The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes are a tangy, a little sweet, and always a family favorite! You’ll never buy a canned Sloppy Joe mix again after trying this delicious, simple recipe.
Yes…..I am one of those people. You know, the ones that have to make everything from scratch and can’t stand a canned or powdered mix of just about anything. I don’t know how it happened to me but it did.
Sloppy Joes have always been a family favorite of ours. Growing up, we always used Manwich canned mix or the powdered version – and I always thought it was delicious. A couple of years ago, I got a craving for a good, old school Sloppy Joe. I went to the store, bought the canned stuff, and was excited to taste something from my childhood. I took one bite and literally couldn’t eat anymore! That’s when I knew I had become a food snob!
So being the food snob I am now, I came up with my version of The BEST Homemade Sloppy Joes. Give it a try – I don’t think you’ll miss the canned stuff one bit!
Here’s how you make The BEST Homemade Sloppy Joes:
- Brown the meat in a skillet over medium/high heat. I usually use ground turkey because that’s what we prefer but ground beef or ground chuck is certainly fine as well.
- When the meat is almost done, add the chopped onion, green bell pepper and let cook until the vegetables are softened.
- Add 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1/3 cup ketchup, 1 1/2 tbsp of yellow mustard, 1 1/4 tbsp of white vinegar, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of water, and the spices. Turn your heat to low and let it all cook together until the meat absorbs most of the liquid.
- Serve on a bun with a slice of American or cheddar cheese.
The BEST Homemade Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or turkey
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 1/4 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Couple of dashes of hot sauce or sprinkles of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef or ground turkey.
- When it is almost finished cooking, add the chopped onion and green bell pepper. Let the veggies cook until softened.
- Add all of the other ingredients along with the water and let cook over low heat until the meat absorbs most of the liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve on a bun with a slice of American or cheddar cheese.
