It’s National sloppy joe day and I couldn’t help but make one of my childhood favorites! My mom used to make these often and she must have clipped the recipe from the newspaper or a magazine (yes, that’s how people got recipes back in the day pre-internet) and it was only as an adult that I found out it was unusual as far as sloppy joe recipes go. It has way more mustard than any other recipe I’ve ever seen and it has to be plain yellow mustard. Don’t use something fancy here. Since I knew no better, I once went to a friends for dinner and they made the Manwich style from a can and they were more tomato sauce based and I didn’t like them as much as my moms. They were bland to be honest.
This recipe only has a few ingredients and that’s another reason why I like it. Did I say it was simple? I didn’t lie! Sometimes, simple is best. With the explosion of ground beef products out there, this makes this recipe even more legit and like I remember. Any brand of vegan ground beef or crumbles will work. This is savory and piquant (an extra point Scrabble word!) and literally can be assembled in minutes. The bun options are pretty endless too, but these are great as sliders. You could make this in an instant pot, but it’s just as easy on the stove top.
Topping options:
- Pickles – dill or sweet, your choice!
- Vegan cheese – yes please!
- French fries or tater tots. Yum.
- Chopped red onion.
- Jalapeños – pickled or fresh.
See notes for additional information. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. They take me back to a simpler time. It’s funny how food and mostly smells can trigger memories. Let me know in the comments what food does that for you!
I always use Spike seasoning as my preferred seasoned salt, so if you cannot find it at your local store, you can order it from Amazon using the link at the bottom of the page.
Best Vegan Sloppy Joes
6
servings10
minutes15
minutesThis is my mom’s recipe for sloppy Joe’s made vegan!
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon oil or vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lb ground vegan beef
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon Spike seasoning or your favorite seasoned salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground black pepper
Burger buns & toppings of your choosing
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Directions
- Sauté the onion with salt in the butter or oil over medium/low heat until translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and beak it up with a fork or even a potato masher works well. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until slightly browned but not burned. (The salt helps the onions sweat out some moisture.)
- Add ketchup, mustard, seasoning salt, black pepper and liquid smoke (if using) and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes for flavors to meld.
- Serve on buns with toppings of your choosing.
Notes
- Don’t use fancy mustard. Plain yellow is best.
- Any ground vegan meat would work. You can also use the equivalent in burgers, just make sure they’re fatty. Crumbles are an option but just know they don’t have the same fat content and the end result might not have the same mouthfeel. Fat = flavor!
- Not a lot of salt is used as both the ground meat and condiments all contain salt so resist the urge to over-salt!
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