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Tuck in your napkin and roll up your sleeves, it’s time for Smoky Sloppy Joes! This recipe is ground beef simmered in a tomato sauce made tangy and spicy with a condiment concoction and then scooped between a bun for the ultimate loose meat sandwich. Part hamburger, part Bolognese this well-loved mash up is a midweek dinner winner ready in 25 minutes.
Sloppy joes are synonymous with messy meals. Not down for the clean up? Try this classic meatloaf instead, made with overlapping ingredients but in a perfect compact rectangle that can be neatly sliced and eaten with a knife and fork. You’re welcome!
On our family trip back to Vancouver Island this summer, I was reminded of the North American love for ‘hand helds’, and how it’s not a term used in the UK. Rather unimaginatively, the UK is restricted to ‘sandwich’ for cold and ‘burger’ for hot, between-bread food items.
The trip put me in mind of sloppy joes, another widely-known term in North America, but I’ve never heard of, or seen on menus, in the UK. So, I’m bringing them back with me! And have added a smoky twist for those who are already familiar.
Easy sloppy joes recipe
Most Americans might have fond memories, or not so fond, of first eating this classic comfort food in the school cafeteria- the steaming reddy-brown meat being served up by your favourite lunch lady and slopped onto a pale, stale bun on your lunch tray.
But have you ever made one at home? They are seriously underrated! Not only are homemade sloppy joes budget-friendly, kid-friendly, time-friendly, but they can also be very tasty. And by making your own from scratch you can temper the sugar and spice level to your own family’s tastes.
The classic recipe starts like a hamburger; onions, garlic, ground beef, then goes a bit Bolognese with crushed tomatoes or passata to make a rich red sauce, finally the sloppy joe magic is added.
The sauce should be sweet and tangy. And not too sloppy! Somewhere between loose meat and ragu. You don’t want any leakage from the buns.
The tried and tested traditional sauce comprises a generous amount of ketchup, equal parts brown sugar (but leave that out if you’re sugar conscious) and This is an affiliate link.Worcestershire sauce, and little This is an affiliate link.Dijon mustard. I use a teaspoon these days, but it was probably only half when the kids were little.
And my latest addition; a szhuzh of hot, This is an affiliate link.smoked paprika. This adds a cowboy-style smokiness and a bit of bonus heat appealing to adult palates!
The result is a fragrant, meaty sandwich filling ready for toasted buns.
Disclaimer: things might get messy. Get prepared with napkins, placemats, a bathtub for after.
Recipe tips and notes
- If you’re skipping beef, substitute with ground turkey.
- For a vegetarian sloppy joe version use lentils. This option and the above make for a lighter, lower fat dish.
- A jar of store-bought salsa will give the joes a Mexican punch.
- This is a smoky sloppy joe recipe. I’ve used hot smoked paprika for a sweet and earthy undertone. If you’re after potency, spicy cayenne will give it a kick.
- Sloppy Joe’s the name but the meat mixture should not be too sloppy. But ‘Moist Joe’ just sounds wrong.
- Wet joes equal wet buns.
- You can prevent too much sogginess by toasting the buns first.
Serving suggestions
There’s really no dinner time drama with this kid-friendly dish. My kids, at every age- and one of them is 21 now- have always scoffed a sloppy joe without complaint. But what to serve with them to keep the peace? Here are my Top 5 (child) approved sloppy joes sides:
- Double cheese mac and cheese with Polish sausage A mega carb crowd-pleaser you can rely on.
- Homemade classic coleslaw Bursting with crunchy carrot and cabbage, it’s reassuringly nutritious.
- Hasselback potatoes I’m choosing these over the obvious fries as those nifty little ridges act as super sauce collectors. A must if your joes are a little too sloppy.
- Cauliflower gratin So they won’t eat cauliflower? Solution: slather it in cheese sauce.
- Pan-fried zucchini OK, this might be a little out of the comfort zone of some kids, but grownups need to eat too!
There’s a bit of a debate when it comes to buns. Hamburger? Brioche? Something firmer to soak up the sloppy sauce? If you’re a bread enthusiast, make your own, or beginner bread makers can follow my 2-hour hamburger bun recipe.
Storage and leftovers
This is where smoky sloppy joes continue to answer parental prayers! Although the meal itself is only 25 minutes’ kitchen time from scratch, some days even that’s a push. So, here’s a couple of ways you can get ahead.
- Double this recipe up and freeze a batch for future emergency dinners. It will last a solid 3 months in the freezer. Don’t forget to take it out to thaw in the fridge overnight the day before needed.
- Or make the sloppy joe sandwich mix a day ahead and store in the fridge in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container. Reheat the meat gently on the stove top before serving in the toasted bun.
Leftover sloppy joe meat will keep up to 4 days in the fridge and can be repurposed as a ‘joe pie’; the mixture topped with cheesy mash.
More sandwich recipes to try
- Focaccia Sandwich
- Classic Croque Monsieur
- 15 Minute French Dip Sandwich
- Breakfast Bagel Sandwich with Smoked Salmon
Smoky Sloppy Joe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 450g / 1lb ground beef
- 400g / 14oz This is an affiliate link.tomato passata, or canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar, (optional)
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.Dijon mustard
- 1-2 tsp spicy smoked paprika, (the spicy kind)
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the chopped onions and sauté over low heat for 7-10 minutes, then add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
- Now push the sautéed onions and garlic to one side of the pan to free up some space and bring the ground beef to the pan. Brown it over medium heat while breaking it up with a wooden spoon or a spatula until cooked all the way through and is no longer pink inside.
- Add the canned crushed tomatoes, ketchup,( brown sugar if using), Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and smoked paprika, stir to combine, bring to a simmer and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the half of the liquid evaporated and if you drag a wooden spoon through the pan, it leaves a trail that doesn’t fill up with the liquid immediately.
- Split the hamburger buns and toast them, then fill with the beef mixture and serve.
Notes
- Ground turkey can be used in place of beef. Or for a vegetarian version, try lentils. Both options give you a lighter, lower fat dish.
- For a Mexican punch, serve with salsa.
- I’ve made these sloppy joes smoky by using smoked paprika for a sweet and earthy undertone. For a more potent version, try spicy cayenne.
- Despite the name, it’s best not to make the meat mixture too sloppy. If the meat is too wet, it’ll soak right through the buns.
- Another way to keep the buns from disintegrating is to toast them first!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
