Easy Sloppy Joes + 12 Delicious Ways To Transform The Leftovers

I’ve never disliked Sloppy Joes, but I never made them very often until quite recently. I don’t know that there’s any particular reason I didn’t make them other than not having a recipe for them on hand, but now that I have one, Sloppy Joes have quickly become a part of our regular dinner rotation.

Related: Firefighter’s Macaroni Goulash + 20 More Frugal Ground Meat Recipes

Two of the best things about Sloppy Joes, as I’ve recently rediscovered, is that they’re easy to throw together at the end of a busy day, and they make great leftovers! In fact, I’ve learned no less than 12 different ways to transform leftover Sloppy Joe mixture into something equally easy and delicious.

In this post, I’ll share my simple and dependable Sloppy Joes recipe with you, and those 12 ideas for putting the leftovers to good use. (In fact, I’ve started doubling the recipe just to ensure I’ll end up with leftovers! They keep in the fridge for about a week, or you can freeze them flat to keep them fresh longer.)

So let’s get to it!

Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp cooking oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 oz canned tomato sauce
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1-3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp mustard

Note: Plus hamburger buns, for serving!

Directions:

Prepare the sauce by combining the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and some black pepper (to taste) in a bowl or measuring cup. Stir well and set aside.

Set a wide pot or pan over medium heat and add the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the beef begins to brown.

Add the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant and the beef is cooked through, about 1 minute. Drain the excess fat from the mixture, if necessary.

Pour the sauce mixture over the browned meat, stir to combine, and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt, pepper, and/or brown sugar to taste, then scoop the mixture into hamburger buns and serve.

12 Delicious Ways To Transform Leftover Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are delicious as is, but there are a lot of other delicious ways you can use the meat mixture. Whether you want to use these ideas from the start or as transform your leftovers, here are a dozen tasty options to try:

1. Stir it into queso for an extra hearty dip for tortilla chips.
2. Turn it into a casserole.
3. Stir into mac and cheese for a protein boost.
4. Use it as a topping for nachos.
5. Use it as a filling in quesadillas.
6. Top baked potatoes with it.
7. Spoon it over hot dogs for a twist on chili dogs.
8. Spoon it over fries and top with cheese for a twist on chili cheese fries.
9. Combine it with cooked rice, spoon into bell peppers, and bake at 350°F until peppers are soft, then top with melted cheese for tasty stuffed peppers.
10. Use it as a filling in grilled cheese sandwiches.
11. Add it to an omelet.
12. Spoon it onto crescent rolls with shredded cheese, then roll them up and bake as usual.

How else could you transform Sloppy Joes?