Grandma Iva's Sloppy Joe Recipe (2024)

This is Grandma Iva's sloppy joe recipe, which my mom said was always served on Christmas Eve for as long as she could remember. But you don't have to wait for Christmas to make a batch, they're great any time of year.

Grandma Iva's Sloppy Joe Recipe (1)

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A 100 year old family tradition (at least)

This is Grandma Iva's sloppy joe recipe, which my mom said was always served on Christmas Eve for as long as she could remember. It's a tradition my mom continued and which a lot of us kids and grandkids continue to this day. But we don't always wait for Christmas Eve to make a batch of what we consider the BEST Sloppy Joe recipe - and you don't have to either! My grandmother Iva (Edwards) Peters was born in 1893.

National Sloppy Joe Day is March 18

In fact, National Sloppy Joe's day is every year on March 18, so that's another great day to make this easy yet super-delicious Sloppy Joe recipe. A hot sandwich on a cold, blustery March day really warms the body and soul. Sloppy Joes have been around a long time!

Sloppy Joes in a slow cooker

EASY! Just brown the ground beef and corned beef along with the onion in a skillet, drain, and toss it along with the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot. Cook it on high for 2 or so hours, or on low for 4 to 6 hours.

Easy to make more for a crowd

This recipe will make 6-8 sloppy joe sandwiches, but it's easy to increase the quantities to serve a crowd - just double or triple the quantities as needed.

Serve them up with hearty buns and toppers like dill pickles, jalapeno slices, chopped onion, even grated cheddar cheese. And don't forget to have a fork handy, because yes, they're sloppy!

Sloppy Joe Ingredients

  • Ground beef - Be sure to use 75% to 85% lean. Even though you'll need to drain off excess fat, the beef is going to have a lot more flavor than leaner blends.
  • Chopped onion - White or yellow work best, but green onions, red, or even vadalia will work too.
  • Brooks Rich & Tangy Ketchup - First produced by the Brooks Tomato Products Company in Collinsville, Illinois (established 1907), now owned by BirdsEye. Use it if you can get it. If you need to use regular ketchup, add a 1 teaspoon of hot sauce, like Tabasco.
  • Corned Beef - This is the canned type that does not have tiny diced potatoes in it. It's just straight corned beef. You'll find it at the supermarket with the other canned meats.
  • Pantry staples - like flour, brown sugar, chili powder.

How to make Sloppy Joes with this 100-year-old recipe

  • Brown and crumble the ground beef along with the diced onion in a large skillet (or Dutch oven if you're making it for a crowd). Drain excess fat and return the beef and onion to the pan.
  • Add the corned beef to the pan and cook for about five minutes, crumbling the corned beef.
  • Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for one hour. Cover the pan for about 40 minutes, then continue cooking uncovered.
  • That's it! Now you can serve a hungry crowd.

Can you prepare Sloppy Joes in advance?

Sure! Just prepare the recipe and refrigerate a few days (or even freeze it for a longer period of time) until you're ready to serve them. Heat the Joe's up on the stove top over low heat and serve. If you froze the Joe's, you can thaw it before reheating, or thaw right in the pot on low heat, stirring frequently.

Other hot sandwich recipes you'll love

  • Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich
  • Loaded Turkey Panini Sandwich

📖 Recipe

Grandma Iva's Sloppy Joe Recipe (2)

Grandma Iva's Sloppy Joe Recipe

Served in our family since the 1920's. This recipe will serve 5-6, depending on how much you put on each bun!

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Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 291kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ pound ground beef 75-85% lean
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - heaping tablespoons
  • 1 cup water
  • 12 ounces Brooks Rich & Tangy Ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 12 ounces corned beef (not corned beef hash)

Instructions

  • Brown the ground beef in a skillet or dutch oven together with the chopped onion. Drain the excess fat.

  • Add the corned beef to the beef and onion mixture and continue to cook the mixture, breaking up the corned beef, for about 5 minutes.

  • Add the remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 1238mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 390IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

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Grandma Iva's Sloppy Joe Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the sloppy Joe sauce made of? ›

What is the sloppy joe sauce made of? It's made with ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire, chili powder, garlic, dry mustard, and a little Tobasco (if you want). That sauce coats the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper to make the filling.

How to get sloppy joe sauce to thicken? ›

  1. Flour can be used similar to corn starch.
  2. Other thickeners used are bread crumbs, potato flakes and oats. ...
  3. Go gradually with these. ...
  4. Use oats to thicken sloppy-joes as to absorb the excess but it will be thicker the next day.
  5. Barley can be used but is more expensive.
Oct 29, 2021

How to make sloppy joes taste better? ›

Try serving your sloppy joes with their own toppings such as slaw, melty cheese, grilled pineapple, or Hatch green chile. Even just adding a pickle gives extra flavor and crunch, transforming it from a bland sandwich into something great, like the recipe below!

How many sloppy joes can you get out of a pound of hamburger? ›

Our classic sloppy joes recipe calls for 1 pound of ground beef to make 6 sandwiches, which is 3 ounces of ground beef per sandwich. Depending on the size of your bun and how meaty you like your sandwich, you can increase or decrease that amount an ounce or two either way.

What's the difference between Manwich and sloppy joes? ›

What is the difference between Manwich and Sloppy Joes? Sloppy Joes are the sandwich, while Manwich is the store-bought canned sloppy joe sauce, produced by ConAgra Foods and Hunt's.

Can I use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste for sloppy joes? ›

You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

Should you drain meat before adding sloppy joe sauce? ›

We suggest draining the browned beef, because excess grease serves as a barrier to sloppy joe seasonings.

Why is Sloppy Joe so sloppy? ›

Some attribute the original Sloppy Joe to a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, where, many years ago, in 1930 a cook named Joe added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches. Voila: a new between-the-bread offering, and the sandwich's official name.

How do I make my sauce thicker and creamier? ›

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

How do you jazz up sloppy joes? ›

Serve easy-to-make Manwich Sloppy Joes on sweet dinner rolls for a fun bite-sized treat the whole family can enjoy. Give your Sloppy Joe a unique spin by replacing hamburger buns with taco shells and adding a little cumin, crisp lettuce, shredded cheese, and juicy tomatoes.

What's the difference between a sloppy joe and a sloppy Jane? ›

If you're aiming to eat a lower-fat diet, then consider fixing yourself a sloppy jane. This variant on the sloppy joe swaps out regular ground beef for leaner beef. It also places a higher focus on vegetables and other low-calorie ingredients.

What do you usually eat with sloppy joes? ›

What to serve with Sloppy Joes (24 simple ideas)
  • Herb & Garlic Cheesy Mashed Potatoes.
  • Sweet Corn Salad.
  • Creamy Cucumber Salad.
  • Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Salad.
  • Hassleback Potatoes.
  • Potato Salad.
  • Mac and Cheese.
  • Coleslaw.
Apr 22, 2023

What is an American sloppy joe? ›

A sloppy joe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings served on a hamburger bun.

How many burgers does 2 lbs make? ›

You generally allow 4oz mince per person when making hamburgers, plus onion and any other flavourings. In which case, you should get 8 hamburgers from 2lbs of mince.

What toppings go on sloppy joes? ›

Garnish with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded pepper-Jack cheese, chopped avocado, pickled or fresh jalapeño slices and chopped cilantro, if desired. Hawaiian Variation: Prepare recipe as directed above, substituting 1/2 cup sweet barbecue sauce for tomato sauce and omitting Worcestershire sauce.

What are the ingredients in Hunt's Sloppy Joe sauce? ›

Ingredients. Tomato Puree (Water,Tomato Paste), Water, Sugar/Glucose-Fructose, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spices, Dehydrated Green Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Tomato Fibre, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Flavour, Spice Extracts.

What is in a can of Manwich? ›

Serve on hamburger buns. Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, less than 2% of: salt, sugar, dehydrated onions, dehydrated red and green bell peppers, chile pepper, tomato fiber, spices, guar gum, xanthan gum, dehydrated garlic, carob bean gum, natural flavors.

What can I use instead of Worcestershire sauce? ›

9 Worcestershire Sauce Substitutes That Get the Job Done
  • DIY Imitation Blend.
  • Reduced Balsamic Vinegar.
  • Soy Sauce.
  • Miso Paste.
  • Oyster Sauce.
  • Anchovy Paste.
  • Red Wine.
  • A1 Steak Sauce.
Apr 28, 2024

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