Homemade Sloppy Joe
A simple and just plain good homemade sloppy joe recipe that doesn’t take away from the ease of making dinner. Great make-ahead meal and perfect for your next picnic, bbq, or outdoor get-together.
For my Sloppy Joe recipe, I use my Everything BBQ Rub for the seasonings in my sauce. It adds sweetness and spice. The soy and Worcestershire sauces add amazing umami flavor and the pineapple is what gives it sweetness.
This recipe does use a lot of meat. Don’t worry, it’s a freezer-friendly meal! You can split this in half, eat one half and take the other half, let it get to room temp, and freeze it in a freezer-safe bag. -It will last 4 months in the freezer.
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I am convinced, that this is the BEST homemade sloppy joe recipe, and no one will convince me otherwise. It’s messy, saucy, a little sweet, and has a little kick to it.
For my Sloppy Joe recipe, I use my Everything BBQ Rub for the seasonings in my sauce. It adds sweetness and spice. The soy and Worcestershire sauces add amazing umami flavor and the pineapple is what gives it sweetness.
This recipe does use a lot of meat. Don’t worry, it’s a freezer-friendly meal! Check the details in the storage section.
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What Makes This Recipe the Best?
Four reasons to love this One-Pot Rigatoni Ragu recipe:
- It uses my Everything BBQ Rub to give you all the flavor you need.
- It’s freezer friendly see Storage for all the details.
- It makes up quickly and easily. I’m serious. Under 40 minutes.
- This all comes together in one pot or you can put it all in a slow cooker for a buffet style serving!
Here’s the gist of how to make a good Sloppy Jo
Or you get the full recipe below.
- In a large skillet on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the ground beef, salt a pepper.
- Cook and Drain the Ground beef. Put back into the skillet
- Next, add the bbq rub and cornstarch) to the ground beef (burner still on medium heat), and stir until the meat is completely coated.
- Then, pineapple juice, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and molasses. stir until combined.
- Finally, add V-8 and continue to mix until completely combined and bubbling.
- Serve on your choice of buns and sides.
Storage
Sloppy Joe’s are a great make-ahead meal perfect for days when you don’t have time to cook that day. This recipe uses 3 pounds of meat because we have a huge family (5 kids and 3 adults currently live in my home). But for those of you with a much smaller family, you can split this in half or thirds and freeze in freezer-safe bags for multiple meals!
- Refrigerate in a storage bag/container for 3 to 5 days.
- Freeze in a freezer-safe bag, for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Check out my post on Free Printable: Grocery List & Menu for easy meal planning.
Did you try it, have questions?
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Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 people 1x
Description
A simple and just plain good homemade sloppy joe recipe that doesn’t take away from the ease of making dinner. Great make-ahead meal and perfect for your next picnic, bbq, or outdoor get-together.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- 1 [14.5 oz can] petite diced tomatoes
- 8 oz bbq rub (omit salt if you use my homemade rub.)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons molasses
- 3 cups Tomato Juice
Instructions
- In a large skillet on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the ground beef, salt a pepper.
- Cook and Drain the Ground beef. Put back into the skillet
- Add the BBQ rub and cornstarch to the ground beef (burner still on medium heat), and stir until the meat is completely coated.
- Add the pineapple juice, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and molasses. stir until combined.
- Add tomato juice and continue to mix until completely combined and bubbling.
- Serve on your choice of buns and sides.
Equipment
Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker, Black
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KitchenAid Universal Bamboo Short Turner, One size, Wood
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Lodge Cast Iron Pan, 12″, Black
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Storage
- Refrigerate in a storage bag/container for 3 to 5 days.
- Freeze in a freezer-safe bag, for up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, lunch
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 561
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 267
- Fat: 36
- Saturated Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 29
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 33
- Cholesterol: 121
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©Photo, Prop Styling, and Food Styling by Jenn Smith
