These delicious family-friendly Homemade Sloppy Joes come together quickly using many ingredients that you may already have on hand. This is one of our favorite family go-to recipes and is perfect for busy weeknights. It is full of flavor from onions, bell pepper, garlic, and brown sugar in a tomat-based sauce. I love to serve them with potato chips, macaroni and cheese, or corn on the cob.
To me, the Sloppy Joe is as all-American as hot dogs and french fries. My family just loves these simple yet tasty Super Easy Family Friendly Sloppy Joes! They are the perfect blend of ingredients without being overly spicy or ridiculously bland. If you do like the heat then add a pinch of crushed red pepper, a pinch of cayenne, or even one teaspoon of sriracha.
The Sloppy Joe has been around since the 1950s. It came about as a variation on what used to be referred to as loose meat sandwiches. Legend has it that Joe, a cook at Floyd Angell’s cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, added tomato sauce to a loose meat sandwich and that was the start of what we now call the Sloppy Joe. Thanks, Joe! I appreciate your creativity and so does my family!!
How do you make Homemade Sloppy Joes?
Start by browning your ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook until the veggies are soft and the ground beef is no longer pink. Next, carefully drain any excess fat. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Now stir in the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce, and ketchup. Simmer the meat mixture for about 20 minutes over low heat. Serve over any soft roll or for a change of pace serve over cooked rice, egg noodles, or homemade pizza dough for sloppy joe pizza.
Can you make them in a crock pot?
Yes, you most certainly can! First simply brown your ground beef draining any excess fat. Then add it and the other ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- Use lean ground beef and drain any excess grease before adding the ingredients to the sauce.
- Ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork can be substituted for the ground beef.
- If the mixture seems to be a little drier than you like simply add a little more barbecue sauce and/or ketchup.
- Spoon over brioche buns, freshly baked hamburger buns, rice, or pasta.
- To spice up the taste add a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or 1 teaspoon of sriracha.
Put the ingredients on your shopping list today. Your family will be singing your praises!
More ground recipes to try!
Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
Delectable family friendly easy weeknight Homemade Sloppy Joes made with many common pantry ingredients. The recipe requires limited hands on time and is ready in under 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings
- Category: main meal beef
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 small green pepper finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup Kansas City style barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 8–10 soft hamburger buns
Instructions
- Over medium heat in a large skillet brown the ground beef. Drain any excess grease. Add the onion and pepper and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Add the cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and ketchup.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes and spoon onto buns.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef and drain any excess grease before adding the ingredients to the sauce.
- Ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork can be substituted for the ground beef.
- If the mixture seems to be a little drier than you like simply add a little more barbecue sauce and/or ketchup.
- Spoon over brioche buns, freshly baked hamburger buns, rice, or pasta.
- To spice up the taste add a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or 1 teaspoon of sriracha.
Keywords: family friendly, ground beef, hamburger, sloppy joe, how to make sloppy joes, best sloppy joe recipe, sloppy joe mix, sloppy joe sauce
This post was originally published on February 19, 2018, and was republished on March 19, 2020, with new content.
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