Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe

Most of us remember the messy, lick-your-fingers dish of Sloppy Joe sandwiches mom would make! She would create this family-friendly meal by cooking burger in a skillet, opening a can of “sloppy sauce”, putting that sloppy joe mixture on hamburger buns, and voila, dinner was served. 

This budget-friendly meal is perfect for busy weeknights when you don't have a lot of extra time to put together a complex dinner.

Which is Better: Homemade Sloppy Sauce or canned sauce?

For me, there is no contest when it comes to homemade Sloppy Joe sauce. Don't get me wrong, I grew up on the canned Manwich sauce as a kid. When I learned how super easy it is to make this classic sandwich with homemade sauce, it changed my view forever. 

Homemade sauce is really very easy and it tastes SO MUCH BETTER!

Start with a base of ketchup and BBQ sauce and add a few more ingredients like mustard and vinegar to give that classic tang, and brown sugar for a little sweetness.

Don't worry if you see an ingredient that you normally don't like; once they all come together, you will see they create a delicious meaty sauce.

What you will need to make classic sloppy joes

Simple tools and ingredients are all you need to make this American classic!

• Large skillet
• Wooden spoon
• Medium Bowl
• Knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

• Ground Beef
• onion, diced
• Ketchup
• Barbecue Sauce
• yellow mustard
• white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• Worcestershire sauce
• can tomato sauce
• brown sugar
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper

How to make this easy meal

Over medium high heat, brown ground meat and onion until cooked through. If you have excess grease, carefully remove it with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining sauce ingredients.

Pour the sauce mixture over the cooked meat mixture and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until thickened.

Serve sloppy joe meat on hamburger buns or if you want to make it into smaller sandwiches, use potato dinner rolls.

Substitution Ideas:

If you do not have or do not want to use lean ground beef, you can substitute with lentils for a lentil sloppy joes dish, or try ground turkey or ground chicken.

Awesome side dishes for sloppy joes

These are some of our favorite sides to serve with this comfort food dish.

• Tater Tots or French Fries– cook in an air fryer while your sloppy joe filling is cooking or make a comforting taco tater tot casserole!
• Cole Slaw- try our super tasty broccoli slaw– it is a great recipe and just as simple to put together as this easy sloppy joe recipe.
• Sweet Potatoes are also a nice side to enjoy. Roast potato cubes in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes with a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder, or make our shredded sweet potatoes.
• Salad- A nice mixed green salad is always a family favorite in our house.
• Potato Chips- simple and delicious.

This is one of my favorite ground beef recipes and the best recipe for a homemade dinner in less than 30 minutes! When your day has been a hectic one, the kids’ schedules are full of practice or homework, then pull out this recipe for the best homemade Sloppy Joes.

Other recipes you may enjoy:

• Easy Homemade Empanadas
• The Best Veal Meatballs
• Easy Stuffed Peppers