Craving comfort food, but want to eat ASAP? These Sloppy Joe Sandwiches are easy to make and can be ready in just 30 minutes…and the sauce doesn’t come in a can! Satisfy all your cravings with the savory combination of beef and zingy tomato sauce on a thick roll.
This is a great recipe for feeding a crowd or just your family. You can make it on the stove or in a slow cooker, and best of all, it’s a fantastic meal to freeze. Make sure to pin this one–you’ll want to go back to it for sure!
This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn compensation when you click links, at no additional cost to you. This helps our site continue to produce great content. Thank you for your support!
What Are Sloppy Joe Sandwiches?
Sloppy Joe Sandwiches are a mixture of ground beef, tomato sauce, and seasonings served hot on a roll. While ground chicken or turkey can be substituted, the sandwiches lose a layer of delicious umami taste without the flavors from beef.
The origins of the sloppy joe are unclear, as a number of restaurants and cities claim to be the place where the original sloppy joe was served. These include Key West, Florida and even Havana, Cuba. But the most likely inception of this iconic sandwich is a 1930s cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, where a thrifty cook added tomato sauce to his loose meat sandwiches. Little did he know, an iconic lunch favorite was born!
Sloppy joes have different names and are prepared in different ways, depending upon its region. In New Jersey, for instance, sloppy joes are cold deli sandwiches served on rye bread with coleslaw, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese. Cooks in North Dakota call sloppy joes slushburgers and make them with spaghetti sauce and cheese. Sloppy joes in Minnesota often have cream of mushroom soup in them, while Pennsylvanians keep to the standard recipe but call them wimpies. That’s quite an about-face from the Manwich fame brought to the sandwich by Hunt’s food company!
Can I Make These in a Slow Cooker?
Yes!
You’ll still need to brown the ground beef on the stovetop to ensure that it’s safe. Once that is drained and in the slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. (I like to mix them together first, but if you don’t want to mess up a bowl you can add them straight to the crock.).
Heat on LOW for 2-3 hours. I caution against heating on HIGH since the brown sugar in this recipe can burn.
If you are doubling the batch, add an hour to the cook time.
Can I Freeze Sloppy Joes?
Yes!
This is the perfect meal to have on hand in the freezer for busy days, or to make ahead for parties. Brown the meat, add the sauce ingredients and stir, then let the meat cool. You don’t have to warm it if you’re freezing it right away.
Spoon the sloppy joe mixture into a freezer-safe container with a tight lid. Be sure to label it, then tuck it away for a rainy day. The frozen sloppy joes will remain good for 3 to 4 months.
To reheat, just pop the mixture out of the container into a skillet. Heat slowly until it’s warmed through, then serve as usual.
Print
Directions
- In a large saute pan, brown together the ground beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic until beef is cooked through. Drain and return to pan.
- Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir until well-combined.
- Pour tomato sauce mixture over cooked, drained ground beef. Heat until thoroughly warm, about 8 minutes. Serve on rolls.
What Should I Serve with Sloppy Joe Sandwiches?
- Instead of ordinary pasta salad, try this yummy Zesty Italian Tortellini Salad
- Even veggie-haters love this Keto Cauliflower Baked “Mac” and Cheese
- Easy English Pea Salad is a pretty and delicious side that everyone enjoys
Sloppy Joe Sandwiches from Scratch
Difficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesThese savory sloppy joe sandwiches are easy to make and can be ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
1 tomato paste can of water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- In a large saute pan, brown together the ground beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic until beef is cooked through. Drain and return to pan.
- Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir until well-combined.
- Pour tomato sauce mixture over cooked, drained ground beef. Heat until thoroughly warm, about 8 minutes. Serve on rolls.
Notes
- To cook in crock pot, brown ground beef on the stovetop. Drain and place in crock pot. Pour the other ingredients over the browned ground beef; stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours.
Chicken Soup with Dumplings is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
