Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes Recipe

Reviews (7781)

Most helpful positive review

Five stars and an A+. This is the perfect basic sloppy joes recipe. I won't be buying the canned stuff anymore. We like ours just a little stickier so added 1/2 cup water and a tablespoon of quick oats then simmered it down. MMM Next time I'm going to double it so I can freeze the extra. I fill the cups in a muffin tin with the leftovers and freeze. When frozen just pop them out and store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. Each one is the perfect size for a bun and ready to microwave at a seconds notice. Read More

Most helpful critical review

This was good, but not my favorite. It was a little bit too sweet for us. I also didn't really like the green bell pepper taste with it. I think I will keep using my own recipe. Thanks for the post. Read More

7676 Ratings

5 star values: 5749
4 star values: 1508
3 star values: 280
2 star values: 94
1 star values: 45

Best sloppy joes ever! My boyfriend absolutely loved it...instead of 3/4 cup of ketchup I only used 1/2 and replaced the other 1/4 with barbecue sauce. It turned out perfect..not too ketchupy or anything...oh and I also skipped the brown sugar - only because the barbecue sauce I was using already had brown sugar in it. Read More

I browned the ground beef, onion and green pepper. I then put the remaining ingredients into a crock pot and cooked on low for about 3-4 hours. This recipe was really simple & delicious. Read More

This is wonderful! My family loves this when I slice the top off hogie buns, hollow out the shell, stuff with the hot Sloppy Joe meat, top with cheese and broil until the cheese melts. Save the bread from the buns for crumbs or whatever you need them for. I freeze mine. Read More

Much better than Manwich and SO easy! The best thing is it's made with ingredients I always have in the house and it's not a hundred ingredients either so it's fast to make. I always make more sauce than it calls for, I think it's too dry otherwise. If I make it with 1 lb. of meat I double the sauce, 2 lbs. I triple it, 3 lbs. I quadruple it, etc. It's great in the crockpot too; I make it in the morning when I have a minute and it sits in the crockpot on low all day. I've passed this recipe on to anyone who will take it. Read More

Absolutely delicious. This is the perfect recipe for sloppy joes in my opinion. People complain about the reviews being overrated because this isn't all jazzed-up into something special. Well what do you expect, it's only sloppy joes! I haven't had sloppy joes in years, and I am so glad I chose this recipe to finally have a taste of some. The only thing I would definitely change is the simmer time. Even on the lowest fire I had to cut it down to 20 min. instead of the original 30 because it started sticking to the pan. But it was finished by then any way and the flavors have already come out from the seasonings. This was AWESOME! A definite keeper. If you would like to simmer for the full 30 min, follow the advice of others and add just a bit of water and/or extra ketchup. This also adds more sloppiness. Yum! Read More

Our family loves this recipe (I make it a lot). I have to double it for my family of five (makes great leftovers, if there are any). I also add 2-3 tsp of white vinegar, a tsp of Worcestershire sauce, and some tomato paste. Quick, simple, and DEEEELICIOUS! Read More

This is a wonderful, easy basic recipe, as the high ratings can attest. However, for those who tend to find this too sweet, don't add the brown sugar until the last, at the same time you adjust the S&P. If you find it doesn't need the sugar, skip it; or add just a tiny bit at a time until you like it. Or try 1/2-1 tsp. molasses instead of the br. sugar to add depth of flavor without much sweetness. Still too sweet? You might also need to substitute tomato sauce for the ketchup (in which case you might want to add a bit of additional spices.) If you have already made the recipe as listed, and find it too sweet, DON'T THROW IT OUT! Remember that acids are sour and will offset the sweetness. Therefore, add a splash of vinegar or unsweetened tomato products (such as tomato paste or chopped tomatoes) a little at a time until the sweetness is corrected to your tastes. Then follow the steps above next time you make this. Don't pass up this quick, easy, tasty recipe without tweaking it to suit your family's tastes! :) Read More

This went over big at the fire station. Adjusted the recipe for ten and barely fed 8!! To make the sauce a little "sloppier" instead of addind more ketchuo, I added chicken gumbo soup. Read More