Delicious, sweet and very hearty, these homemade sloppy joes are truly the best. They are a fun twist on your average burger with a ketchup sauce your kids will adore.
These are truly the best homemade sloppy joes! The sauce is slightly sweet but not overwhelming and it only has four ingredients, aside from salt and pepper.Â
The key is to keep it simple and we have definitely achieved that here. The onions and garlic in the meat are nice-to-haves so if you don’t feel like chopping skip them altogether.Â
On the other hand, this recipe can easily load up your family with veggies. Â We suggest a few options below as to which veggies are best.Â
Preparing Homemade Sloppy Joes
IngredientsÂ
Meat
Lean ground beef: Ground beef can come from many parts of the cow so if you have a preference make sure to read the label. It is usually made from the trimmings of other, larger cuts of beef and is then ground.
Bakery
Brioche buns: Brioche is a French bread usually identifiable by its dark crust. It’s a fluffy bread that can is often eaten at breakfast due to its pasty-like consistency. The use of extra eggs and butter gives these buns the perfect fluffy texture and rich flavour.
Produce
Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more. This is important to know because recipes will often call for a specific number of cloves which can vary in size greatly.
Pantry
Passata: Passata is strained tomatoes which has the consistency of tomato sauce. Once cooked down it thickens slightly but not too much as it doesn’t have too much excess liquid.Â
Ketchup: Ketchup is the default condiment in America but variations are seen all over the world. It actually has roots in Chinese cooking where tomatoes were not even an ingredient. Over the years, it has morphed into what we know today to be a red, sweet and slightly tangy sauce or dip.Â
Worcestershire sauce: This sauce is a complex mix of flavours that turn into a deep pungent and deep condiment. It’s made up of ingredients that include soy, anchovy, malt vinegar, chilies, and tamarind, among others.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar is a mixture of white sugar and molasses. Molasses is responsible for the darker colour. We use dark brown sugar for this recipe but any brown sugar will do.
How to Make The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes
This recipe is simple so there isn’t much prep work with these homemade Sloppy Joes. We can do the prep as we cook to save time.
Start by adding the ground beef to a pan and break it up using a spatula. Brown on medium heat.Â
While the meat cooks, peel and dice the onion and peel the garlic.
NOTE: You can add other vegetables to the sloppy joes as well. Add finely diced mushrooms, bell peppers, or grated carrots for some extra nutrients.
Next, make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. This is why these are the best homemade sloppy joes. The sauce is simple with just four ingredients.Â
Stir until fully combined and the sugar is dissolved.
Once the meat is browned, add the onions to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
Then press in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
The last step is to add the sauce, which of course is the most important part. Add the sauce to the pan and stir to evenly coat the meat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid. Â Cook for 8-10 minutes depending on how saucy you like it. Cook for a shorter time to make it saucier. Stir the meat occasionally while it cooks to prevent burning.
Before the meat is cooked, butter the inside of each bun and toast on a hot pan for a couple of minutes, buttered side down.
TIP: You can also cheat and toast these in the toaster on the bagel setting.
Once the buns are toasted and the meat sauce has reached your desired consistency you’re ready to serve.
Substitutions
Lean ground beef: You can use other ground meat instead of beef. However, lean ground beef is fattier than others so you may want to add some oil when frying the meat and/or more sauce.
Serving Sloppy Joes
Sloppy joes are traditionally eaten in sandwich form, that is, in a bun. Try it on a brioche bun with some pickles or top the sloppy joe with fresh coleslaw.
Make these sloppy joes on mini-buns to make them even more appealing to your kiddos. We actually call these burgers in ketchup sauce as a way to entice our ketchup-loving toddlers.
Though this is a great way to enjoy this simple dish it’s not the only way.
Try making a delicious sloppy joe bowl. Add rice, sloppy joes, pickles, pickles veggies, shredded lettuce and hot peppers to a bowl.
Another delicious way to enjoy sloppy joes is to make loaded fries. Think taco bell fries supreme but with sloppy joes instead. You won’t regret it!!
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.Â
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 6 brioche buns
- 1 tbsp butter for buns
- â…“ cup onion (1/4 of an onion)
- 1 tsp garlic (1 large clove)
Sauce:
- ½ cup passata
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Optional Additions:
- Mushrooms
- bell pepper
- Carrots
Instructions
- Add the beef to a pan and break up using a spatula. Brown on medium heat.1 lb lean ground beef
- While the meat cooks, peel and dice the onion and peel the garlic.1 tsp garlic, 1/3 cup onion
- Next, make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until fully combined and the sugar is dissolved.½ cup passata, ¼ cup ketchup, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
- Once the meat is browned, add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. If you are adding any other vegetables, this is the time to add them diced to the pan.1/3 cup onion, Mushrooms, bell pepper, Carrots
- Then press in the garlic and cook for another minute.1 tsp garlic
- Finally, add the sauce and stir to coat all the meat evenly. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes depending on how saucy you like it. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Butter the inside of each bun and toast on a pan for a couple of minutes, buttered side down. You can cheat and toast these in the toaster on the bagel setting.1 tbsp butter for buns, 6 brioche buns
- Top the buns with sloppy joes and add your favourite toppings. I like to keep it simple with some pickle slices or banana peppers.
