What’s the perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner? Well, these homemade sloppy joes of course!
It’s finally getting to be fall here in Arizona (it’s under 100 degrees, which is absolutely fall weather, haha) and to me that means soul food and home cooking!
One of my favorite things to fix on busy weeknights are these homemade sloppy joes (yes, from scratch – gasp!). And as you know, I’m big on one-pan meals, so the fact that this can be easily made in one pan and in less than 30 minutes is positively perfect!
I was never really a huge fan of the canned sauce or powdered sloppy joes (especially as a kid, I thought sloppy joes were gross), but once I started making homemade sloppy joes, we all fell in love!
Sometimes we splurge and have white whole wheat buns or cornbread, sometimes not, but either way, this is a tasty, good old-fashioned and easy dinner every time!

Homemade Sloppy Joes
PrintIngredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 TBS honey
- 1 TBS dijon mustard
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional, but it's yummy!)
Instructions
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook onion, carrots, and celery util tender.
- Add meat and brown.
- Drain fat from pan.
- Stir in garlic and cook until meat is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.
- Pour in tomato sauce, honey, dijon mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, and spices.
- Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until thick.
- Spoon meat onto lightly toasted buns or over cornbread and enjoy!
Try this easy and healthy one-pan chicken and veggies too!
Sloppy Joes are a favorite in my house! I’m always looking for new ways to reinvent them and I have to try these! They look so good! Thanks for linking up at delicious dishes recipe party!
Thanks so much Cynthia, I totally agree! π
Sloppy Joes in under 30 minutes?! Heck, yeah, I am loving this recipe!!! I also wish it was anywhere close to 100 degrees here haha; it’s been freezing for weeks now! π
Thank you so much Annie! Funny, I wish for cooler temps, I miss winter! Let’s trade! π
It’s been forever since I’ve made these. I like the carrot that you added to the recipe. On my list to make!
Thank you so much! I try to sneak in a few veggies in meals like this, my kids never even noticed – moming win! π
It’s been the same in SoCal – a definitely late start to winter (which I’m happy about). But now that it’s starting to get cold, these sloppy joes can warm me up!
Yes, Lisa – they’re perfect for that! π
This is such a simple recipe, I’m sure every family would love to try this!
Thank you so much, Erren! Yes, it’s a crowd pleaser for sure.
Just give me some tater tots and I have a great meal! I cannot wait to try out this recipe!
I agree Meg, tater tots are the best with sloppy joes! Thanks so much!
I never thought I could make these with turkey. These look perfect for tonight’s dinner.
Absolutely! I use turkey all the time and it’s delicious! Thanks Suchi!
I’ve seen sloppy joes countless times on Pinterest but I have never actually tried making them. Yours look so good that I am tempted to try them now!
Thank you so much Jovita! They’re a staple in our house because they’re so easy. π
LOL. I love your philosophy. My great grandmother (she lived to be just short of 101) always loved deserts. She judged how good a party or pot luck was by the number of desserts. π But, back to your recipe. It sounds wonderful. Put it on a gluten free English muffin or roll, and I would be happy. (Eat dessert first and make a plate to take home!)
Yes Amanda! Yes to all of that! Your grandmother and I would have been best friends! That’s one great thing about this recipe, there are lots of options, bun or no bun, gluten-free English muffin or even over zucchini noodles, which was, by the way, super good! Thank you so much. π
I make sloppy joes at home with chickpeas! I love making homemade ones– so much better than the canned sauce!
Oh Sarah that’s a great idea! I’ve never used chickpeas, but I love them in cooking! Thanks for the inspiration!