How to Make Sloppy Joes

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 4, 2023 Tested

Sloppy joes are an all-American favorite! Prepared with ground beef, ketchup, tomato sauce, and a few other common ingredients, these delicious sandwiches are a barbecue staple, but also work as a quick dinner or lunch fix. Sloppy joes are also a great way to use up leftover hamburger meat and buns and are almost impossible to mess up. Just remember - the sloppier, the better!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef, chicken, or turkey
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 hamburger buns, split

Steps

1
Cook the meat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Make sure all the meat is cooked thoroughly. Drain all the grease and fat out from the pan.
2
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan.

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3
Mix everything together while getting the mixture to a boil.
4
Turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for at least 10 minutes; if you want the mixture to be drier, you can continue for about 30 to 40 minutes.
5
Remove the pan from the heat. Fold the mixture a few times so the simmered ingredients aren't sitting in one part of the pan.
6
Toast the hamburger buns. Toasting the bread will give it that crispy taste as you sink your teeth into the sandwich.
7
Scoop a generous amount of the sloppy joe mixture on each of the bottom hamburger buns. Gently lay the top hamburger bun on top of the mixture.