Sloppy Joes

If you grew up watching Saturday Night Live then you know the song. Sing along….”Sloppy Joes, Slop Sloppy Joes Yeah.” If you don’t have a clue, I’m sure it’s on the internet. The 80’s and 90’s SNL was the best! Chris Farley as the lunch lady and Adam Sandler playing the guitar and singing, were a pair made in comedic heaven, just like these Sloppy Joes. Thank you Joe, or whoever you were, for your sloppy sandwich.

This old school meal just got an update in our house. In the past, I’ve always purchased the Mamwich sauce that comes in a can. I can’t lie, I’m a grown woman and I love Sloppy Joes. Growing up, they were easy for me to make, and I was responsible for helping out with dinner on a nightly basis. My dad loved the eat his sandwich open face with yellow mustard so that’s how I ate them as a kid. I make it into a regular sandwich now, but I still use yellow mustard and have started adding shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and french fried onions. The toppings combo take it from tasty to flavor bomb!

I had never tried making my own sauce, but after seeing a picture on Instagram the other day, I was craving a delicious Sloppy Joe so I knew that I had to try to figure out how to make them at home minus the canned sauce.

I read through at least ten different recipes on Pinterest, and took what I thought was a good suggestion, and added my own extras. I decided to add bell pepper, onions, and celery to my recipe which made it perfect in my opinion, so I will never change that flavor combo. Many of the recipes called for brown sugar. I’m not a fan of sweet Sloppy Joes so I left it out. If you want your sauce sweeter then start with 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar and work your way up. The ketchup adds just enough sweetness for my liking, but you do you!

My husband and I are empty nesters so this recipe made enough for us to have dinner and lunch the next day. I had a pack of the larger hamburger buns and this recipe was a perfect amount for 4 hearty sandwiches. This recipe is easy to double, so if you have a larger family adjust accordingly.

I hope that you’ll try this recipe soon. I’m sure that you’re family will love these Sloppy Joes, Slop, Sloppy Joes!

Ingredients:

For 4 Sandwiches:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/3 cup of diced onion
• 1/3 cup of diced green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup of diced celery
• 3/4 cup of tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup of ketchup
• 1 -1 & 1/2 Tbsp. of yellow mustard
• 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1 – 2 tsp. of dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. of salt

Directions:

In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef with the peppers, onions, and celery.  I had very little excess moisture because I used 90/10 but if you’re using a fattier meat like 80/20, then drain the grease.  I may also add a 1/4 – 1/2 pound extra meat since some of the weight is in the fat that will cook out.

Turn the heat down to medium, pour in the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.  My meat sauce was ready within 15 minutes start to finish.

Serve on hamburger buns.  Try topping it with mustard, shredded cheese, and french fried onions.  Refrigerate leftovers.

To reheat leftovers, warm in a pan on the stove (my preferred method) or cover and warm slowly in a microwave safe container, and use the defrost button on your microwave.

Additional Photos: