Homemade Sloppy Joes

About This Recipe

The Sloppy Joe is the most democratic of American sandwiches — messy, unpretentious, intensely savory-sweet ground beef in a thick tomato sauce, piled generously onto a soft bun and eaten with both hands and a stack of napkins. It is school cafeteria food and church basement food and weeknight family dinner food, and it has been feeding Americans since at least the 1930s with glorious efficiency. Made from scratch rather than from a can of Manwich, sloppy joes reveal their true potential: the sauce is a deeply flavored combination of tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and a touch of apple cider vinegar that achieves a balance of sweet, tangy and savory that is startlingly addictive. A little smoked paprika adds depth; a diced green pepper adds color and texture. The meat should be well-browned before the sauce goes in — fond matters here. The brioche bun is an upgrade worth making, as is toasting it lightly in butter before loading it up. Serve with kettle chips, pickled jalapeños and extra napkins. This is weeknight cooking at its fastest and most satisfying — ready in 30 minutes, loved by children and adults alike, and absolutely devastating in the best possible way.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1½ lbs80/20 ground beef
• 1 mediumyellow onion(finely diced)
• 1green bell pepper(finely diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 3 tbsptomato paste
• ½ cupketchup
• ¼ cupbeef broth
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• 2 tbspbrown sugar
• 1 tbspapple cider vinegar
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• ½ tspdry mustard
• salt and black pepper(to taste)
• 6brioche or potato buns(toasted in butter)

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the beef

   Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until well browned, about 7 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the pan.

   Let the beef develop real color — browned bits equal flavor.

2. 2

   Sauté aromatics

   Add onion and bell pepper. Cook 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook 2 minutes until paste darkens slightly.

3. 3

   Build the sauce

   Add ketchup, broth, Worcestershire, brown sugar, vinegar, paprika and mustard. Stir well. Simmer uncovered 10–12 minutes until thickened to a loose, saucy consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

4. 4

   Serve

   Toast buttered buns cut-side down in a skillet until golden. Pile sloppy joe mixture generously onto buns. Serve immediately with chips and pickles.

Variations

• •

  Turkey Sloppy Joes: substitute ground turkey for a leaner option.

• •

  Lentil Sloppy Joes: use cooked green or brown lentils for a vegetarian version.

• •

  Spicy Sloppy Joes: add 1–2 teaspoons of chipotle in adobo sauce for a smoky kick.

Storage

Refrigerate meat filling up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of broth. Freeze up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions