These Creole Sloppy Joes are a fun, kicked-up version of the classic sandwich that’s packed with even more flavor! The best part is you probably have just about everything you need for this recipe already in your pantry.
This post is sponsored by my friends at Tony Chachere’s, but all opinions expressed are my own – just as always. Thanks for supporting the brands that support me and my family.
Many of us grew up having sloppy joes as a quick and affordable meal on busy weeknights. Mom would open up that can of sauce and stir it into some cooked ground beef and supper was ready. It was easy and pretty dang delicious.
Now, while the canned stuff appeared on the market in the 60s, folks had been making sloppy joes for nearly 30 years prior, according to some historians. As the story goes, sloppy joes were born when a cook named Joe at a Sioux City, Iowa cafe added tomato sauce to his loose meat sandwich recipe.
Now, I’ve probably eaten umpteen helpings of the canned stuff, but I like my sauce to be a little tangier. So, I’ve been making them from scratch for quite some time. I even like to use the filling to make Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers. So it’s fair to say that I love me a good sloppy joe.
That’s why it made perfect sense to me to give my traditional recipe a twist and create these Creole Sloppy Joes.
This recipe builds on my standard recipe but adds in some petite diced tomatoes – which add some great texture and flavor – and a healthy dose of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning – to give them tons of flavor and a little kick.
And since the little ones love the joes but don’t normally love the heat, I didn’t make these super spicy. That said, you can certainly add more creole seasoning if you wish.
My recipe calls for just ground beef, but I typically like to use ground chuck. Even though it creates a little more grease to have to drain away, I feel like the fat content helps to keep these moist. That said, leaner ground beef, ground chicken, and ground turkey will also work. The great thing about this recipe is that you can tailor it to suit your taste. If you like a bit more bite, add some more Tony’s. Want it tangier? Add some more apple cider vinegar. More brown sugar will make them sweeter. Every family is a little different and making these from scratch means you can change them up to make the mouths you feed even happier.
Recipe Card
Creole Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 small green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 (14-ounce) can petitie diced tomatoes
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning ((or more to taste))
- Buns for serving
Instructions
- Brown onions and green peppers with ground beef over medium heat until meat is cooked through and vegetables are soft. Drain the grease away and return the meat to the pan.
- Over medium-low heat, add garlic powder, mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, brown sugar, diced tomatoes (undrained), and ketchup. Add the Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning. Mix well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve on soft hamburger buns.
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Sharyl Connor
Stacey, Thanks I see the Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe I can use.
Sharyl Connor
Stacey, I just want to make sure. Can this recipe be cut in half. Thanks. (Its just me.)
Absolutely, you can definitely cut the recipe in half! Enjoy!
Mika
Excellent, I recommend seasoning it with authority. Thank you for the wonderful recipe
Glad you enjoyed it, Mika!
JimmyB
I made these last night and they were delicious! I followed the recipe pretty closely with only a few exceptions. I only used 1 lb. of ground beef so reduced the amount of ketchup to 1 cup. I can’t do really spicy food so just used 1 teaspoon of Tony’s Creole seasoning. Everything else at the same proportions. My kitchen helper dozed off and left the rest of the fixins on the stove. I came down around midnight and saw it on the stove and could not resist a few more spoons of it. It seemed even better at that late hour. Thank you for sharing such a good and EZ recipe.
Wonderful, Jimmy! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
Sounds delicious! So glad to hear it turned out great for you!
cheg
These look absolutely delicious!
Thank you!!
Latasha
Hello, I want to use this Creole spice Mix it ssem to be missing an ingredient between thyme and oregano.
I’m not sure what you’re referring to? The Tony Chachere’s seasoning is missing something?
Paula
Latasha, I see that you’re referring to Mary’s Creole Spice Mix recipe that she posted for those of us who don’t have access to Tony Cachere’s product. I’d guess you could use a Tablespoon of dried basil. I realize it’s been awhile since you’ve asked, but for anyone else who was wondering…there ya go.
Lisa
These sound terrific! Thanks for the recipe.
Hope you’ll enjoy them!
Mary
Creole Spice Mix
This is a good spice mix to have around. Rub it on pork loins before roasting, or toss with hot Idaho potato, Potato Chips or French Fries.
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Susan
Your recipe got two thumbs up for dinner tonight!
I’m so glad y’all enjoyed them!!
Linda Klein
Could you give me the ingredients from the “Tony’s creole seasoning or give me a replace ment? Would love to make this recipe but live in ND and Creole Seasoning is very scarce to not existant!
WinnieMom
I’ve been making homemade sloppy joes for years. For the diced tomatoes I use a can of Rotel (tomatoes with the chili’s added). We don’t care for a sweet version so I leave out the sugar and catsup. Using a good tomato sauce in its place. Otherwise it is your recipe. My better half would rather have a good sloppy joe instead of a hamburger.
Thanks for posting.
Glad to hear I’m in good company! 🙂