Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes make great sandwiches for a weeknight supper. I have been making this recipe for years. My daughters and I love them. Sweet and savory meat sauce on a toasted bun. So good!
(Post modified with new photos on 9/12/22.)
Recently, I changed up this recipe substituting 1 cup of ketchup for 10 oz. of tomato sauce. This made for a thicker, richer sauce that we really liked. My husband (who usually isn’t a fan) gave them a thumbs up and ate a second sandwich!
You may still use 10 ounces of tomato sauce or even crushed tomatoes, but you may want to simmer the meat a bit longer until the sauce has thickened to your satisfaction.
Ingredients Needed to Make Sloppy Joes
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- lean hamburger 80/20
- ketchup
- dried minced onion
- brown sugar
- red wine vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- yellow mustard
- garlic powder
- onion salt
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- water, as needed
- wheat hamburger buns
- butter
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
In large skillet, brown hamburger. When brown stir in ketchup, minced onion, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, seasonings, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.
Cover the skillet and allow the sauce to simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary.
Cooking the meat and sauce on a low simmer gives the sauce a chance to blend and thicken. Since the ketchup makes it thicker, I had to add water at the beginning of the simmering process and once or twice more after that. You don’t want your sauce to dry out.
While the meat is simmering, prepare the hamburgers buns. Butter inside of each bun. Cook on a hot griddle until nicely browned. Set aside until ready to serve.
Toasting the bun helps prevent it from getting soggy, and also adds a nice crunchiness and flavor to the sandwich. So yummy. Don’t skip this part!
Spoon meat sauce on grilled hamburger buns. Serve with your favorite condiments. I like to serve them with mustard and dill pickles, as well as potato chips, Oven Baked Fries or Baked Parmesan Fries. I hope you will enjoy them as much as we do! This recipe will make 6-8 sandwiches.
See more Sandwich Recipes Here. Browse Beef Recipes Here.
Sloppy Joes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground burger 80/20
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup dried minced onion
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 cups water as needed
- 6-8 sets wheat hamburger buns
- butter
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
- In a large skillet, brown hamburger. When browned, stir in ketchup, minced onion, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, seasonings, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.
- Cover skillet and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary.
- While meat is simmering, prepare hamburgers buns. Butter inside of each bun. Cook on a hot griddle until nicely browned. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Serve meat sauce on grilled hamburger buns. Serve with your favorite condiments. Makes 6-8 burgers.
Notes
Nutrition