Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe – Better and Healthier Than Store Bought!

Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on the can of Sloppy Joes sauce?

If you haven’t, the most likely first ingredient will be High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Don’t stop reading there, you may also find regular corn syrup, white sugar, or brown sugar listed as well. 

I grew up eating homemade sloppy joes, so when I first tried sloppy joes made with a store-bought sauce at a friend’s house, I was shocked at how sweet the mixture tasted.  My friend had always made sloppy joes this way, never even trying to make her own sauce. 

She challenged me to making sloppy joes taste just like hers without the HFCS. So after adapting our standard recipe to be a little sweeter the taste test was on! Needless to say, she was convinced that my recipe was made with canned sauce.

She now makes large batches of homemade sloppy joes and freezes them for a quick meal whenever needed. Mission accomplished!

Looking for other homemade recipes? Check out our Homemade Coney Sauce Recipe

Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef

1 cup ketchup

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 tsp prepared yellow mustard

1 tbsp green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1⁄4 tsp celery seeds

1⁄4 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp dried onion flakes

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet, then drain off any fat.

2. Add remaining ingredients to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

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