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Homemade Sloppy Joes

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Sloppy Joe Sandwich on a plate

I loved sloppy joes as a kid but I don’t know if my mom made the filling with a canned sauce, a sauce packet or from scratch. I tried the canned sloppy joe sauce once and it tasted terrible to me, so I knew I had to figure out a homemade sloppy joes recipe.

I tried making up recipes a couple of times with mild success, but they just didn’t taste quite right to me. I eventually gave up and didn’t think much about it for the last year or two.

Recently I’ve run across a couple of homemade sloppy joe recipes that made me want to try again. The first was at a food blog called Something So Clever (blog is no longer available). The photo is what made me start craving them again.

Then I saw another recipe in a Real Simple cookbook. I don’t own the book but was able to browse through it online and saw the sloppy joe recipe. My version is loosely based on the Real Simple version, but I added some ketchup and brown sugar to make a slightly sweet sloppy joe sauce.

I Hope you enjoy this homemade sloppy joe recipe as much as we did. It really hit the spot and took me right back to my childhood.

Sloppy Joe Sandwich on a plate

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Sloppy Joe Sandwich on a plate

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  1. Saute onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil until softened.
  2. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain fat.
  3. Add all other ingredients to the ground beef mixture and cook, stirring, over low heat for a few minutes until thickened. Add more water if it gets too thick.
  4. Serve in hamburger buns and make a mess!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 424Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 813mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 32g
© Nicole Cross

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Curt says

    If you've never tried it, next time you make sloppy joes, put plain potato chips on the sandwich, too... It adds a texture that's irresistable!
    Reply

  3. httpmom says

    Thank you so much for this recipe. My daughter loves sloppy joes and for some reason (who coulda guessed) I was unable to find a decent one...so I gave up...until this came so lovingly free in my email! It's just right!
    Reply

  4. Steff says

    My boys love sloppy joes...manwich...ewe...I do not... Now we all love this healthier version much better! Thank you!!
    Reply

  5. Stacey says

    Thanks for the recipe. Will be trying this real soon. I know what you mean about the canned stuff, like Manwich and some others. They're absolutely vile. I usually end up using about a half bottle of barbecue sauce to try and cover up their taste. Of course, Spagetti-O's have been in business for ages, and they're not particularly tasty, either. --Cinnamon in this, how unusual.
    Reply

  8. Mark says

    Love this sloppy Joe.It was funny that Stacey brought up spagetti o's . I cant see how people can open up a can of that stuff and still be breathing.The rancid sauce alone would knock a prize fighter out.Anyway good sloppy joe.
    Reply

  9. Egg says

    Awsome recipe and very simple to prepare, I've even got the kids in my corner when it comes to who makes them =P Yeah my wife is a lill peved
    Reply

  10. wm1 says

    I love sloppy joes! I did not have cumin or the chili pepper; so I used a "seriously great taco" blend I got online at Juliet Mae Spices. It has four different chili peppers and the cumin plus some other spices. Fantastic sloppy joes! Maybe because I reinvented the recipe I think it is the "Best Ever", but try and see if I lie...
    Reply

  11. therbs says

    made this and i loved it. both on plain buns and the way i love my "joes" with hoffmans super sharp cheese melted on the bun and hamburger (sweet) pickle chips, and some extra mustard.
    Reply

  12. andi says

    I made these sloppy Joes tonight and they are very tasty. Have a little bit of a bite and a keeper of a recipe for me. Thank you
    Reply

  15. Evi says

    I tried this out- with some changes, and mainly rather than using ground beef I used the MorningStar crumbles- turned out delicious! Definitely better than the stuff from a can!
    Reply

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