Homestyle Sloppy Joes

I love sloppy joe! I always eat them open-face on the bun as i would have the filling all over me. That's why they call it sloppy. I use finely chopped carrots instead of green pepper in mine as I don't care for the bitter taste of the green pepper. Sweet red or yellow pepper is fine, though. Whenever I use browned ground beef, I drain it very well in a colander and then chill the liquid and lift off and discard the fat. The juices go back in the pan or I freeze them and use later in another recipe, especially soup. I do the same with drained baked meatloaf liquid. Why throw away all those flavorful juices!

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This is pretty much what I have been making since my mom taught me her mom's sloppy joe recipe 40 years ago. We use tomato puree rather than tomato sauce play a bit more with the seasonings, but that is about it. For those looking to make a spicier sloppy joe, try adding Sriracha sauce grandually to this recipe. I have found that two scant tablespoons of Sriracha to this recipe made with 2 pounds of ground beef gives a touch of pleasant heat. Hot pepper lovers, you may want more. However, go easily. The heat tends to ramp up a bit when the mixture is re-heated. And, to all of you who write about looking for something to emulate the canned sloppy joe sauce - you make me giggle. When I was first taking Home Ec in 7th grade, Manwich had been on the market for just a couple years was prominently featured in the week of lecture cooking labs known as You Can Make It Better Cheaper at Home. It was a great lesson, it highlighted the trade-offs in time, money, flavor, and nutrition in scratch vs prepared foods. The ones that have stayed with me sloppy joes mac cheese always scratch, pudding is a toss up, salad dressings ready made all the way. Those are the ones that I remember still 40 years later, because they are the lessons I have applied in my home down through the years.

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I've been looking for a good sloppy joe sauce so I wouldn't have to buy the expensive canned mixes. When you want to make a lot for a potluck, you need a whole lot of those cans and it adds up, especially after buying a lot of lean ground beef. I serve sliced jalapenos, shredded cheddar, and thinly sliced red onions on the side in separate containers for those that want to spice up their sandwich.

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AN oldie but goodie!

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This recipe serves 6 people but calls for 8 hamburger buns. I don't understand this so please explain.

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Test Kitchen Team

Nov 16, 2015

Thank you for catching that! It should be 6 buns, and has been corrected on the recipe. :)

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I replaced the green pepper with a 4.5 oz can mild chopped green chilies undrained. Just the right zing.

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Just like mom made, except she did use 1T dry mustard. It was a favorite of my children and now my grandchildren. Enjoy Mr Food recipes and the reviews that go along with them!

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I loved this recipe. When I first added the mixture I didn't think that it would have the flavor of the store bought mixture. However, after the simmering it was spot on. I also like that you can adjust the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce. I like that you can also mix the sauce ahead of time and use for later on in the week. I love the simplicity and quickness of the recipe. This was a great recipe. My many thanks to the poster.

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A squirt of mustard would give it a little zip.

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Gonna try this..my husband has been asking for Sloppy Joes........would let everyone know how it came out... : }

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My husband doesn't like any sweetener added to his beef. He thinks it's gross. So I will be making this recipe w/o brown sugar!

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This sounds like just what I've been looking for! I bet I can downsize the servings with leftover meatloaf too. I haven't bought Sloppy Joe mix in ages because I like making sauces myself (most of the time) but this has renewed my idea of the yummy Joe's. Thanks Mister!

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sounds great. I intend to try it soon.

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This sounds really gooood. My son loves Sloppy Joes and with no salt added tomato sauce this one will be flavorful instead of just salty.

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This recipe was a big hit! Super easy and it taste great. It also can be used for tacos

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