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
I would try this again but cut-down the sauce and eliminate the brown sugar. It was too sweet. It needed something.. not sure what.
It was very enough and I was greatful it gave the option to increase ingredients, however I found it very bland. It just tasted like hamburger and tomato sauce. I may add more ingredients if I make it again, just not sure what.
Hi Karen, thank you for your feedback. Feel free to add moe seasoning according to your preference when you try this recipe again next time.
Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly (and no water) and loved not using ketchup.
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Is it a can of 8oz tomato sauce instead of 15oz?
Hi Misty! This recipe uses a 15oz can.
Good, but too bland for me. I need more flavor. Also, I would definitely drain the fat.
It says to drain off the fat in her notes
How much is the serving size specifically? Like number of oz or grams?
Hi Lindsey! Unfortunately the calculator
is not that specific (it’s computer generated). You can weigh the recipe on the food scale whe it’s done and divide that by 4 to get your serving size. I hope that helps.
This recipe finally got my husband to stop eating that premade can mess! I can’t stand it lol i made this recipe and he loved it. No more canned “dogfood” lol
That’s awesome! So glad to hear that.
Literally is the best Sloppy Joe recipe! so surprised it isn’t in the new cookbook. It’s my go Sloppy Joe recipe from now on!
So happy you’re enjoying the recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Loved this! Not overwhelmed with the sweet thickness of ketchup! It was a lighter sauce. Very nice!!
Very good. I did add some ketchup and tsp of vinegar. But if you do this didn’t add as much sugar in.
It was delicious, I never measure anything tho. Best one I ever made.
Delicious, thanks for sharing the recipe. My husband doesn’t normally like Sloppy Joes, but he loves this recipe.
I’m so glad he loved this recipe! You’re so welcome, Teri!
Can I use tomato paste instead of the tomato sauce?
Hi Ashleigh, I haven’t tried that substitutions, but one of my readers had and here’s what they said: “I served this over homemade cornbread with a light sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese, and my 9 year old loved it! I didn’t have tomato sauce on hand, so I used a small can of tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes. Super tasty!”. I hope that helps.
I would imagine using Tomato paste, or even marinara sauce, might just make it taste even better!
This sloppy Joe recipe has become a favorite at our house! We have it very often! Can’t beat it! Thank you Natasha! We also love your baked ziti, marinara sauce and your cream cheese danish! Oh so very good!
Hi Cathy! You are so very welcome. Thank you for sharing that.
This was delicious!!! Haven’t had sloppy joes in years! I used to always use the packet of mix but decided I don’t care for all the ingredients in it. This completely hit the spot. Thank you!
Making this again we loved it the 1st time. SO glad to have found a recipe without ketchup. Our ketchup is only available with high fructose corn syrup and I did not want to keep using that !
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Laurie!
I have made this recipe dozens of times and people RAVE over it every single time. Prize winner in my book!
I have been making your recipes for awhile now, and this is a childhood favorite for my husband!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
How can you sauté garlic after adding the tomato sauce? Steed garlic?
I imagine that may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
This recipe is missing ketchup. It’s rare to find a recipe by Natasha thay doesn’t completely hit the spot, but this one is not the best unfortunately. If you like a lightly flavored, not-so-sweet sloppy Joe, you might like this.
Missing that tang that ketchup gives sloppy joes their flavor. I always love your recipes but this one really needed ketchup. I have a few shots along with a few capfuls of apple cider.
Also needs a little more salt.
Ick – not everyone likes ketchup. This one was perfect.