This simple comfort food–homemade sloppy joe–is so much more satisfying when you know you made it yourself at home. What’s even better is the knowledge that it is way simpler than you may have thought. I love making the discovery that a meal that we, culturally, have begun to associate as coming from a box or a can is actually so easy and delicious when made at home. This one is no exception!
Grab an index card and keep reading to learn the simple process for making a traditional family favorite. Jot the ingredients and brief notes on your index cards and hang it on your fridge to streamline dinner time in your home. Pair this with my homemade hamburger buns!
Basic Ingredients
Ground meat – You can use any kind of ground meat in this recipe. Hamburger is the traditional pick, but it is also delicious with any other option. Use what you have, mix and match, and enjoy the various results!
Onion – You will miss the onion in this recipe if you have to leave it out for some reason. However, you can replace the diced onion with 1/4 of a cup of dried, chopped onions, or a teaspoon of onion powder if you need to. If you don’t like onions or can’t eat them, just leave them out and expect a difference in flavor.
Tomato sauce – 28 ounces will seem like a lot of tomato sauce for 1 pound of meat. However, it will simmer down the longer you allow it to cook. It is ideal for about 1.5 pounds of meat, but you will need more sauce if you are trying to cook 2 pounds.
The seasonings and additions – Each of these additions are necessary to make the traditional sloppy joe flavor. You can use any type of mustard and expect slight flavor differences. I highly recommend adding a dollop of mustard to really enhance and mimic the sloppy joe flavor that we expect.
Additionally, as I often note with skillet dinners like this one, feel free to add any chopped vegetables that you enjoy. Peppers and carrots are two great options that fit seemlessly into these kinds of meals, and they are our family’s favorites.
The process
The process for making this dish is so painfully simple that this will be a short section. The hardest part of making this meal is remembering what to put in it. That is why Manwich was marketable. But truthfully: once you have the knowledge, it takes you no longer to make it yourself! Enjoy your simple homemade sloppy joe as an easy two step, one skillet meal with the satisfaction of knowing you did it in your own kitchen.
Brown the meat and diced onions in a large sauce pan.
Add the tomato sauce and all the other ingredients, stir well, and allow to simmer.
The Recipe
Enjoy the traditional comfort food favorite made right in your own kitchen. Taking 20 minutes from start to finish, turning this meal into a from scratch, winning dinner is as easy as popping open the can!
Ingredients
1-1.5 lbs of ground meat
1 medium onion
1 can of tomato sauce (28oz)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Optional: 1 tbsp mustard
Optional: Diced peppers/carrots/veggie of your choice
Directions
- Brown the meat and the onions (and any optional veggies) in a large skillet
- Add the tomato sauce along with all the other seasonings and add-ins
- Allow the sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes, and then remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
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