The Best Homemade Beef Sloppy Joes Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

How do you make sloppy joes taste better? ›

Add Veggies: Diced bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, or shredded carrot, can easily be added to this recipe and your kids won't even notice a difference. Hawaiian Sloppy Joes: Substitute more BBQ sauce for the ketchup and add 8 oz., drained crushed pineapple.

Sloppy Joes are the sandwich, while Manwich is the store-bought canned sloppy joe sauce, produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's.

Sloppy Joes are a classic American sandwich consisting of ground beef cooked in a sweet and tangy tomato-based sauce along with dice green pepper, onion and garlic. Enjoy on a bun with a side of pickles.

Sloppy Joe Tips

We suggest draining the browned beef, because excess grease serves as a barrier to sloppy joe seasonings. You'll want the beef to absorb these wonderful flavors as it cooks.

Proper "Sloppy Joe" is a mixture of ground beef, a touch of pork, tomato sauce, spices, a bit of Romano cheese and served over a plate of #9 spaghett. Sharp cheddar is probably the way to go, but I have on a few occasions topped sloppy joe's with blue cheese crumbles or Swiss cheese.

Many believe the Sloppy Joe is the namesake of a Sioux City, Iowa cook, who in 1930, combined the regionally popular loose meat sandwich with tomato sauce. It's less messy predecessor, the loose meat sandwich is a Midwestern favorite of steamed or sauteed ground beef, onions, mustard and pickles.

There are minor variations depending on the deli, but it is always a double-decker thin sliced rye bread sandwich made with one or more types of sliced deli meat, such as turkey, ham, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, or sliced beef tongue, along with Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing.

In general, we call for 1 pound of ground beef to make 6 sandwiches in our sloppy joes recipes. That works out to 3 ounces of ground beef per sandwich. Depending on the size of your bun and how meaty you like your sandwich, you can increase or decrease that amount an ounce or two either way.

Unlike traditional can Sloppy Joes, which are often loaded with unhealthy additives and preservatives, Sloppy Janes are made with lean meat, low-fat ingredients, and a variety of fresh vegetables. They are easy to make and require only a few simple ingredients.

What does sloppy joe mean in slang? ›

a man or youth whose appearance is habitually slovenly.

If it has any excess fat, this can be carefully drained off an edge or drain it all in a colander and place it back into the skillet. After all of the beef is nicely browned and totally dry, then you can season it with salt or other seasonings.

The secret to a great 'Sloppy Joe' is a thick, rich, almost dry consistency, which allows it to be eaten two-fisted, sans fork.

If you like Sloppy Joes a little less sweet, you can reduce the brown sugar to 1 teaspoon. If you keep the mustard at 2 teaspoons, the result will be a tangier Sloppy Joe.

How to Thicken Sloppy Joes. If you follow this homemade Sloppy Joe recipe, you should have the perfect consistency, but if it comes out too watery, try adding a small slurry of cornstarch with water. That should thicken it right up!

Cook beef in large skillet over medium-high heat 7 minutes or until crumbled and no longer pink, stirring occasionally; drain. Stir in Sloppy Joe sauce; heat through.