Ground Meats
$1.63per plate
Prep
10 min
Ground Meats · Sloppy Joes
Homemade Sloppy Joes
The homemade sloppy joe sauce comes together from things already in the door of your fridge, and it beats the canned stuff by a mile for a few cents more. Ketchup, a little brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire simmer with browned beef into a sweet, tangy, saucy pile that a soft bun can barely contain. It is a fifteen-minute weeknight dinner that kids inhale, and one pound of beef feeds five. Skip the can; once you see how easy the sauce is, you will not go back.
$1.45per plate
Estimated recipe total
$7.24 · serves 5
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
5
1 How to make it
1
Brown the beef and vegetables
Cook the ground beef with the onion and bell pepper until browned, then drain the fat. The pepper and onion melt into the sauce and add sweetness.
2
Build the sauce
Stir in the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and mustard. This is the homemade sloppy joe sauce, sweet, tangy, and savory all at once.
3
Simmer to thicken
Let it simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce clings to the meat and is no longer runny. A thick mixture stays on the bun instead of soaking through it.
4
Toast and pile
Toast the buns so they hold up, then spoon the saucy beef on top. Serve right away, with napkins.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey. A leaner, often cheaper swap; add a splash of oil since turkey renders less fat.
- Serve it differently. Spoon the mixture over rice, baked potatoes, or a split biscuit instead of a bun to change up the meal.
- Add a can of beans. Stir in a drained can of beans to stretch it to six or seven servings and add fiber.
- More or less sweet. Adjust the brown sugar to taste, or add a dash of hot sauce to balance the sweetness with heat.
3 Budget tips
- A homemade sauce from ketchup, sugar, and mustard costs pennies and saves you buying a can of sloppy joe mix.
- One pound of beef, stretched with onion and pepper, fills six buns and feeds five.
- The saucy beef freezes well, so make a double batch and stash half for a future no-cook night.
- Serve it over rice or a baked potato instead of buns to skip the cost of bread entirely.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
The sloppy joe meat keeps, covered, for 4 days and reheats even better than day one; store the buns separately so they stay fresh.
Freezer
Freeze the saucy beef for up to 3 months in a flat bag; thaw overnight or reheat straight from frozen in a pan with a splash of water.
Reheating
Warm the meat in a pan or the microwave, loosening with a spoonful of water or ketchup if it has thickened, and toast fresh buns to serve.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
360
Protein
19g
Fat
16g
Carbs
34g
Per-serving figures are estimated from standard ingredient data and are not medical or dietary advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
How do I make sloppy joe sauce from scratch?
Simmer ketchup with a little tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire into the browned beef. That combination gives the classic sweet-tangy flavor with no can of mix required, for just a few cents more.
How do I keep sloppy joes from being runny?
Drain the beef well after browning and let the sauce simmer until it thickens and clings to the meat. A too-wet mixture soaks through the bun, so cook it down before you serve.
What can I serve sloppy joe meat on besides a bun?
It is great over rice, a baked potato, or a split biscuit, or scooped up with chips. Any of these skip the bun and change the meal while using the same saucy beef.
How is the price per plate worked out?
The estimated $7.24 total divided by 5 servings comes to about $1.45 each, buns included. The beef and buns are the main costs, so sales on either lower it.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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