Here I’ll show you the easiest and most delicious way to make the classic Sloppy Joe!
These take me back to my first Summer working in America, way back in 2013! I know sloppy joes are somewhat controversial, but for me, it was love at first bite. Since then, I made it my mission to recreate the perfect sloppy joe, and I think I’ve done it. Follow me…
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
There’s many different ways you can whip up sloppy joes. From my experience, the filling is a little sweet, yet tangy. It’s also got a fairly rich, tomatoey base. I like the texture thick enough to hold it’s own in the bun, but loose enough to live up to the ‘sloppy’ part of the name.
The ingredients are very simple and can all be found at the supermarket. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Beef – I like to use relatively lean beef, otherwise the mix ends up a little greasy. If you’ve only got fatty beef you can just drain off some of the fat once it has fried.
- Onion, Pepper & Garlic – These all add a base flavour to the mix.
- Butter – To fry the above. It also adds a light richness to the sauce.
- Passata – This helps create a nice, thick sauce. It’s essentially pureed/strained tomatoes.
- Ketchup – A key ingredient that adds that iconic ‘sloppy joe’ flavour.
- Tomato Puree – Helps thicken the sauce and adds to the tomatoey flavour.
- Mustard – I love adding a dollop of classic American yellow mustard for a punch of flavour.
- Brown Sugar – This helps highlight the sweetness of the ketchup.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Deepens the savoury flavour and compliments the beef.
- Water – Loosens up the sauce and allows for a longer simmer (more on this in a sec).
- S&P – Don’t forget a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.
How to make Sloppy Joe Mix
As you can imagine, the mix is very easy to whip up. It also all goes down in one pan – which is handy! One thing I’d say that sets this recipe apart from others is time.
Sloppy joes are renowned for being quick, and they are. But I like to add in a dash of water and simmer for 20-25mins. This is for two reasons:
- It allows the mix to get nice and thick. If you give it a quick simmer, chances are it’ll still end up a little watery. Giving it a nice steady simmer helps the water properly evaporate, which allow the sauce to reduce and thicken.
- It allows for the flavours to marry together. The difference in flavour between the very start and after 20 minutes is huge. If you just quickly simmer the sauce you’re essentially jamming the flavours together, as opposed the letting them mingle and really marry together and become cohesive. I know it’s OTT for a sloppy joe recipe, but it’s only 20 minutes and absolutely worth it.
Process shots: melt butter (photo 1), fry onion, garlic and pepper (photo 2), fry beef (photo 3), fry tomato puree (photo 4), add remaining ingredients (photo 5), simmer until thick (photo 6).
How to serve Sloppy Joes
The texture of the filling should be loose enough to spoon into the buns, but thick enough that you can pile it on without it spilling right out. It certainly shouldn’t be watery at all.
For serving, here’s what I like:
- Buns – I like just regular burger buns. I’ll sometimes do sesame-seeded buns if I’m feeling fancy. I personally don’t like using brioche buns; the filling is already quite sweet and brioche just makes the whole thing too sweet (IMO).
- Cheese (optional, but recommended) – Sloppy joes are awesome with no toppings, but I do love a slice of cheese. Admittedly I usually go for American-style cheese, but you can add anything you fancy.
- Gherkins (optional) – If I’ve got them on hand I’ll sneak a few in. The vinegary flavour is a great contrast to the sweet filling.
- Jalapeños (optional) – If I haven’t got gherkins I’ll go for jalapeños. The kick of spice goes perfectly!
Recipe Tip
I highly recommend toasting the buns. This will give the sloppy joes some stability. The light charring also offers a light, smoky flavour. I typically toast the buns in a dry, scorching hot pan, but you could put them under the grill (broiler).
There’s no time that isn’t appropriate to devour a sloppy joe, but here are some perfect occasions:
- Easy Lunch – No Sides needed, just a good old fashioned sloppy joe!
- Game Day/Gathering – These are perfect to make for game day or any sort of gathering, especially with an array of sides like Onion Rings, Nachos and Chicken Tenders.
- Dinner – Bulk this into a full meal with some Wedges for a simple dinner idea.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these Sloppy Joes shall we?!
How to make Sloppy Joes (Full Recipe & Video)
The Best Sloppy Joes
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Serving Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 medium Onion, finely diced
- 1 small Green Pepper, finely diced
- 2 large cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 500g / 1lb Minced/Ground Beef (see notes)
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
- 250g / 1 cup Tomato Passata (Pureed/Strained Tomatoes in US)
- 60ml / 1/4 cup Water
- 120g / 1/2 cup Tomato Ketchup
- 2 tsp American Yellow Mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
- 6 Burger Buns/Soft Rolls, sliced in half and toasted (see notes)
- Cheese, Gherkins & Jalapeños, to serve (see notes)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and green pepper. Fry until softened and just starting to pick up colour, then add the garlic and fry for another 1–2 minutes. Add in a teaspoon of oil if the pan dries out.
- Add the beef and fry until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for another couple of minutes.
- Pour in the passata and water. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
- Lower the heat and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, or until nice and thick, stirring occasionally as you go.
- Check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Spoon into buns or rolls, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
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