloppy Joes
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Effortlessly delicious and universally loved, Sloppy Joes are the tasty (and, yes, slightly messy) champion of quick dinners and game day feasts.
A sloppy joe is a beloved American sandwich made from ground beef cooked in a tangy and slightly sweet tomato-based sauce and served on a hamburger bun. My homemade sloppy joes, which my kids have playfully nicknamed “sloppy jenns” (although I’m not a fan of that name!), is an upgrade on the classic recipe. Instead of using ketchup or seasoning packets, I create a smoky sauce entirely from scratch. The recipe is quick and always a crowd-pleaser, and it can easily be scaled up to feed a crowd or frozen for another meal.
To serve, I suggest toasting buttery brioche buns and pairing the sandwiches with either my sweet and tangy citrus slaw or classic coleslaw, potato chips or french fries, and some refrigerator pickles on the side. For an extra indulgence, top the sloppy joes with cheese—cheddar, American, or provolone—for a creamy, melty richness in every bite. And if you want to switch things up, this sloppy joe recipe is also fantastic on baked potatoes or served over rice.
“The last time I had a Sloppy Joe was as a teenager–Manwich, of course! Definitely elevated with this version! Perfect weeknight meal!”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Ground Beef: 90% lean ground beef is ideal due to its lower fat content, which not only ensures the dish is not too greasy but also eliminates the need to drain fat after browning. If you’d like to substitute another type of meat, like ground turkey, chicken, or pork, skip the tenderizing step with the baking soda.
- Baking Soda: Tenderizes the beef by raising the pH level of the meat’s surface, making it more alkaline. This disrupts the protein structure in the meat, making it more tender. Baking soda also accelerates browning, which boosts the flavor of the dish.
- Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic: Forms the flavor foundation of the filling.
- Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Oregano, Dry Mustard: These spices add smoky, earthy, and tangy flavor.
- Canned Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste: The sauce makes the tangy, liquid base for the dish, while the paste thickens and intensifies the tomato flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce and Hot Pepper Sauce: These condiments add umami and heat, deepening the flavor of the dish.
- Hamburger or Brioche Buns: The perfect base for the Sloppy Joe mixture, offering a soft, slightly sweet contrast to the flavorful beef filling.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Ingredients
To begin, combine the beef and baking soda in a medium bowl. The baking soda raises the pH of the meat, helping to lock in moisture and keep the beef tender. Mash with your hands until well combined, and then let sit on the counter for 20 to 25 minutes to tenderize. (I use this technique for many ground beef recipes, including beef enchiladas, stuffed peppers, stacked beef enchiladas and chili.)
While the beef rests, go ahead and chop the veggies. I like to use a food processor to speed things up, but chopping by hand works just as well. If you’re using a food processor, just pulse until the veggies are finely chopped—not puréed.
When the meat is almost done, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard.
Cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. The meat mixture can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator; it can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to serve, butter the inside of the buns and place them on a baking sheet, butter side up. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, until they’re warmed through and lightly crispy.
Taste the sloppy joe mixture and adjust the seasonings as needed. (If you like them sweet, add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.) Spoon the mixture onto the toasted buns and serve. Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds 90% lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buns
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 (14-oz) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank's, or to taste
- Hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, using your hands, mash the beef with the baking soda. Let it sit on the counter for 20 to 25 minutes to tenderize.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, butter the inside of the buns and place on a baking sheet, butter side up. Toast in the oven until warmed through and lightly crispy, about 5 minutes.
- Taste the sloppy Joe mixture and adjust seasonings. (If you like your Sloppy Joes sweet, feel free to add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.) Spoon the mixture onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The meat mixture can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated in the microwave om on the stovetop until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (5 servings)
- Serving size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 406
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Sodium: 887 mg
- Cholesterol: 86 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Once again your recipe came just when I needed it! We made these last night for dinner and now I FINALLY have the Sloppy Joe taste I’ve been looking for! I left out the hot sauce for everyone to add later and that was fine. The dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce gives it enough spice for me. Next time I’ll double the recipe, though; the portions were a little small.
And to think that I thought the packet Sloppy Joe mix was good. This was SO MUCH BETTER and so simple. I am beginning to enjoy cooking again since all of Jenn’s recipes are delicious and easy to follow.
Amazing! I followed recipe exactly as written except omitted tomato paste. I did not add the optional sugar. This was the Best sloppy joes we ever had. My son who has traveled all over the country stopped by and commented he normally is not impressed with sloppy joes but these were amazing. He ended up having a second serving. Thanks so much.
I was so excited to see a sloppy joe recipe in my inbox that didn’t use tons of ketchup/sugar so we made these today. The recipe was extremely easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly & we did add the 1 tsp of brown sugar since I thought my family would prefer it in there for our taste. Our thoughts during our meal was that they were good but not the sloppy joe taste we are used to. This recipe was nice but we didn’t love the smoked paprika. But in saying that my kids preferred this version over the sugary ketchup one I normally make so it’s a winner in my books – lol.
Hi Tracy, Feel free to replace the smoked paprika with regular paprika next time. And for a more typical Sloppy Joe flavor, you might replace the tomato sauce and tomato paste with 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce and 1/2 cup ketchup. Hope that helps!
Jenn, I love your site and recipes! In fact this is the only foodie site I look forward to reading and trying the new recipes on a regular basis!! The Sloppy Joe’s are delish and I Loved learning about the use of soda which I will now incorporate in other recipes. Thank you!
These Sloppy Joes are the best I have ever had! So quick and easy to make too. I served them on toasted Hawaiian Rolls to add a little sweetness. Served Jenn’s fantastic Curried Roasted Carrots as a side dish for a total finger food dinner. Everyone at my football game night dinner begged for the recipes!! SCORE!
I’ve always made Sloppy Joes with white vinegar to give it some bite, but love this recipe without it! Adding baking soda to tenderize the beef was new to me – it worked great! I plan to try it with other beef dishes!
Thank you for your great ideas! I love receiving your recipes. It takes the boredom out of cooking!
I used to love Manwich Sauce for Sloppy Joe’s (I know, shoot me), but the last couple of times I used it, it seemed blah. I’m going to try this when I pick up some ground chuck at Coop this week. Will report back!
loved the sloppy joe recipe could not find smoked paprika so I just used the regular kind my family was okay wit that served it with citrus salad which was also very good. would make this again
Can you freeze this?
Yes, Cathy, it freezes nicely!