If you’re a mom, you need this recipe. If you have a spouse, friends, if you eat at all, you need this recipe! Because when everybody’s best childhood memories meet a classic game day favorite, you get something so good, it’s a must have. Homemade Sloppy Joes Sliders never disappoint!
Get ready for that smoky, tangy, saucy beef you remember on lightly crisp, upgraded slider buns with just a few special touches to keep your Sloppy Joes never soggy, party ready and forever a family favorite.
Love sliders as an easy meal or weekend game day snack? Try my Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders, Pineapple Red Pepper Jelly & Ham Biscuit Sliders, Crock Pot BBQ Beef Pot Roast Sliders & my Ultimate Leftover Turkey Sliders to satisfy all your cravings.
What Makes This Recipe Special
My Pawpaw called Sloppy Joes “Gosh Burgers” as in “oh my gosh, this is so good!” and a little “oh gosh, I can’t keep it on the bun.”
But dare we say these Sloppy Joes are better than our moms and/or grandmas used to make? It’s dangerous territory, I know. But I haven’t met anyone yet who hasn’t agreed.
- No seasoning mix or canned sauce needed. These are sooo much better! Just simple ingredients from your pantry will make you hero-of-the-day every time you serve these.
- Get ready for a smoky, beefy, well-seasoned sauce that is thick and hearty, not overly messy.
- A touch of parmesan creates a savory, just a little salty layer between the beef & that bottom bun to keep things from getting soggy. We’re not talking a giant cheesy layer that interferes with the flavors you love, just enough to keep the buns in tact, even if you go back for seconds.
- A light egg wash and a splash of Chia seeds across the top for added pizzazz (and some crazy good nutrition). Why shouldn’t your sliders be exceptional?
- From stovetop to the dinner table, these mini sloppy joes are old school simple and fast!
Talk about old school, we’ve been eating sloppy joes since the 1940s. Check out a little history here. Sandwich & Fashion??
What To Know Before Getting Started
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Shopping List
- ground beef (Use ground turkey to make Sloppy Janes!)
- tomato paste
- ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- light brown sugar
- dijon mustard
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
- ground black pepper
- shredded parmesan cheese
- egg whites
- Chia seeds
- slider buns
Veggie Add-ins: Diced green bell pepper and yellow or white onion are great additions to your sloppy joe sauce as long as you keep the dice small.
How To Make Homemade Sloppy Joes Sliders
- Brown meat in a large skillet over medium heat. While the meat browns, mix the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl to make the sloppy joe sauce.
- When the meat is browned and drained, fold the sauce into the meat. The ground beef mixture needs to remain thick. Add ¼ C water if you need to loosen it some, but thicker is better for sliders.
- Line a 9×13 baking pan with the bottom halves of the slider buns.
- Cover the bottom half of the buns with finely grated parmesan cheese and bake in your over at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted.
- Spoon the sloppy joe meat sauce evenly over the melted parmesan. Put the bun tops on and lightly brush with egg whites. Sprinkle with Chia seeds to top.
- Bake in your heated 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. The tops of your buns will be a shiny golden brown.
Important Tips
1) The thicker the sauce, the less “sloppy” these joes are which comes in handy when you’re eating a these mini versions while watching the big game or for a quick dinner on a Tuesday night.
2) The thick sauce also keeps the buns from getting soggy since these little sloppy joe sliders might have to sit a bit if you’re serving them at a tailgate or fall party. You can always add ¼ C water to loosen the sauce some, but don’t go overboard.
3) I’ve heard some say that adding cheese to a sloppy joe isn’t “authentic.” But the addition of cheese became popular in the 1950s & 60s, so I’m good with adding just a tad on the bottom bun and melting it before adding the meat sauce to protect the bottom bun from sogginess.
4) If you don’t want to serve these as sliders, simply make the ground beef sauce and serve on your favorite hamburger buns. (I love a good sesame seed bun!)
What To Serve With Sloppy Joes
- We love to serve Garlic Parmesan Sweet Potato Wedges and Sweet Heat Bread & Butter Pickles with these sliders.
- But they are also pretty tasty with a side of my special recipe for Roasted Broccoli too.
- Creamy stovetop mac & cheese is always a hit or sneak in that veg with my Broccoli Mac & Cheese.
- Speaking of vegetables, a soup and sandwich combo is a great comfort meal when the weather is chilly. We like Short Cut Parmesan Cauliflower Soup with our Sloppy Joes.
Making Them Ahead of Time
Homemade Sloppy Joes are super quick and convenient to make. But sometimes it’s helpful to be able to make them ahead of time, especially if you’re prepping for game day, a fall party or a tailgate. In that case, making the meat sauce a day or two before, storing it in the refrigerator, then assembling and baking your sandwiches the day of will help!
Planning a tailgate or serving these sliders for the big game? Here are a few of my favorites for bringing that experience to life!
- Burger Baskets
- Newsprint Deli Papers/ Basket Liners
- Cocktail/Sandwich Picks (I use these in the video below.)
- Cocktail Napkins
- Flat Edge Spatula (One of my all-time favorite kitchen tools.)
- 9×13 pan with lid
- Penalty Flags (Such a fun party favor. Everybody loves to throw a flag for bad calls, missed calls and all those plays that don’t go our way.)
Watch How They’re Made
Homemade Sloppy Joes Sliders Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- ½ cup ketchup
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (Add extra ¼- ½ teaspoon, if needed)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 egg whites beaten
- 2 tablespoon Chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Brown meat in a large skillet over medium heat. While the meat browns, mix the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl to create the sloppy joe sauce.
- When the meat is browned and drained, fold the sauce into the meat. The sauce needs to remain thick. But if you feel the sauce is too thick, add ¼ cup water to loosen it some.
- Line a 9 x13 pan with the bottom halves of the slider buns.
- Cover the bottom half of the buns with parmesan cheese and bake in your oven until the cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).
- Take the buns from the oven, spoon the sloppy joe meat sauce evenly over the melted parmesan. Put the bun tops on and lightly brush with beaten egg whites. Sprinkle tops with Chia seeds.
- Put bake in the oven for 5 minutes. The tops of your sliders will be a shiny golden brown.
Nutrition
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