Oven-Baked Sloppy Joes
This is my all-time favorite sloppy joe recipe -and I’ve tried a lot! Instead of browning the meat on the stovetop, it is cooked low and slow in the oven, resulting in a highly flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Everyone needs a good sloppy joe recipe. If you’re looking for yours, I’ve got you covered.
I grew up eating sloppy joes all the time. My mom’s recipe was great, but never exact. She would (and still does) dump a little bit of this and a little bit of that into the kettle, adjusting amounts as needed.
It wasn’t until last year that this new sloppy joe recipe came into our lives. The recipe made its rounds in my hometown, appearing at concession stands and potlucks. When my family tasted it, we went nuts. There was something deliciously different about it.
Turns out, the ground beef mixture was slowly baked in the oven – not cooked on the stove top.
The result is a flavorful sandwich with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. There is something about slow-cooking the meat that makes it very tender.
Sloppy Joe Serving Suggestions
- Serve them classic style, on a bun and topped with a pickle.
- For a paleo-friendly version, do a Sloppy Joe in a bowl. Top the meat with chopped onions, tomatoes, pickles, and vegan cheese.
- Serve on lettuce leaves and toppings for an easy lettuce wrap.
- Make a walking taco. Open a small bag of Doritos, add some sloppy joe meat, top with salsa, chopped onions and tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.
I also must mention: In my hometown in southwest Minnesota, we don’t actually call these Sloppy Joes. We call them “barbecues”. If you go into a restaurant and order a barbecue, this is what you will get. What do you call them where you’re from?
Love Sloppy Joes? Try These Similar recipes:
- Spicy version: Spicy sloppy joes
- Vegetarian version: Black bean Sloppy Joes
- Fancy version: Caramelized onion Sloppy Joes
- A twist on the classic: Cheesy tomato SPAM-wiches
- Pie style: Cheesy sloppy joe pie
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Oven-Baked Sloppy Joes
I like to make a large batch and freeze so I have meals ready-to-go.
Feel free to half this recipe if you want a smaller amount.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs ground beef
- 1 envelope onion soup mix
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 16 ounces ketchup (half of a 32-ounce bottle)
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (eliminate for Paleo and Whole30 diets)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large roasting pan. Using clean hands, mix everything together until incorporated.
- Place in a 250F oven and bake for 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove excess grease that rises to the top of the pan, if desired.
I love sloppy joes and have not thought about making them for months! Now I’m going to have to make them in the next few days or go crazy- they look so good! Great idea to do them in the oven :c)
Thanks, Greta! I think you’ll like this recipe if you like the traditional kind 🙂
For the ground beef, what fat percentage do you use?
I use 80% or 85%. Great question!
My family loves sloppy joes. I’m trying this, this fall. Looks great.
These sound very tasty. If they are as good as your mom’s, they must be!
Do you bake covered or uncovered?
Good question. Uncovered.
Sounds like a great recipe! Once a month I make a meal for 40 people for our local shelter. If I double this it will be perfect. I agree the ratio of fat and meat I use is 80/20. Thank you! Alicia
What a kind gesture! Yes, I think this would be perfect!
I fix sloppy joes for my summer camp kids every year and I make the meat ahead of time. I never even thought about slow cooking them. I need to do 30 pounds and I have access to a commercial convection oven. Every year I thaw/reheat it in a pot on the stove and no matter how low the flame, the bottom of the pot scorches and burns and I spend all week soaking and scrubbing. This will be a game-changer. Thank you!
How many will this serve?
Hi Maria – this recipe makes a lot: Enough meat to fill approximately 25 buns.
Just double checking.Mix everything into the raw meat and cook it for 3hrs on 250? Do you still have to drain the grease off using 80/20?
Hi Daphne – You certainly can skim off the grease but it’s not absolutely necessary. And yes, you just mix everything together and bake it low and slow.
I really want to try this recipe, but we are two old-empty-nesters.
Does it make sense to make it for us for one meal?
Can you adjust it to us?
Hi Rose! Certainly. For 5 to 6 sandwiches (probably enough for 2 people for 2 meals), I would use:
1 lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons brown sugar