The VERY BEST Sloppy Joe Recipe

Michael Merrill
Jun 20
3 min read

Updated: Jun 25

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef (OR turkey)
8 ounces tomato sauce
½ cup ketchup
1 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Hamburger buns
Sliced pickles

NWMH staff, please modify the recipe to fit individual food textures or dietary orders. Instructions:
Make the sauce in a 2-cup glass measuring cup (or a medium bowl). Stir together the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and freshly ground black pepper until well combined; set aside.
Set a large pot over medium-low heat. Add a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil, and saute the garlic for a minute or two until just fragrant and very light golden brown. Add ground beef, increase heat to medium/medium high, and cook until nicely browned with no pink remaining, breaking apart and stirring as the meat cooks. Drain the grease.
Pour the sauce over the browned meat, stir to combine, and simmer for at least 10 minutes until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Serve warm on hamburger buns or rolls with sliced pickles on top.

1. Measure the Sloppy Joe sauce ingredients directly into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and stir together until well combined.

2. Brown your ground beef (or turkey) and drain the fat.

3. Stir the sloppy joe sauce into the drained ground beef.

4. Allow the mixture to simmer on the stove, stirring occasionally. Notes

This Sloppy Joe sauce is intended to be slightly sweet, but it's really a matter of taste. If you prefer a more savory sauce, feel free to use less brown sugar. Additionally, you may use unrefined sugar or even a squeeze of honey in place of the brown sugar, if you wish.
If you like your Sloppy Joe recipe with onions and peppers, you may dice up half an onion and half a bell pepper and cook them in a tablespoon of olive oil until softened (about 5 to 10 minutes) before browning the beef. Remove the onions and peppers from the pot and proceed with the recipe as directed, cooking the meat and then stirring the onions/peppers back in at the same time you add the sauce.
The simmering time is up to you. If you're in a hurry, 10 minutes is all you need. However, if you have more time, simmering for 30 to 45 minutes (or longer) will really allow the flavors of the sauce to develop and meld. Just remember to stir occasionally to prevent sticking/burning and add a splash of water if the sauce starts to get overly thick.

Nutrition

How Long to Simmer Sloppy Joe Sauce

This Sloppy Joe recipe is flexible and turns out tasty whether you need to make it in a flash or you have extra time to allow it to simmer.

At a minimum, you should let the mixture simmer long enough to heat through once you've stirred the sauce into the meat. I'd recommend 10 minutes of simmering, if possible.

However, if you have the time, the flavors will really meld and develop if you allow your mixture to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes (or even longer). Just keep the heat low and stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning. And if the sauce starts to get too thick, stir in a little bit of water to buy you more simmering time.

Other Ideas for Serving Sloppy Joes

Everybody knows that meaty Sloppy Joe sauce is scrumptious piled high on hamburger buns! But there are lots of other fantastic ways to enjoy it, whether you're wanting to put a new twist on a fresh batch or you're simply using up leftovers:

Turn it into a "casserole." For example, you could arrange tater tots on top, like this Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole, or bake a crust on top, similar to Cheeseburger Pie or a even a cornbread casserole.
Stir into mac & cheese or other pasta.
Sprinkle over nachos.
Fold into quesadillas.
Top baked potatoes (and then melt cheese over the top).
Spoon it over hot dogs in place of chili (like Chili Dogs).
Or similarly, spoon it over French fries and add cheese (like Chili Cheese Fries).
Stir it into queso for a hearty dip with tortilla chips.
Stuff it into bell peppers and then bake.
Layer it into grilled cheese sandwiches.