Taco Sloppy Joes

Over a decade ago, I shared my recipe for Convention Sloppy Joes.

It was our go-to recipe for convention food. It was LIKE classic Sloppy Joes, but created as a way to get a TON of vegetables - and some protein - in, while staying in a hotel for a convention weekend. It was super tasty, and basically the best sloppy joe recipe to live on for a few days.

... but that was the only homemade sloppy joes recipe I developed, for over a decade!

Once we got really into camping, we started making all kinds of sloppy joe sandwiches, and posting the recipes on 2 Nerds in a Truck.

We started with some Traditional Sloppy Joes)... but then branched out a little with things like Cajun Chicken Sloppy Joes, Indian Sloppy Joes, Mexican Sloppy Joes, and Sloppy Giuseppes, and Pizza Sloppy Joes.

Of course, I couldn’t leave it at that, so started getting a bit weird with it. I’m guessing that my Big Mac Sloppy Joes, Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes, Cuban Sloppy Joes, Korean Beef Sloppy Joes, Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes, Puttanesca Sloppy Joes, and Thankgiving Sloppy Joes might stretch the definition of Sloppy Joes a bit TOO far... but hey, they’re really tasty!

Like all of those recipes, this is a delicious sloppy joe recipe, featuring a homemade sloppy joe sauce recipe that is easy to make, and tastes FAR better than any store-bought sauce.

And hey, it’s all real ingredients - you’re avoiding the high fructose corn syrup and other additives that are usually present in commerical canned sauce, too!

It’s also a quick and easy recipe - you can’t beat these 30-minute meals on busy weeknights, and this one is a great option for game day spreads.

Whenever you’re serving it, it’s sure to become a family favourite... so let’s look at what you’ll need to have on hand!

Ingredients

This recipe uses mostly pretty simple ingredients - you shouldn’t have any trouble finding what you need in any larger grocery store.

As always, I have some ingredient notes for you:

Lean Ground Beef

I tend to default to lean ground beef (or even extra lean ground beef) for this recipe, but I’ve also made it with Beyond Meat (pictured throughout this post).

Much like with taco meat sauce in general... you can also use ground turkey or ground chicken.

Either way, do try to use lean meat. If you’re not using lean meat, just be sure to drain off the excess fat before adding the veggies.

h4>Poblano Pepper

Traditional Sloppy Joes tend to use green bell pepper, but for this Tex Mex inspired Sloppy Joes... I prefer to use poblano peppers - when I can get them.

When I can’t, a regular green pepper - or even red bell pepper - works just fine as a substitute.

Chunky Salsa

Pick a tomato based salsa that would go well with your choice of meat and taco toppings.

When I’m using ground beef, I like to keep it pretty basic - a fairly traditional salsa, maybe with the addition of corn and/or black beans.

While I’ll generally avoid fruitier salsas when making a basic taco sloppy joe, variations like pineapple salsa or peach salsa go really nicely with ground pork or ground chicken.

I just find the flavour either clashes with or is overshadowed by ground beef, you know?

Taco Toppings

These next few ingredients are more of a suggestion than anything. They’re not needed for the actual sloppy joe filling, but are fun ways to TOP your sloppy joes sandwiches.

Basically, just go with whatever you like to put on your tacos!

For us, that usually means some combination of:

Chopped Tomato (Or Red Pepper)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Sliced Jalapenos
Sour Cream

Have fun with it!

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Hamburger Buns
Yellow Onion
Olive Oil
Ground Black Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Crushed Chilies
Dried Oregano
Garlic Powder
Ground Cumin
Salt

... I just really don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go. Pretty basic stuff!

Sloppy Joes Nachos

If you’re looking for a gluten free option that doesn’t involve expensive, gross gluten free buns... consider making Taco Sloopy Joe Nachoes.

Yes, it feels like you’re starting on one theme (Mexican), twisting it to another (Sloppy Joes), then looping right back to where you came from, but hey... it works!

I wasn’t in the mood for GF buns when we made this batch, so I just piled my helping of sloppy joes filling on some corn tortilla chips, and topped it from there.

... It was really, really good!

How to Make Taco Sloppy Joes

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the visual walk through:

Optional Make-Ahead Prep

I like to pre-chop the veggies and vacuum seal them into storage baggies, along with a snack sized Ziplock baggie with the measured spices.

It’s so quick and efficient to do multiple batches for the freezer, perfect for our camping trips or lazy weekday suppers!

You can use the frozen veggies as-is, or thaw the first.

Taco Sloppy Joe Filling

Before getting started, have all your ingredients prepped, and everything measured out. This cooks up QUICKLY!

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add the ground meat and olive oil.

Note: For this batch of sloppy joe filling, we used Beyond Meat - that’s why it doesn’t look quite right!

Cook - breaking up the meat as it cooks - just until it’s about halfway cooked. Add the chopped poblano pepper and onion, continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, another 2-3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, stir well to combine.

Turn the heat down to medium low heat, allow meat mixture to simmer for a few minutes, or until thickened to the texture you like.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Assembly

Split your hamburger buns, toast if desired.

Divide sloppy joes mixture between your toasted buns, top with your choice of taco toppings, and serve hot!

Goes well with any number of sides - classic coleslaw, dill pickles, potato chips - or potato salad - a side salad, or even sweet potato french fries.

Just don’t forget to have plenty of napkins on hand, as well!

Leftovers

Leftover Taco Sloppy Joes mix can be cooled to room temperature, then stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Reheat before serving.

More Sloppy Joe Recipes

Love Sloppy Joes in any form? Here are some tasty variations to try!

Big Mac Sloppy Joes
Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes
Cajun Chicken Sloppy Joes
Cuban Sloppy Joes
Indian Sloppy Joes
Korean Beef Sloppy Joes
Mexican Sloppy Joes
Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
Pizza Sloppy Joes
Puttanesca Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Giuseppes
Thankgiving Sloppy Joes
Traditional Sloppy Joes