This Chicken Gumbo Sloppy Joe recipe is rich and flavorful with savory ground beef in a zesty sauce. An easy weeknight dinner you can have ready in under 30 minutes.
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Old fashioned sloppy joes with chicken gumbo taste like my childhood. My mom made them this way, and now I do too.
I love the rich, savory flavor, but also that they're so easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. Plus, they're easy to change up with different flavors like sriracha or, my favorite, BBQ sauce!
Now, I’m not sure how a can of chicken gumbo soup ended up in a sloppy joe recipe, but it makes sense. There's stuff like tomato puree, celery, onions, peppers, and a slew of seasonings in there. Plus, the rice adds heartiness and stretches the ground beef even further.
These quick and easy sloppy joes are perfect for weeknight dinners and casual gatherings, served with a side of Tuna Macaroni Salad or bowl of Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup, a big pile of potato chips, and classic Toll House cookie bars for dessert!
You’re going to love this
- Fast and easy dinner for busy weeknights
- Rich, savory, saucy sloppy joes
- Delicious leftovers that reheat and freeze well
Ingredients
Ground beef. I use 80/20 ground beef, but you can use lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
Onion. I use yellow onion, but you can use white onion, red onion, or whatever you have.
Chicken gumbo soup. One can of Campbell's Chicken Gumbo soup is the foundation for the sloppy joe sauce.
Ketchup. These homemade sloppy joes with ketchup have a sweet, tangy flavor.
Mustard. I use Dijon mustard because I like the flavor and I always have it on hand. Yellow mustard — or any type of mustard, really — also works.
Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds just a touch of rich sweetness we love in sloppy joes.
Worcestershire sauce. Worcestershire sauce brings that savory umami flavor that just makes beef taste beefier.
Chili powder. 1-2 teaspoons of chili powder is optional, but necessary in my book, to add more zesty flavor to the sauce.
Dash of cayenne pepper. This is optional. Just a dash does not make it spicy, but gives a little zing.
Recipe Variations
Jazz up your sloppy joe sandwiches any way you like! Add a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin ... whatever spices and seasonings you and your family love!
Here are some more ideas to put your own twist on traditional sloppy joes.
BBQ Sloppy Joes -- my favorite!: Omit the brown sugar and ketchup and add ¾ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. I especially love this homemade Jack Daniels BBQ sauce!
Cheesy Sloppy Joes: Spoon meat mixture onto the bottom bun, add a slice of cheese, and place it onto a sheet pan under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese. Add the top bun and serve.
Turkey Sloppy Joes: Replace the ground beef with ground turkey.
Open Faced Sloppy Joes: Instead of hamburger buns, serve over toasted French bread, garlic bread, or Texas toast.
Spicy Sloppy Joes: Add jalapenos, red pepper flakes, even more cayenne pepper, sriracha, or hot sauce to the sloppy joe sauce.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Brown ground beef with diced onions, salt, and black pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, 6-7 minutes. Drain excess fat.
Add remaining ingredients.
Step 2: Simmer until the sloppy joe mixture reaches your desired thickness, about 6-7 minutes.
Serve with your favorite bun. And if you’re like me, topped with chips — with plenty more for scooping up any saucy meat that falls off the bun.
Expert Tips
- If you're not using lean ground beef, drain fat after browning the meat before adding the sauce ingredients.
- Simmer the sloppy joe mixture until it's thick and saucy. If it goes a bit over and dries out, just add a little water.
- To give your chicken gumbo sloppy joe recipe even more cozy, homemade flavor, toast the hamburger buns. Butter the insides of the top and bottom buns and toast them in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes.
FAQs
If you’re using anything other than very lean ground beef, yes, drain off any excess fat from the browned ground beef before adding the sloppy joe sauce ingredients.
The best way to thicken this recipe for sloppy joes with chicken gumbo soup is to let it simmer so the liquid evaporates, allowing the sauce to naturally thicken.
Yes! Freeze sloppy joes in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze leftovers for 2-3 months. Source: USDA FoodKeeper App
More Easy Meal Ideas
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📖 Recipe
Easy Chicken Gumbo Sloppy Joe Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 10.5 ounce can Campbell's condensed chicken gumbo soup
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
- dash of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place the ground beef, diced onions, and salt and black pepper, to taste, in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown meat until it is no longer pink, 6-7 minutes. Drain away any excess fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until the sloppy joe mixture reaches your desired thickness.
- Spoon mixture onto your favorite hamburger buns.
Storage & Freezing
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat sloppy joe meat in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until warmed through or in a microwave-safe container in the microwave in 30-second bursts until warm.
- Freeze leftovers for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.
Notes
- Drain fat after browning the meat before adding the sauce ingredients.
- Simmer the sloppy joe mixture until it's thick and saucy. If it goes a bit over and dries out, just add a little water.
- To give your chicken gumbo sloppy joe even more cozy, homemade flavor, toast the hamburger buns. Butter the insides of the top and bottom buns and toast them in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes.
How much salt and pepper?
Hi, Emily, it's something I usually do "to taste," meaning, to our specific preferences. 1/2 teaspoon each is a pretty common recommendation, but if you're not sure, add a smaller amount, say 1/4 teaspoon each, after the ground beef has been fully cooked and taste it. You can add more right away or add the rest of the ingredients and taste it again to see if you think it needs more. I hope that helps! Enjoy 🙂
Delicious! I added 1 more tablespoon of brown sugar and omitted the Worcestershire sauce because hubster doesn’t like it in anything.
Thank you for the recipe!
Hi, Cheryle, you're most welcome, I'm so glad you enjoyed them :). Cara
Yum, yum, yum. My preschooler grandkids loved it as well as the adults.
Oh, good, I'm so glad everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing :). Cara
To me the worcestershire sauce is pretty overpowering. I have made it in the past with vinegar instead of worcestershire sauce and it blends in easier. But my question is: with this batch what can I do to tone down the smell and taste of that ingredient? Would adding more brown sugar help?
Hi, Mary, Brown sugar could certainly help tone down the richness, I might also try a bit more ketchup and a splash of lemon juice. And maybe even a splash of red wine if you have some. Let me know what you end up trying and how it works. Thanks, Cara