Homemade Sloppy Joes

I love Sloppy Joes, it’s a dinner that I ate a lot growing up in Iowa. It is a common recipe, sometimes called a Maid Rite if you’re from the midwest, yet it varies widely from home to home.

At my house a Sloppy Joe is ground beef and onions with a savory and tangy sauce that has a hint of sweetness. Most of the ingredients are probably in the door of your fridge right now.

The best part is it all gets heaped onto a bun- super casual, super messy, and super tasty!

Make Homemade Sloppy Joes Your Own

Of course I think this recipe is perfect just the way it is. But, here are a few ideas to change it up to suit your taste buds:

• Lighten things up by using ground turkey instead of ground beef.
• Want just a hint of BBQ flavor? Reduce the ketchup to ¼ cup and add a ¼ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce.
• If you like spice you could add a few pinches of red pepper flakes with the onion and garlic.
• Sometime (always) I like to eat mine with hamburger dill chips…. it made my mouth water just to type that- HA!
• Melt a slice of provolone or american cheese over the top.

Homemade Sloppy Joes for Dinner

This is really a casual dinner… and a messy one, but I love it! We usually serve this diner style with tater tots, fries, or chips and some raw veggies with dip.

If you want to fancy it up a bit you could serve these delicious Parmesan Truffle Fries from Lauren at Hunger Thirst Play.

In the summer Sloppy Joes go great with a cold pasta salad, corn on the cob, and my chocolate cake for dessert.

Whatever you serve on the side just make sure to have A LOT of napkins!

Sloppy Joes + Pickles = True Love Forever

I decided to have lunch and a photo shoot at the same time! I couldn’t help it – as soon as I got the pickles out it was over!

Now this is how you eat a Sloppy Joe:

I hope you give my Homemade Sloppy Joe recipe a try in your kitchen!

Love, Susie

Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are a classic recipe that is made of ground beef mixed with a sweet, tangy, and savory sauce. Pile the Sloppy Joe filling high on a bun, add some pickles and dinner is ready! 

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6 people

Author: Susie Weinrich

Ingredients

• ▢ 1½ lb ground beef
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ 1 cup yellow onion finely diced
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ ½ heaping cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ pepper to taste

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Instructions

• Add the oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the ground beef, crumbling, until cooked thru, about 7 minutes.
• Drain the fat off of the cooked beef and set aside.
• In the same skillet, over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and saute, until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the beef back to the onions and stir to combine.
• Over low heat add the worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir to distribute the sauce evenly.
• Pile high onto buns and serve. (we like brioche buns the best)

Notes:

If you are making this ahead and reheating you will need to add a few tablespoon of water. It will help loosen up the mixture and redistribute the sauce.

Did you try this recipe? Connect with me & let me know how it turned out by commenting below!

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If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.