Saucy, beefy, and so satisfying. We’re convinced this is the BEST recipe for a homemade Sloppy Joe. Ground beef in a hearty tomato sauce served on toasted hamburger buns is a great idea for lunch or dinner. Everyone needs a great and nostalgic recipe for Sloppy Joes and THIS. IS. IT.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Soooo yummy! Took me years to find a sloppy joe recipe like the one I remember from childhood. This is it. Thank you!” – Kathy ★★★★★
This delicious Sloppy Joe recipe is a simple and inexpensive way to make a budget-friendly family dinner. The tender and juicy ground beef is sautéed with green peppers and onions, then cooked in a hearty and flavorful tomato sauce – it’s hard to stop at just one sandwich, which is why I often double the recipe.
Having some go-to ground beef recipes, such as Cheeseburger Sliders, Taco Salad, or Sloppy Joes, will make dinner time a breeze. If you have some ground beef in the freezer and need an easy meal idea, this is a must-try.
Sloppy Joes Video
This is one of my children’s favorite recipes – it’s so satisfying, and they both agree it’s better than any other sloppy joe they have tried. I just love that my son helped me cook it in the video, and my daughter got in on the taste test because these sandwiches are irresistible.
Ingredients for the Best Sloppy Joes
- Ground Beef – use lean ground beef (85-90% lean). If using a higher fat content, you will need to skim off the extra fat once the beef is cooked so you don’t end up with greasy sloppy joes. You can sub the beef with ground chicken or turkey if you prefer.
- Bell pepper – we used green, but you can substitute a different color in a pinch. If you like things spicy, add some jalapenos along with the green peppers. If you aren’t a fan of bell pepper, you can substitute 1 grated carrot (about 1/2 cup).
- Onion & Garlic – these aromatics add great flavor and disappear into the sauce, so picky eaters won’t complain.
- Homemade Sauce – just a few simple pantry ingredients will make a sauce that’s better than any store-bought sauce. The combination of tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire hits all the right flavor notes: sweet, savory, and tangy.
How to Make Sloppy Joes
- Make sauce – In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, and brown sugar.
Natasha’s tip if you love it spicy
If you prefer a spicy Sloppy Joes, add some hot sauce or sriracha to the sauce.
- Saute beef – In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break up as it is being cooked. Season with salt and pepper. If you see extra fat on the bottom, tilt the pan and spoon it out.
- Sautee veggies – Add in the finely chopped onion and green pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add sauce – Pour in the sauce and once it comes to a light boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed (see the Sloppy Joe Tasting Guide below to adjust to your taste preferences easily).
- Serve – I highly recommend buttering the buns and toasting them in a skillet for another layer of flavor. Spoon the saucy beef mixture on toasted buns and serve as sandwiches.
To Serve
There are so many different ways to enjoy a sloppy joe. You’ll want to try them all:
- Classic – Serve this with toasted hamburger buns for the classic sloppy joe recipe.
- Grilled Cheese – Add the meat mixture when making a Grilled Cheese for a hearty sandwich.
- Pizza – Add on homemade overnight pizza dough and top with cheese for a sloppy joe pizza.
- Loaded fries– There is nothing better than loaded fries, top your air fryer French fries with cheese and sloppy joe filling.
- Chili dogs – Add the meat sauce to your hot dogs.
- Baked potato – Take a loaded air fryer baked potato to the next level by topping it with this meat sauce.
Can I make Sloppy Joes in a slow cooker?
These EASY sloppy joes are GREAT to make in the crockpot. Once the meat is browned on a skillet, just add it along with all the other ingredients into the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
What is the difference between a Sloppy Joe and a Manwich?
This sloppy joe recipe is homemade and made from scratch. Manwich is a pre-made, store-bought sauce used to make sloppy joes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Refrigerating – Let the meat sauce cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing – Once the mixture is cooled, add to freezer-friendly containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating – A general rule of thumb is that it’s best to reheat a recipe the same way it was cooked. Warm the meat sauce on the stovetop in a skillet or saucepan until hot. You can microwave, but use a microwave shield to catch messy splatter.
There’s no match for a warm homemade sandwich, from Hamburgers to my famous Philly Cheesesteak. This Sloppy Joe Recipe is definitely at the top of my list. What is your favorite sandwich? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup*
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard, or to taste
- 2-3 tsp brown sugar, or to taste*
For the Sloppy Joes
- 1 Tbsp extra light olive oil, or any high-heat cooking oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef, 85%-90% lean
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced, or use 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
Instructions
- Make the Sauce – In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and brown sugar, and set it aside.
- Cook the Beef – Place a large skillet or dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add olive oil and ground beef. Saute the beef for about 5 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula. If you see extra fat on the bottom, tilt the pan and spoon it out or blot it up with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add vegetables – Stir in the diced peppers and onion. Cook another 5 minutes until the veggies are tender and beef is browned. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Add the sauce and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes or until thickened to your liking. Adjust the seasoning taste* and add water if you prefer a looser consistency. Serve on toasted buns for Sloppy Joe Sandwiches.
Notes
- Too sweet? Add a pinch of salt or 1/ 2 tsp apple-cider vinegar
- Too Tangy? Add 1/2 tsp brown sugar or a drizzle of ketchup
- Too Tomato-y? Simmer an extra 5 min to concentrate flavors and caramelize sugars.
- Missing depth? Add extra Worcestershire.
- Too loose? Simmer uncovered 3-5 minutes to thicken
- Too thick? Add a splash of water
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Love Ground Beef Recipes? Try these:
- Slow Cooker Beef Chili
- Meatloaf
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Bolognese Sauce
- Lasagna
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
Made for a house of 24, so I multiplied the ingredients by about 6. I’ve never made sloppy Joe sauce before, and I only had crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes, so I was worried it wouldn’t come out well. I kept adding mustard, Worcestershire, and brown sugar until the sauce tasted ready. Definitely needed extra so the sauce didn’t taste like plain tomato sauce. The fresh garlic really helped. I was shocked how delicious this was, and everyone seems to like it so far. Definitely a great recipe, tastes better than the can of sloppy Joe sauce.
Wow! That’s quite a few mouths to feed! I’m so glad it was a hit, Brady!
I am an Italian that makes homemade sauce. Could I use my own sauce which is seasoned in this recipe? Has salt, pepper, onions, garlic, red peppers, basil all cooked and jarred.
Hi MCF, I always recommend making the recipe as written the first time around to get a better understanding of the full flavor profile and then adjusting it to your liking. That combinations sounds wonderful though, if you do use it, I would love to know how you like it.
Sounds good, but I’ll stick to my family recipe 😉
Half the ingredients, less time, tastes great.
Thank you for sharing that with me, I hope you still give our version a try!
Please share your recipe then? Something brief.
I don’t understand this comment. If your recipe is so much better than this, then why are you looking up other people’s sloppy joe recipes? Just to say yours is better and not share it?
A good starting point, but I had to add about 4 times the amount of spices and seasonings plus a few others to make it not taste like just plain tomato sauce from a can.
I’ve been using this recipe for a while after eating all natural. This is an easy and delicious way to provide a healthy home cooked quick food to substitute for the high fructose stuff we grew up on. Now regrets! It’s so easy to follow, my husband can do it! Thank you for sharing.
You’re so very welcome!
This sloppy joe recipe is 5 stars. It was easy to make and it taste delicious. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
My family loves this recipe! We have several other recipes of Natasha‘s that we have made and we love all of them! 😊
That is the best when the family love what we moms make. That’s so great!
I have made many of your recipes and had twick a few and having tonight your chicken stir fry. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Robin!
Add a little ketchup and little Worcestershire and then perfect
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
It does call for Worcestershire sauce in the recipe, but I definitely had to add some extra!
Made this tonight exactly as described. Everyone loved it better than the canned stuff. I will be making this again!!
We loved this recipe. It’s so simple, quick, and delicious and I made it with the family’s homemade tomato sauce. 100% making this again.
My picky husband and son couldn’t eat it fast enough. Permanent staple now. Thanks!
I made this recipe with my homemade sourdough buns, and tater tots as a side… totally delicious!!! Tastes just like the ole manwich5 stars!!
Love this recipe. Easy and tastes just like I remember from years ago. Thanks!
I love this recipe for Sloppy Joe’s, it is my go to recipe for a quick dinner. Thank you for sharing.
Turned out great! I used a 4 cheese tomatoe sauce which I think amped up the flavor 🙂 I’ve been following your recipes for over a year now and my family loves them so thank you.
Thànk you for the recipe it was quick and easy and tasted really good. My son wanted to cook it so I let him. Turned out very good
Wonderful Sloppy Joe sauce! Not too sweet.
Very good recipe and l like it to the letter. Thank You very much.
Tried your sloppy Joe recipe it was delicious I will eat it again