Sloppy Joe Sliders with homemade sloppy joe filling inside soft buns are a tasty appetizer for a party or game day.
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What Makes Sloppy Joe Sliders So Snackable
It's hard to look classy when eating a Sloppy Joe. That's not such a bad thing. Why not bring a little fun back into snacking by cooking up a batch of these Sloppy Joe Hawaiian Roll sliders?
Whether cooking for your family or feeding a game-day crowd, these homemade Sloppy Joe Sliders make the ideal snack, appetizer, or kids' meal.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Maybe it's the name or the awful memories of school cafeterias, but Sloppy Joes tend to fall near the bottom of the hot sandwich hierarchy. But this may be the recipe that helps the humble Sloppy Joe regain its rightful place among other popular hot sandwiches.
Forget about using canned sauce, and spend a few minutes making these beauties from scratch, and you will have a brand-new appreciation for the Sloppy Joe sandwich.
Ingredients For Sloppy Joe Hawaiian Roll Sliders
To prepare the homemade Sloppy Joe Sliders Sauce, you'll need:
- Chopped tomatoes, canned
- Ketchup
- White distilled vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Worcestershire sauce
Instead of canned chopped tomatoes, you can use an equal amount of pasta sauce, but the chopped tomatoes give the Sloppy Joe sauce a little more texture.
For the Sloppy Joe meat, you'll need:
- Ground beef chuck
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Celery, chopped
- White onion, chopped
- Garlic, minced
You can use lean ground beef for this recipe if you want.
To assemble Sloppy Joe Sliders on Hawaiian rolls, you'll need:
- Hawaiian rolls
- Softened butter
If you prefer, you can use regular slider buns or even dinner rolls, but Hawaiian rolls have the ideal texture and a slight sweetness that pairs well with the acidity of the Sloppy Joe sauce.
Equipment You Will Need
You can cook Sloppy Joes on a stovetop or outside in a skillet on a grill.
How To Make Sloppy Joes
To mix up the sauce:
- Mix the distilled white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl. Continue stirring until the brown sugar dissolves.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and ketchup. Stir to combine.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep it for later.
To cook the meat:
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Drain off most of the fat, but leave about two tablespoons in the skillet.
- Add the chopped celery, onions, and garlic to the browned meat.
- Cook until the onions begin to soften.
- Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Pour in the Sloppy Joe sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and cover the skillet to keep the meat warm.
To assemble Sloppy Joe Sliders:
- Spread a thin layer of softened butter on the inside of the buns and heat them cut-side down in a dry pan until they are lightly browned. This step not only adds a slight crunch, but the butter will keep the buns from getting too soggy.
- Spoon the meat on the toasted bottom buns and cover with the top bun.
- Serve immediately.
What Goes With Sloppy Joe Sliders
Fries and onion rings are okay, but they can be a bit too upscale for pairing with Sloppy Joes. It may be better to think old-school and serve them with a bag of potato chips, Potato Sticks, or Hot Fries. Grilled Corn on the Cob or homemade coleslaw would make an excellent veggie side.
Variations
There are dozens of ways you can gussy-up this Sloppy Joe Sliders recipe. Here are a few:
- Cheesy Sloppy Joe Sliders. Place a slider-sized slice of your favorite cheese on the bottom bun before topping it with the hot meat.
- Sloppy Joe Sliders With Bacon. Crumble some cooked bacon on top of the meat.
- Spicy Sloppy Joe Sliders. Rough chop pickled jalapeno peppers and stir them into the cooked ground beef.
How To Store the Leftovers
You can keep any extra Sloppy Joe meat mixture in the fridge in a sealed container for up to three days. For longer than that, try freezing.
- Line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper.
- Pour the ground beef mixture on the tray.
- Freeze for about two hours until the meat is frozen.
- Use a metal spatula to divide the frozen meat into portions.
- Transfer the frozen and portioned meat to a freezer bag.
- Freeze for up to three months.
What's the Best Way to Reheat Sloppy Joes
The quickest way to reheat the meat for the sliders is in the microwave:
- Place the meat mixture in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Cover the bowl and heat a single portion for about 30 seconds or until hot. Give the meat a good stir and serve. You can microwave frozen Sloppy Joe meat, but you will need to heat it for at least twice as long.
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Ingredients
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 14.5 ounces canned chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ cup chopped celery
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 16 slider buns
Instructions
- To make the sloppy joe sauce, combine the vinegar, ketchup, tomatoes, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and mix well.
- To make the sloppy joe filling, brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, and season with salt and pepper. When the meat has browned, drain it and return it to the skillet.
- Add the celery, onion, and garlic to the skillet, and stir to combine. Cook until the celery and onion are just beginning to soften.
- Add the sloppy joe sauce to the skillet and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Toast the slider buns under the broiler until they just begin to brown.
- To serve, spoon the sloppy joe filling over the bottom buns and cover with the top buns.
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