Sloppy Joes are THE sandwich of summer (if you want my opinion).
It's extremely hot where I live these days (100s) which means a piping hot meal or soup is out of the question.
While I don't mind eating salads and "bowls" (e.g. burrito bowls) my family definitely gets tired of them.
I also find I can't serve the typical sandwich (e.g. PB&J, "Eggless" Egg Salad, Mock Tuna) since they're eating those for lunch.
Which leads me back to the sloppy joe.
To us, a sloppy joes feels more like a meal, especially when served "open face" with a side of vegetables. My husband is a big fan of air-fried frozen brussel sprouts or cauliflower florets.
I've also created ten (10!) interesting variations to keep old Joey exciting. You can find these recipes in the Meal Mentor app (or web planner).
- African Sloppy Joes (Vetkoek)
- BBQ Sloppy Joes
- Caribbean Sloppy Joes
- Messy Puttanessies (Italian Sloppy Joes)
- Pizza Joes
- Pumpkin Sloppy Joes
- Sloppy Buffalo’d Joes
- Sloppy Srirachies (Asian-Style Sloppy Joes)
- Tex Mex Sloppy Joes
- Thai Sloppy Joes
There's also Sloppy Joe Spaghetti for when you get tired of buns ;)
Really, ANY of the Joes above could be put over spaghetti, rice, or even a baked potato or sweet potato to extend options.
For even more variations, substitute shredded tempeh, diced or crumbled extra-firm tofu, cauliflower "rice" or florets, white beans, lentils, or shredded zucchini for the base.
There's also 14 delicious vegan "Slider" recipes, which is just another style of sloppy joe IMHO.
bangin’ sliders
bbq cauliflower (or jackfruit) sliders
bbq peach sliders
bbq sweet potato sliders
bbq tofu sliders
bolognese sliders (italian-style)
buffalo ranch sliders
butternut bbq sliders
hawaiian bbq sliders
hawaiian sliders
korean bbq sliders
pulled “pork” sliders
torta sliders (mexican-style)
tropical bbq sliders
ALL of these recipes can be found in the Meal Mentor app or using the Web Planner.
Click the link for my "OG" recipe a.k.a. The classic sloppy joe, adapted from Happy Herbivore Light & Lean cookbook.
LENTIL SLOPPY JOES RECIPE HERE.
BUT before you skip off to the recipe... Here's a fun fact:
Sloppy Joe's are called a Taven in Iowa, and a Slushburger in the Upper Midwest and North Dakota. Other names include barbecues, Manwich, spoonburgers, steamers, yum yums, and wimpies. If you watched the show Rosanne in the 90's, she was always serving up "loose meat" sandwiches, which same-same.
Stay cool friends!
