Sloppy Joe’s are a classic loose meat sandwich, also known as a “Manwich”. Ground beef, tomato sauce and a little tart vinegar gives this sandwich filling a tangy and sweet flavor. It’s much better than that stuff you find in the can. This is truly one of my husband’s favorite dinners! Best of all, it’s ready in 30 minutes!
The seasoning ingredients are, most likely, right in your pantry. For you “Rachael Ray fans”, you know that she’s a fan of big Montreal Steak Seasoning; I have to admit, I’ve grown pretty fond of it as well. You’ll also need brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. A little bit of red wine vinegar gives a nice balance of sweet and savory.
You’ll need chopped onion and red bell pepper (my favorite part, and lots of pretty color, too)
Tomato sauce and tomato paste gives a rich, red color to the mixture.
You can have the sauce ready in less than 20 minutes
I find that using an ice cream scoop makes serving these a little easier.
There is no delicate way to eat these, either. Just grab it, take a bite and lean over your plate. Now that I’m “adulting” I keep a spoon close by, to scoop up any filling!
TASTING NOTES: The meat filling is a little tangy from the vinegar, just a tad sweet from the brown sugar. The bell peppers give an extra layer of flavor. I’m sure I’ll be making this recipe for many years to come!
NOTE: This recipe was originally posted in 2010, with photos from my old point-and-shoot. It was time to update the photos but the recipe is still the same.
Homemade Easy Super Sloppy Joe’s
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 turn of the pan
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons steak seasoning blend to 1 tablespoon , such McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper chopped
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 crusty rolls split, toasted, and lightly buttered
- Garnish: sliced ripe tomatoes optional
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add oil and meat to the pan.
- Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up.
- Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine.
- When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops.
Nutrition
I love, love, love sloppy joe’s – yours look really juicy and deliciious.
I wonder why the beef version is called a “Joe?” Ahh, too much thinking for a Friday! 🙂 I love sloppy joes!! Especially with lots of mayo on the bun.
DEBBY!! I love RRs sloppy Joes. Have you ever tried her Bacon Sloppy Joes? Those are the ones I make all the time for my FFH. And his co-workers. I have the same pan as you.. I LOVE it! So convenient. Her stove top stuffed peppers are so delicious also. Flled with ground beef, peas, fresh mozzarealla, more! YUM! I have to try those sweet potato fries. My husband loves them and I have yet to make them.. I’m going to do them your way. Do you have a follow button? I can’t find one on your site? That way its easy to get all your new posts?
Bacon Sloppy Joe !!! Wow! Can this meal get any better?
Pam– I drool at your recipes all the time.
CWB- mayo on Sloppy Joe’s. Hmmmm, never thought of that. I’ll bet my boys would like that!
Donna – thanks for the FOLLOWERS question. I rearranged my blog. I think I had that too far at the bottom. Hope this works.
Debby
I bet this pleases everyone Debby. A great comfort feel-good kind of sandwich.
Sam
Hey Debby, I haven't had a Sloppy Joe in years that his post made me so hungry! Thanks for reminding me of one of my favorite foods when I was growing up! Great post!
Hello, Debby. I’ve never eaten homemade sloppy joe, just the canned version. So when I saw your recipe, it inspired me to make it. I used all the ingredients you recommended and the finished product was extraordinarily tasty and satisfying. It was hearty, slightly sweet, while still leaving a tangy aftertaste, And the grilled kaiser roll was the perfect vessel to hold it in. Thanks so much for this recipe. I couldn’t be more pleased with it. I hope you and your family are managing well during this difficult time. Please stay safe.
Thank you so much for the great review! I’ve been making this recipe for years! Of all the gourmet meals I’ve made for my husband, this is the one he still looks forward to, the most. It’s fool-proof, isn’t it! Wishing you good health. We are in this together. Blessings!
So tried another recipe tonight. Had some extra ground beef so decided to make something that would make the HANGRY Man Happy. Well this certainly did the trick. Super easy and just as delicious. I was impressed with the ease he was impressed with the taste. Thanks for hitting another one outta the park Debby!!!
Thank you James! It’s definitely a manwich, only from scratch. Thanks for stopping by!