You can all thank Mr Magpie for this recipe for the best Sloppy Joes ever. Picture this: the family and I in the middle of the grocery store. The kids are helping shop, picking out what they want for school lunches and snacks before swim team. I’m wandering down the aisle looking for chocolate per usual because everything else bores me, and Mr Magpie picks up a can.
“Whoa!” he exclaims “Sloppy Joes! We haven’t had these in years!”
I freeze in the middle of grabbing some canned beans for my white bean pumpkin chili .
“Sloppy Joes…. out of a can?” I squeak in horror, glancing around to see who heard my barely there food cred being utterly decimated in the middle of the grocery aisle.
” Totally!” Mike exults, not noticing my eyes rolling back in my head “How about this for supper tonight?
“Oh my Effing Gee.” was pretty much all that I could manage to get out word-wise. Action-wise I might have slapped the can out of his hand, I’m not admitting anything.
Look. I’m no food purist, I eat mushroom soup straight from the can and love a hot, fresh McDonald’s Filet o’ Fish more than anything else in this world. For real. That fish burger is my favourite food. But dudes. You don’t eat sloppy joes from a can. That just makes me sad.
How to Make Sloppy Joes
- Place ground beef in the bottom of a large, deep skillet.
- Fry until brown, drain most of the grease then add the onions.
- Saute the onions and green pepper until soft, then add in the garlic.
- Saute for 2 minutes, then add in the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir, simmering on medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Serve on top of hamburger buns, topped with cheese if desired.
How to Make Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
You can use vegetarian ingredients to make sloppy joes! Try:
- Cooked lentils
- Crumbled/Chopped up tofu
- Vegetarian burger patties – just chop them up and cook
- Chopped up and cooked mushrooms
How Did Sloppy Joes Get Their Name?
No one knows for sure, but it’s guessed that a cook named Joe at Floyd Angell’s café in Sioux City, Iowa came up with the concoction, He simply added tomato sauce to his ground beef sandwiches and the “sloppy joe” became a real thing! There are of course, many other versions of how it came to be, who knows which one is real!
How to Freeze Sloppy Joes
After you have cooked the sloppy joes, simply place into a large freezer safe container or freezer bag and freezer in your deep freezer for up to 6 months.
How to Make Sloppy Joes in the Slow Cooker
Making sloppy joes in the slow cooker is so easy!
- Place the ground beef in the bottom of a large, deep skillet. Fry until brown, drain most of the grease then add the onions.
- Saute the onions and green pepper until soft, then add in the garlic. Saute for 2 minutes, then place into the botto o a slow cooker.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Set on low and cook all day, 8-9 hours.
- Serve on top of hamburger buns, topped with cheese if desired.
Tips and Tricks for Making Sloppy Joes
- Sloppy joes shouldn’t be a chili. Sloppy joes don’t need beans, mushrooms or vegetables ( other than green pepper!) or anything fancy.
- Sloppy Joes DO need copious amounts of fresh minced garlic, onions, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and seasoning salt to be the best sloppy joes ever.
- Add pinch of sugar to cut the acidity if your ketchup wasn’t a sweet one.
- If you want, ground turkey would be amazing in this as well, if you don’t eat red meat. It’s the sauce that makes everything amazing!
So, who’s a sloppy joe lover? I’ve been converted, to be honest I’ve never really been a fan before. These though? Seriously fantastic and that’s because I’ve tailored them to my taste which you know, I think is pretty ok 😉
But now I am going to ask you a question:
Topless or topped sloppy joes?
Mike and I argued about this. I like topless with melted cheese on top and you eat it with a knife and fork, HE says put a bun on it and eat it with your hands.
What do YOU say? Topless or topped?
Happy Cooking babes!
Love you more than chocolate,
Karlynn
Sloppy Joes Recipe – The Best Ever!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup white onion diced
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 whole green pepper finely chopped you can use the whole thing, Mike’s not a huge fan
- 2 cups tomato sauce or a 15-16 oz can
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt – or to taste if you like saltier
- white sugar – to taste
- 4-6 hamburger buns
- Shredded cheese if desired
Instructions
- Place ground beef in the bottom of a large, deep skillet.
- Fry until brown, drain most of the grease then add the onions.
- Saute the onions and green pepper until soft, then add in the garlic.
- Saute for 2 minutes, then add in the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir, simmering on medum heat for 10 minutes.
- Serve on top of hamburger buns, topped with cheese if desired.
Nutrition
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Michael says
I just made this and, OH MY GOD!!!!! Now I know why you call this the Best Sloppy Joe’s Ever. I completely agree. The only thing I did different was I had no white sugar so I used light brown sugar instead. Not sure if it changed the flavor in any way but like I said, OH MY GOD this is good. No more that canned stuff at my house.
p.s.. I agree with Mike. Go with the tops and eat with your hands.
Susan McNabb Ruff says
Seriously. I just want to be your next door neighbor
KevinCasement says
I’ve always had mine topped, but topless with cheese on top sounds pretty good too. These were a staple growing up and I’ve recently started making them again. So good!
Mary P Hoffman says
Yet another great recipe!
Pam Mansveld says
Nice! I would definitely go topless with just a sprinkle of chopped green onions
The Kitchen Magpie says
You’re my kinda gal \U0001f609 Green onions! Yum!!!
Patty says
These were amazing! Thanks for the great recipe.
The Kitchen Magpie says
You’re my kinda gal. Green onions! Yum!!!