This is a classic Midwestern recipe for Sloppy Joe's sandwiches that is made with a simple homemade sloppy joe sauce, mixed with ground beef, onion and garlic. Makes a super quick and casual dinner.AKA: maid rite, tavern, manwich, or loose meat sandwichLISTEN TO THE AUDIO RECIPE WITH THE PLAYER BELOW.
Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onions until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
1 tablespoon oil, 1 cup yellow or white onion
Add the ground beef and garlic. Brown and crumble until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink.
1½ lb ground beef, 3 garlic cloves
Drain any excess fat before moving forward.
Sauce
In a bowl or large glass measuring cup add the sloppy joe sauce ingredients and whisk together.
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 3 tablespoon packed brown sugar, ½ cup (heaping) ketchup, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, pepper to taste
Pour over the ground beef mixture and stir to coat.
Simmer everything together over low heat for a few minutes to warm through.
Taste for seasoning, if you want it:saucier: add a little water, a small squirt of ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire. saltier: add a dash or two of Worcestershire and some more kosher salt. sweeter: add a little more brown sugar and maybe a tablespoon of water.tangier: add a little more mustard and or ketchup.
Serving
Pile about a ½ cup of Sloppy Joe mixture onto buns and serve. It is also great with dill pickle slices on top! (we like brioche buns or sesame seed buns the best)
Storing
Make ahead or store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat add a couple tablespoon of water and the sloppy joe mixture to a skillet over medium heat. Simmer and stir for about 4-5 minutes.
Freezing
Place in freezer safe container for up to 4 months.
To serve, thaw in the fridge overnight.
Then to reheat add a couple tablespoon of water and the sloppy joe mixture to a skillet over medium heat. Simmer and stir for about 4-5 minutes.
Video
Notes
Ground Turkey: you can absolutely use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Just make sure you purchase 1.5 lbs. of 93/7 ground turkey.Side Dish Ideas: this is a super casual dinner, so tater tots, fries or chips and a side of raw veggies with ranch dip is great! In the summer Sloppy Joe's are great with chips, a veggie pasta salad and corn on the cob.