Classic and comforting sloppy joes are always a quick, easy and delicious dinner. This sloppy joes recipe made with ketchup and mustard is my favourite!

Sloppy Joes on brioche bun with sweet pickles.

When it comes to quick and comforting meals, it’s hard to beat sloppy joes! I’ve tried a number of different recipes over the years, but this is the one I always return to. Made with ketchup and mustard, this is a great panty dinner.

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Ingredients and substitutions

A few notes about the key ingredients …

Ground beef – You can use any type of ground beef, from medium to extra lean. The extra fat will be spooned off and discarded after browning. That said, my preference is always for medium (80/20) ground beef for sloppy joes if possible.

Ketchup – Use your favourite ketchup for these sloppy joes.

Mustard – Regular yellow prepared mustard is all you need.

How to make sloppy joes

Mixing the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup.
1
Browned ground beef in the skillet.
2
Draining the fat from the ground beef.
3
  1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup and stir to combine. Set aside.
  2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet.
  3. Tip the skillet slightly so the fat flows to one side, then spoon off and discard.
Adding the onion to the browned ground beef.
4
Ground beef and onion after cooking,
5
Adding the mixed sauce to the ground beef and onion
6
  1. Add the diced onion to the skillet with the ground beef.
  2. Cook the onion and ground beef together until the onion is softened.
  3. Add the prepared sauce mixture to the skillet and stir together. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to low to simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Removing the cover from the sloppy joes.
7
Sloppy joes after cooking,
8
Spooning out the sloppy joes.
9
  1. Remove the lid from the skillet.
  2. The finished mixture should be thick and saucy.
  3. Spoon the sloppy joe mixture onto toasted buns and enjoy!

Recipe tips!

Sloppy Joes on brioche bun with sweet pickles.

Making ahead, storing and freezing

The ground beef mixture can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat in a skillet, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce if needed.

The cooked ground beef mixture for the sloppy joes can be frozen for up to 3 months.

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Sloppy Joes on brioche bun with sweet pickles.

Get the Recipe: Sloppy Joes

Classic and comforting sloppy joes are always a quick, easy and delicious dinner. This version of sloppy joes made with ketchup and mustard is my favourite!
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the sloppy joe sauce:

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon light or dark brown sugar, *see Note 2 below
  • 1 Tablespoon white granulated sugar
  • 1 lb ground beef, *see Note 1 below
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced

For the sloppy joes:

  • 4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
  • sweet pickle rounds, optional

Instructions
 

  • In a 2-cup measuring cup or bowl, combine the ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar and white sugar. Stir together well and set aside.
  • Add the ground beef to a lidded skillet and place over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook the ground beef, stirring occasionally, until all the pink is gone. Tip the skillet slightly and use a spoon to move the ground beef to the higher end. All the fat should run to the lower end. Use a spoon to spoon off and discard the excess fat, leaving just a Tablespoon or two in the pan.
  • Add the onion to the ground beef and cook it together with the ground beef until the onion is softened about 3-4 minutes. Add the sauce to the skillet and stir in to combine. Reduce the heat under the skillet to LOW and place the lid on the skillet.
  • Allow the mixture to simmer covered, for 25-30 minutes. Remove the lid. The mixture should be thickened and just a little saucy. If it is too thick, add a splash of water to loosen up the sauce. If it is too thin, allow to simmer uncovered for a minute or two.
  • Spoon onto toasted buns and add some sweet pickle rounds on top of the meat, if you like.

Notes

Note 1: You can use any grade of ground beef. I prefer medium ground beef. We will be spooning off the excess fat, but a little left behind adds nice flavour to the sloppy joes.
Note 2: If you prefer your sloppy joes a little less sweet, reduce the sugars to 1/2 Tablespoon each. 
I love to serve sloppy joes with my Dill Pickle coleslaw, but potato salad is also nice.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe. You’ll also find substitution suggestions and step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 505kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 932mg, Potassium: 600mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 315IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Leaving a review! is always helpful and appreciated by fellow cooks!

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