A sloppy joe is a beloved American sandwich made from ground beef cooked in a tangy and slightly sweet tomato-based sauce and served on a hamburger bun. My homemade sloppy joes, which my kids have playfully nicknamed “sloppy jenns” (although I’m not a fan of that name!), is an upgrade on the classic recipe. Instead of using ketchup or seasoning packets, I create a smoky sauce entirely from scratch. The recipe is quick and always a crowd-pleaser, and it can easily be scaled up to feed a crowd or frozen for another meal.
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Ground Beef: 90 percent lean ground beef is ideal due to its lower fat content, which not only ensures the dish is not too greasy but also eliminates the need to drain fat after browning. If you’d like to substitute another type of meat, like ground turkey, chicken, or pork, skip the tenderizing step with the baking soda.
- Baking Soda: Tenderizes the beef by raising the pH level of the meat’s surface, making it more alkaline. This disrupts the protein structure in the meat, making it more tender. Baking soda also accelerates browning, which boosts the flavor of the dish.
- Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic: Forms the flavor foundation of the filling.
- Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Oregano, Dry Mustard: These spices add smoky, earthy, and tangy flavor.
- Canned Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste: The sauce makes the tangy, liquid base for the dish, while the paste thickens and intensifies the tomato flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce and Hot Pepper Sauce: These condiments add umami and heat, deepening the flavor of the dish.
Hamburger or Brioche Buns: The perfect base for the Sloppy Joe mixture, offering a soft, slightly sweet contrast to the flavorful beef filling.
Step-by-Step Ingredients
To begin, combine the beef and baking soda in a medium bowl. The baking soda raises the pH of the meat, helping to lock in moisture and keep the beef tender. Mash with your hands until well combined, and then let sit on the counter for 20 to 25 minutes to tenderize. (I use this technique for many ground beef recipes, including beef enchiladas, stuffed peppers, stacked beef enchiladas and chili.)
While the beef rests, go ahead and chop the veggies. I like to use a food processor to speed things up, but chopping by hand works just as well. If you’re using a food processor, just pulse until the veggies are finely chopped—not puréed.
When the meat is almost done, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard.
Cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. The meat mixture can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator; it can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to serve, butter the inside of the buns and place them on a baking sheet, butter side up. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, until they’re warmed through and lightly crispy.
Taste the sloppy joe mixture and adjust the seasonings as needed. (If you like them sweet, add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.) Spoon the mixture onto the toasted buns and serve. Enjoy!
Homemade Sloppy Joes
Serves 4 to 6 Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 45 Minutes- 1 1/4 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buns
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 (14-ounces) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank’s, or to taste
- Hamburger buns
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and set a rack in the middle position.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, butter the inside of the buns and place on a baking sheet, butter side up. Toast in the oven until warmed through and lightly crispy, about 5 minutes.
Taste the sloppy Joe mixture and adjust seasonings. (If you like your Sloppy Joes sweet, feel free to add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.) Spoon the mixture onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve.
Nutrition Information
Per serving (5 servings)Serving size: 1 sandwich, Calories: 406, Fat: 18 g, Saturated fat: 8 g, Carbohydrates: 32 g, Sugar: 8 g, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 29, Sodium: 887 mg, Cholesterol: 86 mg
