I’m always looking for ways to make dinner time easier without wasting food or money. This homemade Sloppy Joe recipe is a perfect example of how you can take a few pantry staples and a handful of fresh ingredients, stretch it into multiple meals, and stock your freezer for another night when you aren't in the mood for cooking There’s something so satisfying about knowing a homemade meal is waiting in the freezer, ready to go for a busy night.
Budget Friendly Simple Swaps
Sloppy Joes are comfort food at its finest. They are a quick, family-friendly, and budget conscious meal. Instead of opening a can of mystery meat sauce, this homemade version is full of flavor and a extra nutrition. This recipe is perfect for using up things in you fridge like leftover pizza or marinara sauce, bell peppers before they go soft, or even extra cheese.
Stretching Meat Servings
I added chopped peppers and celery to the meat mixture for this recipe. Adding extra veggies boosts the flavor and nutrition. They also help stretch the meat, making it last longer. Since meat tends to be one of the priciest items on our grocery list, finding simple ways to make it go further really helps with our food budget.
I do something similar when I batch cook taco meat. This small tweak lets me serve hearty portions while still being mindful of our spending.
Batch Cooking Sloppy Joes
After you have enjoyed your sloppy joes, you can put the remaining meat mixture into glass containers. These can be put directly into the freezer to future meals. I prefer freezing things in meal sized portions so it's easy to grab for a dinner. Knowing that it is already portioned out makes it easier and keeps the freezer more organized. Besides glass containers, I also love freezing meals in Souper Cubes.
Easy Dinner Ideas
If you're looking for more meal ideas, I have an entire series on YouTube with meals that I am making in 2025. Below is one of the videos, but be sure to check the description for links to the other videos in that series!
Reducing Food Waste
Recipes like this for using up vegetables before they go bad are an important part of having a zero waste kitchen. If you want more recipes for using up fresh produce as well as tips for washing and storing produce, check out my Zero Waste Produce Guide. This full color, hardcover book is filled with helpful information. There are step by step instructions for washing and storing 75 produce items and over 40 recipes.
It is available in The Cross Legacy Shop and on Amazon.
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup celery
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 28 oz tomato puree, marinara sauce, or pizza sauce
- 2 T ground mustard
- 3 T Worcestershire sauce
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown onions in olive oil until translucent
- Add peppers, celery, and garlic
- Cook for one minute
- Add ground beef and cook thoroughly
- Drain off excess fat if necessary
- Add tomato paste, tomato puree, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste
- Let simmer for 5 minutes
- Serve on buns
- After cooled, divide remaining portions into freezer containers for meal prep
Leave a Comment