Homemade Sloppy Joes

I’m hauling this recipe out of the archives and re-posting it because it’s just a perfect dinner for busy moms to have in their back pockets. Even fussy toddlers who don’t eat meat as a rule will inhale these sloppy joes. I’ve also given it an update: I shot new photos and added the printable below.

Sloppy joes have some definite perks: they freeze well, they can be made ahead and reheated, and they also work in the crock pot.

I know you can get good sloppy joe mix ready-made. I know it’s really easy to brown some meat, crack open a can of Manwich, give the whole deal a couple of stirs, and call it a meal. But sloppy joes from scratch aren’t much more difficult – and they taste waaaaay better.

As a kid, it didn’t occur to me to wonder what was in the sloppy joes the school cafeteria served, or the ones that came out of a slow cooker at the family potluck. But when I first had these sloppy joes, courtesy of an ex-boyfriend’s mom, I realized that even with something as basic as sloppy joes, there are levels. These are the best I’ve ever tasted.

This recipe lived in my library for years, but not being much of a sloppy joe-type person (sloppy joes are usually something I encounter at the aforesaid potluck rather than something that comes out of my own kitchen), I never actually made them myself. However, I got to a point where I was constantly seeking new ways to use up my overwhelming supply of venison without repeating the same recipes over and over. I happened onto this forgotten treasure during a search through my recipe card file on a rushed afternoon when I was running short on time, and thought, “Perfect!” I had everything I needed on hand, and half an hour later, I was putting supper on the table.

Even E, a confirmed Manwich guy (Manwich was one of the few things he’d buy regularly back when he was responsible for his own dinner – along with ramen noodles and Kraft Mac’n’cheese), thinks these are above average.

Sloppy joes in general are great because they’re fast, they’re simple, they can be made in a slow cooker, they’re both a kid-pleaser and a guy-pleaser, and they’re an easy way to feed a crowd. They’re also pretty hard to screw up.

My alterations to the original recipe include more onion and green pepper (because how can you have too much of those in sloppy joes?) as well as the addition of Frank’s Red Hot pepper sauce, a little crushed red pepper, and some Worcestershire sauce – all to jazz things up just a little bit more, because E and I both tend to like our food on the zesty side.

You can use any ground meat – turkey, sirloin, venison, even chicken, and you can adjust the spicier seasonings to your own taste. If you want to keep things on the mild side for kiddos, just omit the Frank’s and the crushed red pepper.

If you want to make these in a slow cooker, simply brown the meat with the onion and green pepper, then toss into your crock pot with the rest of the ingredients, and let ‘er go on low for an afternoon. This is a great dinner to come home to in the middle of winter following an afternoon of sledding or snowmobiling (I used to live in Michigan, remember).

Serve these by ladling onto whole grain buns or hoagie rolls with some creamy coleslaw, pickles, and good quality chips alongside. I like to serve them open-faced with Tangy Apple Slaw and Trader Joe’s ridge-cut sweet potato chips.

Homemade Sloppy Joes


2 pounds ground meat
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup good quality ketchup (E has a real thing about ketchup, and insists I use Heinz, and only Heinz. He claims he can tell the difference. It is not worth my energy to argue with him about this, so I use Heinz. Of course, you should decide for yourself, and not be swayed by my husband’s hang-up regarding ketchup. If you find a ketchup brand you think is better, though, by all means email me).
6 ounces tomato paste
2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice or sugar
2 heaping tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Frank’s Red Hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Up to 3/4 cup water

In a deep skillet, brown the meat with the onion and green pepper. Drain off any fat.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the water, and stir until fully combined. Add water as needed to reach a consistency that is thick but still saucy. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes, until bubbly. If the sloppy joes get too thick, add more water.

Here’s the printable recipe. Enjoy!