The Best and Easiest Sloppy Joes

I remember eating sloppy joes a lot as a kid. We’d always make it with ground beef and cans of Manwich.

As I got older I started to dislike the taste of canned sauce, so I found a recipe for seriously the best sloppy joe sauce ever. I also started to make this with ground turkey for less fat, and I even made it recently with ground deer meat!

This recipe is super simple and is made with a few kitchen staples. It’s very easy to throw together and tastes amazing.

Try this and you’ll never go back to the canned stuff!

Let’s get into it.

Easy Sloppy Joes

Recipe credit to Five Heart Home

Time commitment:

Prep - less than 10 minutes

Cooking time - 30+ minutes

Cooling time - 5-10 minutes

Ready in 45-60 minutes!

Equipment list:

• Whisk (a few sizes of silicone ones come in handy, like these)

• Serving spoon

• 2 cup measuring cup OR mixing bowl (these bowls are nice)

• 1/2 cup (or use half of 1)

• 1/2 teaspoon (or use half of 1)

• 1/4 teaspoon (or use half of 1/2)

• Teaspoon

• Tablespoon

• Frying pan (one big enough to hold 2 cups of liquid)

• Stovetop

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 pound ground beef (could also use turkey or even elk, deer, chicken, etc.)

• Optional: onion, bell pepper, mushroom to sauté with the meat

• Salt and pepper, to taste (for seasoning the meat as it cooks)

• 8 ounces tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

• Buns (or you could do like I do sometimes and make a sloppy quesadilla!)

• Sliced cheese, optional

• Side dish like fries, tots, onion rings, baked beans, salad, etc.

Steps to get the sloppiest of joes:

1. Gather all your equipment and ingredients.

2. Preheat your pan on medium heat, adding the ground meat when it’s warm enough. Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or so until the meat is almost cooked through (a few pink pieces left).

   • TIP: Listen for the meat to sizzle as you put it in the pan! You want a nice, warm pan.

   • TIP 2: Drain the grease as the meat cooks if you don’t like the extra fat.

   • TIP 3: If you want to add more to the sloppy joes, you can sauté in broth or oil some mushrooms, bell peppers, and/or onions BEFORE you add in the meat. I think it gives more flavor.

3. While the meat cooks, prepare your sauce: to a 2-cup measuring cup OR mixing bowl, add 8 ounces tomato sauce, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder. Whisk all ingredients together.

   • TIP: Taste the sauce. Could it use a little more sweetness? Add another tablespoon of brown sugar if so. Add up to 3 additional tablespoons of brown sugar after your first one to get the sauce to the sweetness you prefer.

4. Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic, stirring in with the meat as it finishes.

5. When the meat is done and the garlic is warmed and smelly, add the sauce to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for at least 15 minutes, but up to 30 minutes or more, depending on how thick you like your sloppy joes.

   • TIP: The longer you simmer, the thicker the sauce gets.

6. Prepare your side dish(es) while the mixture thickens.

7. Once the mixture is reduced to your desired thickness, turn off the heat and let sit for a few minutes to cool. Serve warm on buns or in tortillas for a nice spin with a sloppy joe quesadilla.