For a sloppy Joe, I must say this is one good looking sandwich.
Yesterday, I decided it was about time I added a recipe to the blog for some delicious homemade sloppy Joes. Sure, you can find sloppy Joe mix at the store, but I feel they don’t end up tasting quite as good as the kind you can make at home.
Homemade sloppy Joes aren’t a dish we serve all that often in this house. Probably because we’re too busy experimenting with new things.
It is a dish however, that reminds me of the fact that sometimes simple meals can be absolutely delicious.
For some reason, I have it in my head that simple recipes aren’t as good as more technical ones. I don’t know why…
I’m working on the problem though, I promise.
So with that being said, why would I bother adding this recipe to the blog at all then?
Well, it’s quite simple really. Homemade sloppy Joes are easy to make and kids love them. After all, what kid doesn’t like making a mess right? And I have to admit, they taste pretty darn good too.
It’s easiest to dice the vegetables up like you see here, and then throw them into the pan at the same time once the ground beef or ground turkey is almost (but not quite) done cooking.
Now, the reason I believe this recipe for homemade sloppy Joes tastes so good, is simple. Are you ready for the answer?
It’s because I made it!
Seriously though, I’m just kidding. Or am I?
Anyway, it’s basic sloppy Joe ingredients which get simmered in a large sauce pan for about half an hour.
It really isn’t that precise of a recipe, so you can adjust the ingredients are add new ones as you see fit. That’s the beauty of homemade sloppy Joes. You have a lot of freedom when making them.
Not everyone simmers their sloppy Joe sauce like I do either. However, I think the simmering process helps to fully blend the flavors together.
Hold the Ketchup
Some recipes call for ketchup. And while I’m not opposed to using ketchup in some recipes, I do try to avoid using it for the most part. Sometimes however, it comes in handy such as in different barbecue sauces you can find on our Everything Barbecue Sauce page, or as an ingredient in sweet and sour sauce for dipping sweet and sour chicken in.
You may notice that the recipe calls for a lot of tomato sauce, and it will look like too much when you dump the tomato sauce in, but it will get simmered and it will get thicker I promise. That’s also why I put a little tomato paste in as well.
What you’ll want to do is find the temperature where the sauce only gently simmers. If it’s too hot, you’ll get tomato sauce bubbling up and splattering on your stove top.
Also, try and fight the urge to cover the pan
I highly recommend using kaiser rolls as opposed to hamburger buns. The one downfall? They’re chewier and definitely make your homemade sloppy Joes even sloppier. But I think we can all agree, if you’re going to eat sloppy Joes in the first place, you have to accept there will be a bit of a mess.
It’s an important point I want to get across. Sloppy Joes by nature need to be messy. It’s something I think just needs to happen. They’re meant to be part delicious, and part fun. Especially for a child. It might require a little extra clean up at the end of the meal but who cares?
I say it’s worth it.
Another thing that really makes this recipe shine are the toasted kaiser rolls. The kaiser rolls are absolutely so much better than hamburger buns in my opinion.
Lightly buttering the rolls and toasting them in a frying pan really helps bring the sandwich to a new level. But don’t worry, if you only have hamburger buns, the sloppy Joes will still turn out great. Just not kaiser roll great.
And now, without further delay I will post the recipe below for your eating pleasure. I hope you and your family enjoy the recipe, and please let us know what you think in the comment section below.
A perfect summer meal! Homemade sloppy Joes served with Southern potato salad and crispy Kettle style chips.
Homemade Sloppy Joes
By: Semiserious Chefs
Serves: 4 – 6
Ingredients:
- 4 – 6 kaiser rolls + unsalted butter for toasting
- 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
- 1/2 cup green peppers (diced)
- 1/2 cup onions (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 29 oz. can (822 g) tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add ground beef or turkey. Cook over medium heat, while breaking the meat into crumbles with a spatula or large wooden spoon until mostly done.
- Add green peppers, onions, and garlic. Continue cooking and stirring for another few minutes or until the meat has fully browned.
- Drain the fat from the meat and return meat to heat source. Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, tomato paste, chili powder and black pepper.
- Mix thoroughly, and let the sauce gently simmer for 25 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- If it isn’t thick enough continue simmering until desired thickness is reached. This recipe is designed to provide enough sloppy Joe sauce for 4 – 6 sandwiches. It’s up to you how thick you want each sandwich.
- Slice kaiser rolls in half and lightly butter the face of each half.
- Toast halves in a separate frying pan over medium heat until slightly crispy but not burned.
- Scoop sloppy Joe mix onto the bottom half of the kaiser roll, and then cap the whole thing with the top half of the kaiser roll.
- Repeat for as many sandwiches as you want.
- Serve with chips and potato salad for a dinner the whole family will enjoy.
2 comments on “Delicious Homemade Sloppy Joes Served On Kaiser Rolls”
I recently made quinoa sloppy joes and was shocked at how good they were. No, they are not quite as good as good beef sloppy joes, but I think you could add them to your list of what to make sloppy joes with as long as you have a good sauce recipe, which it looks like you do. Thanks for the recipe, I just have to find some kaiser rolls and then I will definitely check and see if your sauce is as good as you claim.
I think that sounds like something Vanessa would totally try. She loves healthy food after all. Thanks for the comment and I hope you like the recipe as much as we do.