Name: Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 large onion, about 1 cup chopped; 1 bell pepper, about ¾ cup chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 - 6oz can tomato paste; 1/2 cup tomato ketchup; 1 teaspoon brown sugar; 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon Chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 4 hamburger buns; Red pepper flakes, optional; Hot sauce, optional

Sloppy joes are a staple weeknight meal. Growing up, my mom would open up a can of store-bought sloppy joe sauce, add it to cooked ground beef, and serve it on a hamburger bun. Today, I serve up these delicious homemade sloppy joes. This is a super easy recipe that cooks up in less than 30 minutes at home. Bonus- Plus it is a great camping meal too!!

sloppy joe on a blue plate with side of broccoli

Sloppy Joes Recipe – Easy Weeknight Meal

Start to finish, these sloppy joes take about 30 minutes to cook making them a great weeknight dinner idea. I use ketchup in this recipe for a closer copycat recipe of the Manwich Sloppy Joes. But you can also use plain tomato sauce for a less sweet version or your favorite barbecue sauce. Honestly, we use a spicy Texas-style barbecue sauce more often than ketchup. If you want to try something different, try it and let me know which you prefer.

Great Sides for Sloppy Joes

Mom’s Potato Salad with Egg
Steamed Broccoli
Oven-Baked Potato Wedges
Brussel Sprouts Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing
Celery, Apple, Walnut Salad

Make-Ahead Meal Idea

If you do batch cooking, this is a great recipe for families. You can make everything ahead of time and freeze smaller portions. It’s that same reasoning that makes it a great make-ahead camping meal too. You can prep and cook everything at home and then just reheat at the campsite.

How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes

1. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, crumbling as it cooks. It will still be pink.

2. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to meat and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Ground beef will be cooked through.

3. Add in tomato paste, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, chili powder, salt, and pepper into meat mixture. Stir well. Add ½ cup water to thin out sauce to desired consistency.

tomato based sauce cooking in skillet on portable stove — Great recipe for camping – GSI Outdoors Selkirk 540 Camping Stove Shown

4. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and allow the sloppy joe sauce to simmer for 10 minutes allowing all the flavors to blend. You may have to add more water as you cook the sloppy joe meat sauce.

5. Heat hamburger buns and top with sloppy joe sauce with peppers and onions. Feel free to serve with red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce.

Yield: 4

Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe

These are the best sloppy joes ready in under 30 minutes. Enjoy the classic recipe homemade in a skillet. Made with ground beef or turkey and a sweet tomato-based sauce. Easy enough to batch cook and freeze to enjoy as needed.

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, about 1 cup chopped
1 bell pepper, about ¾ cup chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 - 6oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 hamburger buns
Red pepper flakes, optional
Hot sauce, optional

Instructions

Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, crumbling as it cooks. It will still be pink.
Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to meat and cook until soft, about 10 minutes
Add in tomato paste, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, chili powder, salt, and pepper into meat mixture. Stir well. Add ½ cup water to thin out sauce to desired consistency.
Reduce heat to medium-low heat and allow the sloppy joe sauce to simmer for 10 minutes allowing all the flavors to blend. You may have to add more water as you cook the sloppy joe meat sauce.
Heat hamburger buns and top with sloppy joe sauce with peppers and onions. Feel free to serve with red pepper flakes or your favorite

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 555Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 1068mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 5gSugar: 20gProtein: 39g

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