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My sloppy Joes recipe is different from most. They are made with a four-cheese pasta sauce and served with garlic-toasted buns and shredded cheddar cheese, which, in my opinion, makes them the best recipe around! The pasta sauce really adds flavor to them, and you can’t go wrong with adding cheese to a recipe.
Karlynn’s Recipe Rundown: The Best Sloppy Joes
- This sloppy joes recipe can be easily customized to your family’s tastes and preferences. Even though it’s traditional, my family doesn’t like green peppers in mine, so I leave them out.
- You can eat them like I do – I take a bun and eat the topping on one piece of the bun with a fork and knife, or you can do it like Mike and make the sandwich.
Ingredient Tips You Need to Know
- Pasta Sauce: Using this instead of traditional tomato sauce adds flavor to the dish. You can also use tomato sauce if that’s all you have.
- Toasted Garlic Buns: These add a crunch and flavor that shouldn’t be missed.
- Seasoning salt: This adds savory notes to the dish instead of just salt.
- Ketchup: The sweetness from ketchup helps balance the acidity of the dish
- Cheese: You won’t return to plain sloppy Joes after trying them with cheese. You can use any cheese that you enjoy.
Vegetarian Sloppy Joes Options
You can use vegetarian ingredients to make sloppy joes! Instead of ground meat, try:
- Chopped up and cooked mushrooms
- Cooked lentils
- Crumbled/chopped up tofu or seitan
- Vegetarian burger patties – chop them up and cook
Quick Recipe Summary: How to Make Sloppy Joes
- Place ground beef in the bottom of a large, deep skillet.
- Fry until brown, drain most of the grease, then add the onions.
- Saute the onions and green pepper until soft, then add garlic.
- Saute for 2 minutes, then add in the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir, simmering on medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Serve on top of hamburger buns, topped with cheese if desired.
Karlynn’s Cooking Tips For Success
- Sloppy Joes shouldn’t be chili. They don’t need beans, mushrooms, vegetables (other than green pepper!), or anything fancy. We leave out the traditional green pepper.
- If you want, ground turkey would also be amazing if you don’t eat red meat.
- To be the best, sloppy Joes need copious amounts of fresh minced garlic, onions, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and seasoning salt.
- Add a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity.
How to Make Sloppy Joes in the Slow Cooker
Making sloppy joes in the slow cooker is so easy!
- Place the ground beef in the bottom of a large, deep skillet. Fry until brown, drain most of the grease, then add the onions.
- Saute the onions and green pepper until soft, then add the garlic. Saute for 2 minutes, then place in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Set on low and cook all day, 8-9 hours.
- Serve on top of garlic toasted hamburger buns, topped with cheese if desired.
Salads to Serve with Sloppy Joes
You will want to serve this along with a vegetable-loaded salad, like my Greek salad, cucumber salad, or my homemade Caesar salad. You can even make a marinated vegetable salad, that 70’s classic is always a hit!
Storage and Reheating Methods
Refrigerate the sloppy Joe mixture: Store the ground beef sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to freeze the sloppy Joe mixture: After you have cooked the sloppy Joes, place the ground beef sauce in a large freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze it in your deep freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the ground beef mixture: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a small pot until the ground beef sauce is bubbling and hot all the way through.
So, who’s a sloppy Joe lover? I’ve been converted; honestly, I’ve never been a fan. These, though, are seriously fantastic, and that’s because I’ve tailored them to my taste.
But now I am going to ask you a question:
Topless or topped sloppy joes?
Mike and I argued about this. I like it topless with melted cheese on top, and you eat it with a knife and fork. He says to put a bun on it and eat it with your hands.
What do YOU say? Topless or topped?
Happy Cooking!
Love,,
Karlynn
Sloppy Joes Recipe – The Best Ever!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 whole green pepper deseeded then finely chopped
- 2 cups 4 cheese pasta sauce tomato sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt to taste
- granulated sugar add to taste
Garlic Buns
- 4-6 hamburger buns
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- shredded cheddar cheese to top
Instructions
Prepare the sloppy Joe mixture
- Place the ground beef in the bottom of a large, deep skillet. Add in the onions and saute over medium-high heat. If desired, add the diced red or green pepper at this point.
- Sauté until the beef is cooked and the onions are soft and translucent, and the peppers are tender. Drain the grease, then add in the garlic, sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the pasta sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, and granulated sugar to taste. Stir until combined, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir every few minutes to ensure that the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. Turn down the heat if needed to achieve a low simmer. The sauce will thicken up during this time.
Prepare the Garlic Buns
- While the sauce is simmering, turn on the broiler in your oven. Get out a medium-sized baking sheet.
- Butter each piece of the buns on the inside and place them butter side up on the baking sheet. Sprinkle each bun with the granulated garlic.
- Broil in your oven for 3-5 minutes, watching closely to remove them the instant they are browned and crisp on top.
- Remove.
- Place the bottom of a bun on a plate, then top with a scoop of the sloppy joe mixture. Add cheddar cheese, then place a bun top to create a bun sandwich. Or serve open-faced with cheese on top.
Notes
Nutrition
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Fran says
This is delicious!!! I use 200 grams gound beef and 1 cup red lentils. Hubbie did not even notice the difference.
Michael says
I just made this and, OH MY GOD!!!!! Now I know why you call this the Best Sloppy Joe’s Ever. I completely agree. The only thing I did different was I had no white sugar so I used light brown sugar instead. Not sure if it changed the flavor in any way but like I said, OH MY GOD this is good. No more that canned stuff at my house.
p.s.. I agree with Mike. Go with the tops and eat with your hands.
Susan McNabb Ruff says
Seriously. I just want to be your next door neighbor
KevinCasement says
I’ve always had mine topped, but topless with cheese on top sounds pretty good too. These were a staple growing up and I’ve recently started making them again. So good!
Mary P Hoffman says
Yet another great recipe!
Pam Mansveld says
Nice! I would definitely go topless with just a sprinkle of chopped green onions
The Kitchen Magpie says
You’re my kinda gal \U0001f609 Green onions! Yum!!!
Patty says
These were amazing! Thanks for the great recipe.
The Kitchen Magpie says
You’re my kinda gal. Green onions! Yum!!!