Sloppy Joes

The last two summers, our parents served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Heber Valley Girls Camp in Northern Utah. They often called us to fill us in on the different recipes they had at their weekly potluck with the other missionaries. This particular recipe for sloppy joes is the one they raved about again and again. When my mom showed me the recipe I was like “Oh, yeah, sure Mom…I will have to make this sometime”…but kept putting it off. I fully admit I was feeling just fine with my old ‘Manwich” sloppy joe in a can. Finally, she gave up on trying to get me to make them myself and she made them for me. Thanks, mom! I think the thing that made me most skeptical was the addition of tomato soup—that sounds really weird to put in homemade sloppy joes! I’m happy to report that I was truly amazed at how GOOD these were! The tomato soup really just takes the place of your tomato sauce or tomato paste that you would usually use in sloppy joes, so if you think of it that way it doesn’t seem so weird. These were full of flavor and I can honestly say I will never buy sloppy Joe sauce in a can again. As always, mom knows best! Want to shake it up a bit? Use this recipe to make Sloppy Joe Cups, and it will take them to a whole new level. Yum!

Where Did the Name Sloppy Joe Come From?

The origin of sloppy joes is debatable. Three main institutions are credited with the invention: a cafe in Iowa, Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, and another aptly-named restaurant called Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Havana Cuba. It’s actually a pretty interesting story. This article does a great job of tracing the origins from the three places. It seems like the most accepted theory of origin is the “loose meat sandwich” from Iowa. I’m glad the name has changed, though!

What Kind of Cheese Tastes Best on a Sloppy Joe?

To be fair, not everyone loves cheese on a sloppy joe, but it is delicious, so give it a try! Provolone is a favorite, but cheddar, American, mozzarella, and Swiss cheese are all delicious on sloppy joes.

Other Quick Dinners with Ground Beef

How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes

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