The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes with Heinz Chili Sauce

This Heinz chili sauce sloppy joes recipe is sure to take you back to your childhood. Perfect for kids and adults alike, it's an easy weeknight dinner that's ready in a total time of less than 30 minutes!

A quick mix of Heinz chili sauce and other pantry ingredients flavors the ground beef for a not-too-sweet mixture that pairs perfectly with sour dill pickle slices. I bet this old fashioned sloppy joes recipe will become your family's favorite sloppy joes like they are in our house!

I didn't grow up eating sloppy joe's at home--instead I would get them for school lunch or Wednesday night supper at church. I've always been a hamburger lover so it's no surprise that I would love a messy sloppy joe.

It's essentially chopped up hamburger with ketchup and mustard mixed in, and I've found that the chili sauce adds an extra zing to the mix of ground beef and sauce. Whip up this easy recipe and see how yummy it is for yourself!

If you need some ideas on what to serve with this sloppy joe sandwich, I recommend my skillet macaroni and cheese. It's made with three cheeses and is kid friendly too. Another perfect recipe to serve with these are my tostones (twice-fried plantains).

They're a lot like French fries in flavor and texture. For a dessert the kids will gobble up, try my vanilla and sprinkles whoopie pies or mini s'mores pies. Now, let's get to these oh-so-easy sloppy joes!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tasty Tip
• Frequently asked questions
• Related
• Pairing
• 🍽Get the recipe
• Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
• Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this easy homemade sloppy joe recipe:

• butter
• lean ground beef (I used ground round)
• Vidalia or other sweet onion
• green bell pepper
• garlic
• Heinz chili sauce
• yellow mustard
• brown sugar
• Worcestershire sauce
• apple cider vinegar
• hamburger buns
• dill pickle slices

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!

Hint: If you use a fattier ground beef mix like ground chuck, drain any excess fat after browning so the meat mixture isn't too greasy.

Substitutions

Need some ingredient substitution suggestions? I've got you covered:

• Ground beef - I find that ground round offers just the right amount leanness. You can also use ground chuck, but you'll likely need to drain off the excess fat after browning the meat. You can also use ground turkey, ground chicken, or meatless crumbles for the sloppy joe mixture.
• Vidalia onion - I'm a Georgia girl so I use these sweet onions as often as possible. Use another sweet onion like a Walla Walla or Maui onion in place of the Vidalia onion if you'd like.
• Bell pepper - Use a red bell pepper, orange pepper, or yellow instead of the green pepper.
• Heinz chili sauce - I love the tanginess of the chili sauce but you can use ketchup instead.
• Hamburger buns - Feel free to substitute a brioche bun, pretzel buns, French rolls, or your other favorite hamburger bun.

Variations

Looking for other ways to change up this recipe? Here are some ideas:

• Spicy - If your family likes recipes on the hotter side, add a little crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the chili sauce mixture.
• BBQ Sloppy Joe's - Use your favorite bbq sauce instead of the chili sauce.
• Cheesy - Add a slice of Cheddar cheese just after you spoon the hot meat mixture onto the buns.
• Pizza Joes - Use tomato sauce instead of the chili sauce mixture and top servings with slices of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need for this recipe:

• dry measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• chef's knife
• small bowl
• whisk
• wooden spoon

Storage

Store any leftover sloppy joe meat mixture separate from the buns in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

These delicious sloppy joes freeze nicely! Store the meat mixture in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Tasty Tip

This is a great meal prepping recipe. Make when you do your weekly food prep and store the meat in an airtight container for 3 days.

To reheat, place in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the mixture is too dry.

Frequently asked questions

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with these Heinz Chili Sauce Sloppy Joes:

🍽Get the recipe

Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips

When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:

• Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
• When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
• I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
• When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Food safety

Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.

• Be sure to cook the ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F when tested with a meat thermometer.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov