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This easy Sloppy Joes Recipe combines ground beef, bell peppers and onion with a simple homemade sauce for quick weeknight dinner that takes minutes to make. A family favorite!
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Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
Make dinner in minutes with this easy Sloppy Joe recipe. With a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time, you can have a satisfying meal the whole family will love in no time. Perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
Growing up, we had sloppy Joes made with a can of Manwich — so did everyone else on the block! I still love a classic Joe, but I make my sandwiches with homemade sauce. You still open a can (tomato sauce) but with a few simple additions, this Sloppy Joe sauce is even better than the one you buy in the store! My family loves it!
Serve this easy dinner with a side of air fryer french fries or potato chips. For a fun variation on homemade sloppy joes, try my open faced Sloppy Joes or make Instant Pot Sloppy Joes.
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients from your grocery store for this easy recipe. Full ingredient amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Lean ground beef — Using lean meat means you won’t have to drain the grease. You can also use ground turkey or ground chicken or pork.
- Onion — for flavor. Sub onion powder or dried onions if needed.
- Bell pepper — Green bell pepper is more common, but I like the pop of color from a yellow or orang pepper.
- Tomato sauce — the base of the sauce. You can definitely sub ketchup. I do when I’m out of sauce.
- Mustard — for added tang. Use yellow mustard, Dijon mustard or deli mustard.
- Brown sugar — to add sweetness
- Seasonings — sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika
- Hamburger buns — for the sandwiches. Old fashioned sloppy joes are made with white bread!
How to Make Sloppy Joes
First, cook the onion and bell pepper until slightly soft. Then, add the hamburger meat, and cook until no longer pink.
Next, add the remaining ingredients, and stir until well blended.
Let the meat mixture simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid will reduce, and the sauce will become nice and thick. The meat mixture should be thick enough to spoon onto the sandwich buns.
My kids love sloppy joes with American cheese — kind of like a sloppy cheeseburger! You can leave the cheese out or use your favorite cheese.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate leftover sloppy joe meat in an airtight container for 3-4 days. The leftover meat also freezes well for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tip
If you’re not using extra lean ground beef, just drain some of the grease before adding the sauce.
We like the sauce on the sweeter side, but you can reduce the sugar to suit your taste. You can also serve sloppy joes on toasted buns if you like.
Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion about 1 cup, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Cook the pepper and onion in a large frying pan on medium high heat until soft
- Add ground beef, and cook until no longer pink, breaking up with a spatula. Drain grease if needed
- Add the remaining ingredients, and stir until well combined
- Allow to simmer on medium or medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced and meat mixture is thick, about 15-20 minutes
- Serve on sandwich buns
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is so delicious and easy! Sloppy Joes are an old-time favorite around here 🙂
Thanks, Vic. So glad you liked the recipe!