This is just a good old-fashioned Sloppy Joe recipe. Just slap some on a bun and enjoy!
Wonderful! The overall flavor is varied and distinct because of the added spices. To make this more "sloppy" I use 3/4 cup of porter or heinekin and 3/4 cup of water. The brown sugar gives it a light sweet taste. The onions and red peppers give it excellent texture. If you like it hot, double the chili pepper or add some Aleppo pepper. I serve it over sliced Tillamook cheddar cheese on large toasted hamburger buns. I've made this numerous times and each time I love it more and more.
Read More This recipe would have been great if i had wanted chili...i didnt i wanted sloppy joes...This DOES NOT taste like sloppy joes...we ended up eating it like chili
Read MoreWonderful! The overall flavor is varied and distinct because of the added spices. To make this more "sloppy" I use 3/4 cup of porter or heinekin and 3/4 cup of water. The brown sugar gives it a light sweet taste. The onions and red peppers give it excellent texture. If you like it hot, double the chili pepper or add some Aleppo pepper. I serve it over sliced Tillamook cheddar cheese on large toasted hamburger buns. I've made this numerous times and each time I love it more and more.
This is a really good basic sloppy joe recipe. I made a couple of changes: I halved the chili powder, increased the salt to 1 tsp., and added about 1/4 c. ketchup (to give it more of a tomato-base flavor). With the chili powder and the pepper it had enough spice to satisfy without being too much! A good recipe! Thanks!
A nice recipe! I made some changes and used ground turkey and 3/4 cup of beer instead of water for the liquid. After simmering for 30 min or so you get a great taste!
This recipe would have been great if i had wanted chili...i didnt i wanted sloppy joes...This DOES NOT taste like sloppy joes...we ended up eating it like chili
Ultimate to-die-for sloppy joes on a winter night. I've made this recipe for quite some time. Every time I serve it for guests, I'm always asked for the recipe. Ah....if only I could claim it! Thank you for a great recipe. Reading some reviews, sounds like there might be some taste differences going on. That being said, I would recommend playing around with the chili powder, brown sugar and garlic. My husband has had it several times with me and said tonight was one of the best. I did keep the brown sugar as is, I put in two teaspoons of chili powder for our guests (instead of three/one tablespoon) and put in tons on garlic. But then again, I'm one of those people who looked at the first initial 3 cloves of garlic and immediately doubled it! One thing I've found through the years is the way garlic is presented into a dish. I used to mince it, but found a Pampered Chef garlic press at a party I can't live without. Not only is it faster and easier than mincing, but it releases the juices of the garlic into your dishes (a tip for not only this dish, but others as well). All in all, I obviously could go on about it. I had a very particular person at my table tonight and he loved it, so I knew this was the ultimate score. Thank again!!
emily...my family loves your recipe! i've been making if for a few years now and it just keeps getting better! the only thing i changed was that i used tomato sauce instead of paste and water because i didn't have any on hand. fabulous!
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe, it was easy and quick. The only difference I used tomato sauce instead of paste and left out water.
Very Good Sloppy Joe Recipe!! We have been looking for a recipe to replace Manwich-I think we have found it. I will add a little more tomatoe paste and water next time-it was a little too dry. I will cut back on the sugar too, I thought it was fine but my daughter commented that it was good but too sweet. Hubby liked it and that's always a bonus!!
This was very good! I did increase the vinegar a bit to balance the sugar and it came out great!
My one and only experience with sloppy joes was the awful canned stuff as a kid. My husband has been bugging for years for me to make them and since this recipe was without ketchup, I figured I'd try it! Excellent results! My husband and his brother ate the whole pan (with a small bite for me).Will definitely make again!
I've made this recipe many times and my family LOVES it!! To make this as easy as grabbing a can of Manwich, I make "spice packets" using snack-size zip lock bags and filling with garlic powder (instead of fresh), chili powder, paprika, cumin, brown sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper. I make about 6 of these at time while all the spices are out. I also stock the pantry with 6 cans of tomato paste. Then, when I need a quick supper, I buy 1.5# hamburger or ground turkey, brown it up, add tomato paste, water, vinegar, and a "spice packet". Sometimes, I brown the meat and stick it in the freezer to have on hand. This is a super recipe and healthier than grabbing a can of Manwich!
First off, let me say that I used this recipe to make the best sloppy joes i had ever had last night. Extremely tasty recipe, but I have a couple recommendations that people might find useful: 1) Start the onion and peppers in olive oil before adding the beef. I know I didn't really like the idea of crunching in sloppy joes. The veges take a while to soften the beef cooks fast, so I softened the veges before adding the beef. 2) Cut the brown sugar in half. This is probably just a taste thing with me, but I thought it came out a little too sweet. 3) Add ketchup and redhot. Again this is just my preference, but I thought the dish benefitted greatly from mixing in a healthy dose of ketchup and redhot.
Wonderful sloppy joes - a little on the sweet side (which I happen to like), and I am not a sloppy joe fan
This was a delicious sloppy joe recipe! Everyone loved it. My two year old ate two helpings! We will definitely make this recipe over and over!
Was not particularly fond of these sloppy joes--I have a better recipe than this one. My husband did not care for these & usually he'll eat anything.
Way too much brown sugar, next time I will cut that portion in half at least. However, my 5 year old loved it. I think with some tinkering, this could be a good recipe.
This is the best recipe for Sloppy Joes I have ever found. I add some ketchup (about 1/3 cup or so) to cut down on the barbecue taste. I make this all the time now. Very good!
Great recipe! However Sloppy Joes II is a bit easier and just as good if not better. This recipe does have a different flavor that is a nice change from most sloppy joe recipes. It's not chili, that's for sure. It is definitely worth a try!!!
These sloppy joes are just like the ones that my grandma made before she moved down to Florida. Just the right amount of sweetness and spice. I like to eat them with cheese and tomato on them sometimes.
I've tried many recipes but this is by far the best. It's great with ground beef, turkey or pork. This has been a big hit with my family and friends. I have even served it at chruch for potluck dinners. The only thing I added was a teaspoon of mustard powder. When I've been out of tomato paste, I've substituted tomato sauce and it comes out just as good. Highly recommend this recipe.
I used cider vinegar, and a bit less brown sugar than the recipe called for. The recipe taste the way I wanted it to -- like Sloppy Joes! My family and I liked this recipe very much. My 22-month-old picked out the onions, but, other than that, it was a hit!
This is a great tangy/spicy recipe. I found that I had to add an extra 2/3 cup water so it was too thick to simmer for the 10 minutes so the extra water cooked off after the 10 minutes.
Thank you so much!! I have been looking all over for a recipe that wasn't bombarded with ketchup, tomato sauce, etc. These taste just like the ones I used to enjoy at summer camp.....
Not a "love it, but then" recipe. It's Easy, delicious AS IS! I like the flavor better than Manwich or the packets of seasoning you can buy. I omitted green/red pepper (family isn't a fan) and used plain tomato sauce instead of paste/water, and it turned out just as saucy. Another time, I added 1 tsp of cinnamon, for another layer of flavor. STILL THE BEST!
VERY good! Because of other reviewers' comments, I felt I should tweak it a little to make it less sweet and less thick. I used an extra can of tomato paste and another cup of water, another half measure of the spices, original amt of vinegar, 2 Tblsp brown sugar instead of 3. I used a lower fat hamburger. The original recipe amounts might be more on target if you're using a higher fat hamburger. Nonetheless, it's a keeper. I would think this would freeze great, too!
I am commenting on this recipe because it's so similar to how I make my Joes that I feel I don't need to practically duplicate this by adding my own. My differences were to add some chopped celery, I didn't use the cumin or garlic, and reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 tbsp. Most of the rest of the ingredients were close enough for me to feel sure that they would replicate what would have been used in the school cafeteria where I first fell in love with sloppy joes! The tomato paste is something I'm sure they would have used in a school kitchen to prepare so many servings. Ketchup would have been too expensive and the ketchup based sauces that I've tried, taste too much like ketchup and that flavor is not what I remembered from my first taste experience. The tomato paste along with the brown sugar, the chili powder and a little vinegar gave the sauce the basic flavor profile I was looking for. The rest of the additions can vary to suit anyones ideal. Thanks for this, it's perfect at it's heart!
This recipe is absolutely wonderful! It turned out so well that I have served it as the lunch special in my restaurant several times. Everyone raves about it.
My family loved the recipe thanks for posting it. I did take liberty to try it with the beer suggestion another poster mentioned and loved it even more(3/4 cup beer + 3/4 cup water).
My family really enjoyed this sloppy joe recipe. I don't make sloppy joes often, but now I think I will make this one when ever we need a quick meal.
What a yummy recipe! Very quick to make and the sauce turned out perfect! Thanks so much!
The best after a few little changes...beer instead of water (I used Heineken), more tomato paste, half sugar, a half measure more of the spices, cider vinegar instead of white, and softened the onions and peppers before adding to beef.
I don't think I could ever go back to the canned sloppy joe mix after making this. My mother and husband loved it! Next time I'll probaby cut down a little bit on the peppers - one was more than enough and also cut the brown sugar to two tablespoons. Delicious!!!!
My daughter usually wont eat sloppy joes but she came back for seconds!
Very easy and very yummy! My family eats this up like crazy!
I honestly did not care for this. I like the bold and spicy manwich sloppy joes and this tasted very sweet. Too sweet for my taste.
Great Recipe - very easy to make. Ground turkey worked well. I would agree that it's a little sweet - next time I will cut the brown sugar to half or less. The buns I used were on the sweet side also which may have accetentuated it. I served it with a salad with blue cheese dressing which was a nice contrast. Definately a keeper - wonderful every-day dish!
Delicious!! I only had 1 pound of ground beef, but used the recipe just the same and the joes turned out perfectly! Thanks for sharing this one!
Fast, easy and innexpensive...plus all of my kids love it! I don't buy canned sloppy joe mix any more, this tastes so much better and is just as easy!
I made this tonight as I couldn't find my regular recipe and scaled it to serve 10 as I had 2 pounds of ground meat and not 1 1/2. I followed everything as it says, but it seemed like it was missing something. I added some Worcestershire sauce and that helped some, but still lacked "something". I liked it alright, but my kids weren't wild about it. I figured out afterwards that I think it needed a squirt of mustard to make it "pop". I will be going back to my family recipe next time, but did enjoy this for a change of pace.
Excellent recipe! Easy and delicious. The ONLY thing I'll do different next time is decrease the brown sugar by half.
This was ok, but it tasted like chili without the beans, I wont be making this again.
This recipe was awesome and delicious. But I did add 2 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce instead of the water. Kind of made it a little more saucier. My 4 kids (ages 18 months, 8 yrs, 9 yrs, and 11 yrs old) loved it!!!!
This was pretty good. I was in a hurry so I didn't add the bell pepper or onion and I used 2 lbs of meat rather than the 1-1/2. After tasting it, I added a little more brown sugar. I felt like it was missing something, so I will probably use this as a base and adjust it as I go. I was happy to find this recipe since I somehow lost my package of sloppy Joe seasoning, had only tomato paste and already cooked the meat!
At first I made the recipe as written. It didn't taste quite right so I added 2 Tablespoons of ketchup. It was better but I think the cumin and chili powder turned me off. I will omit the chili powder next time and reduce the cumin.
Both my fiance and I did not care for these at all. I defrosted 1 lb. of ground turkey this past weekend (intending to make these then), so I used that instead of the 1.5 lb. of beef called for (the missing 1/2 lb. didn't make a difference, IMHO). I pre-chopped my veggies too, so prep was extremely quick. If it weren't for these being too sweet, I might have awarded one more star. And boy are these S-W-E-E-T!!! Emily's recipe reminds me of sweet & sour beef (hmmm...). In all fairness, I didn't try any of the top reviewer's suggestions for improvement, so I can't be too critical.... I definitely think I could have used more liquid (doubling and replacing water w/ beer would have helped with that). My only other change was to top fresh kaiser rolls w/ a lg. heap of meat, sprinkle w/ shredded cheddar & then spread the "tops" w/ a generous slathering of softened butter (1 stick), smoked paprika (1/2 t) & garlic salt (1 t worth - my butter was unsalted, or else I would have used garlic powder). I wrapped ea. sandwich tightly w/ a double-thickness of aluminum foil & baked at 350 deg. for 30 min. My sandwich tops were nice & toasty (mmmm...)! My MIL "to be" does this when she makes her stromboli samies, so I thought I'd try w/ this too (why not???). For a quick, economical meal, I can't complain, but unfortunately I won't be repeating this again (my fiance might disown me - haha!). Thanks anyways. :-)
Nice little recipe! I was in a huge hurry tho, so I left out the cumin and Chili pepper bc they were at the back of the spice shelf, lol. I halved the water & added a 1/4 c. of molasses bc I like it sweet. Next time, I'll do it right, but it was very good this way!
My son would eat this every day if I let him! Found this recipe over a year ago, and if we have ground beef or turkey in the house (I've even make it with 3 grain tempeh) he get's mad if I make something else. I increase the vinegar and cut back a bit on the cumin and oregano, but that's just my taste. Sometimes I have to add more tomato paste and water, or tomato sauce depending on how moist the meat is. We all love it, and it NEVER lasts! Thank You!
I love this recipe. I make it almost once a week. The sweetness of the brown sugar makes it so tasty.
Served it for football party- tripled the recipe and it was gone. Kids and adults raved.
We love this recipe..so fresh and yummy compared to canned stuff! I use ground turkey, but otherwise follow the recipe... I dont' really measure carefully though and so sometimes it is more spicy and sometimes more sweet, but always great! I disagree with the person who said this recipe doesn't taste like sloppy joe...unless you just prefer the canned kind! This is a great recipe!
no sure why but this came out way to spicy hot for my taste, my husband like it o.k. that's why I gave it a two and not a one. I don't plan to make this again
THIS HAS A VERY GOOD TASTE, ALTHOUGH A LITTLE SWEET. NEXT TIME I WILL REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF BROWN SUGAR. IT IS MORE TIME-CONSUMING THAN STATED.
These were amazing! My husband and I both loved them! After he was done eating on the bun, he picked up a fork and ate just the meat! It was a tad too spicy for me - but I'm a weeny! I will make these again, with less chili powder. Thank you! thank you! for a great recipe!
We loved this recipe. My family is not a fan of the sweet sloppy joes. They love the tangy-ness of this dish. Thanks for postingp
Emily, I love this recipe as is! But as one tends to do, I played around with it and these are the changes I made. I used ground turkey, but would still use beef any day! I substituted 1 tablespoon of (Hungarian) paprika instead of 1 teaspoon, and I left out the cumin. That came to be by accident, but it worked out nicely. I decreased the brown sugar to 2 T and I used green pepper instead of red. I also used chicken stock/broth instead of water. I received raves both ways! Thanks for a really user friendly recipe!
A little different in that it was more like a meal, and not at all sloppy, but it was still tasty and easy to make!
Very good recipe! My boyfriend loved it so much he was sad when the joes were gone. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Very easy and tasty. My husband loves the sweet stuff but I think I would like it a little spicier - maybe next time.
I thought this was a very good recipe. I have used it several times now,and plan on using it more in the future.
It was good but not the old fashioned Sloppy Joes I remember. This was more a cross between chili and barbecue.
Wonderful recipe, and surprisingly easy. I added more spice and a little barbecue sauce, and we loved it!
Great recipe. I made a few changes. I left out the pepper, and cut back on the chili powder to 1 teaspoon. I also used Italian style tomato paste. They were really good. Joy Ballog
I thought this recipe tasted very good. It was nice to find this recipe because I usually always have these ingredients on hand. Thank you.
Total hit with my family. Next time I will slightly decrease the sugar. I also increased the vinegar by about 1/2 ts and added a ts of worcestershire sauce.
I don't care what anybody says, this is my favorite Sloppy Joes Recipe! I usually always deviate from a recipe and add my own touches but this one doesn't need anything special added or taken away from it.
I absolutely love this recipe! My mom requested this recipe after making it for her during a visit. I use green pepper instead of red, but other than that, no changes whatsoever! This is definitely a family favorite!
I found this very bland after being cooked and I kept adding more to kick up the flavor. I used a can of tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes. I found the recipe got very dry very fast. It was a good simple meal and tasted much better after it was in a bun, but it wasn't my favorite.
Very good - nice and thick, although it was a little too sweet for me. Next time I'll reduce sugar to 2 tbs.
One of the best sloppy joe recipes I've made and my 10 month old loved it! I had to modify it a bit as I only had 1 lb of beef.
Add some cheese slices (American or Provolone) - adds a creaminess to the sandwich! Thanks for the great recipe!
This is my first review! I couldn't keep quiet about this one. This recipe is AWESOME! I am always happier making something from scratch than from a can. These are the best sloppy joes I've ever eaten! My picky preschoolers even ate them, which is a miracle in itself. I followed the recipe to a "T" and wouldn't change a thing!
Our whole family enjoyed this recipe so much they asked me to make more for the freezer to have whenever they want!
I just tried the recipe, I got to say I really like it, the only thing I thought was a bit too much, a teaspoon of cumin, half would have done just fine. But other than that, it´s really good.
The best sloppy joes I've ever made -- although some people in my family would prefer less cumin.
These were so easy and had a great taste!! Much better than commercial joe mix!
Even with the whole measurement of the chili powder, the meat is still bland, bland, bland... I had to put the whole can of a 12 oz. tomato paste, over 1 tsp. of salt, and add half a bottle of chili sauce just to make the taste right. It also dry... so I add more water, almost 1 cup. Just like one of the reviewer said, I just put 2 tbsp. of sugar.
Family away this week so thought I'd try something new. This was a treat and very tasty. 3 small changes I added a poblano chili with the red pepper, smoked red paprika instead of cumin - not a cumin fan and I added 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke. Will definitely serve this again perhaps for our next Friday evening get together.
Excellent!!!! A keeper! My kids loved it over their pasta. Me and the hubby had it on our toast and it was deeelish!
My family loved this recipe. I use this alot. It's a nice change of pace from the over vinegared recipes I've seen.
Good recipe! Very tasty and easy to make although I would parobably use less sugar next time.
Great recipe. I added tomato sauce and a little extra vinegar and red pepper. I put it in the crock pot for a couple of hours and it just gets better!
We loved this! My hubby loves SJ's and he raved. I did reduce the b. sugar to 2 teaspoons and added 1/4 c ketchup and I used Hungarian Paprika. I added saute'd mushrooms and used green pepper too. I also used a 12oz can of t. paste and a 10 oz can of puree because we like our SJ's sloppier than most because we eat them opened faced on toasted w/w buns. I jazed it up with a squirt of worchestershire and a splash of cooking sherry too. It was wonderfull and I will save this and use it again, thanks Emily
Before I found this recipe,My family did NOT like sloppy joes!!This recipe totally changed their minds.Everyone kept eating them up,they couldn't get enough!!! Thanks for sharing such a YUMMY recipe :)
Memories of high school aside, Sloppy Joes are a great heart-warming Americana classic! These are so easy and delicious, I'll never use the canned Joes again! Thanks Emily, my life is now complete.
So much better than the bottled kind! Only thing I did different was to add garlic powder to the browned meat.
I made this for our family later one night. Grandpa said - don't make any extra for me. When it was done it smelled so good, everyone had to try this, including grandpa. The sauce is so much better than manwich sauce! Grandpa ended up getting seconds! This is one great homemade sloppy joe mix. Will make this again.
This recipe was not as messy as other recipes, and it was a little sweet. Overall, it was very tasty!
Love this recipe! The only changes I made was to use ground turkey instead of beef to make it more on the healthy side. Honestly, it tasted the same as using ground beef. Will definitely make again.
Made this last night. The teenager and the husband both like it VERY much. GREAT Sloppy Joe's. Just watch the water - I used about half the amount called for. I also grated the red bell pepper, onion and pressed the garlic. Enjoy!
I omitted the onions and peppers because my husband doesn't care for them, and replaced the cumin with some extra chili powder. I also added a dash of cayenne and a splash of tabasco and topped each sandwich with sharp chedder which I melted under the broiler. Very good sandwiches that reheat very well--my husband took them to work for lunch for two days after we had them for dinner. We will definitely have these again.
