Copycat Manwich Sloppy Joe Recipe

Even though a lot of people stop eating sloppy joes once they graduate from elementary school, developer Patterson Watkins has fond memories of eating them as a kid, always made with the Manwich brand of canned sauce. As she says of the dish, it was "a meal that I could proudly assemble solo." As for why she — or you — might want to recreate what she calls a "canned classic" from scratch, she notes that she frequently has all of the necessary ingredients on hand, so why not? Sure, it may take a bit more work, but as she says, you can tweak the basic components to better fit your preferences.

Another thing about making DIY Manwich sauce is that the storebought stuff contains high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, xanthan gum, and various unspecified "natural flavors." Watkins's recipe, on the other hand, is flavored far more naturally with ingredients right out of your spice cabinet. Also, instead of this sloppy joe sauce coming in a limited range of can sizes, you can easily scale the recipe either up or down to make as much or as little as you need.

To make the Manwich-type sauce, you'll be using olive oil, bell peppers (Watkins uses both red and green ones), tomato sauce, tomato paste, honey, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dried minced onion, dried minced garlic, allspice, and cayenne. If you add some browned ground beef, salt, and burger buns, you can turn the sauce into sloppy joes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan or high-sided skillet over medium heat.

Once hot, add the bell peppers and saute for 5 minutes, or until tender.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, honey, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, allspice, and cayenne to the pan.

Whisk to combine and bring the sauce to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet.

Once hot, add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 8–10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, add the cooked ground beef to the sauce.

Stir to combine and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt.

Divide the sloppy joe mix between the buns and serve with your favorite fixings.

Watkins notes that this recipe makes great leftovers and, and also says that the sloppy joe sauce is far more versatile than you might think. It's fairly similar to the beanless chili that is used for chili dogs, so go ahead and pour some over a hot dog or sausage. You can use it to beef up a queso dip or make nachos or tacos, while it could also be used to top rice, ramen, or baked potatoes. Watkins tells us that as a kid, she liked to put Manwich sauce on macaroni and cheese and notes that her childhood take on chili mac is even better with this scratch-made version.

According to Watkins, this sauce should be good in the refrigerator for up to three days, but she says you can freeze it, as well. For convenient reheating, you might want to store the leftovers in either single-serve, resealable containers or heavy-duty, pint-sized plastic baggies.

One of the best things about making DIY Manwich sauce is that it provides "ample freestyle opportunities," Watkins says. "As long as you keep the meat to sauce ratios somewhat similar, you can customize this recipe to your heart's content." One way you can do this is by adding more stuff to the mix. If you prefer a spicy sauce, you can stir in between 1 to 4 tablespoons of diced hot peppers when you start sauteing the vegetables. Other flavor-enhancers include scallions, chives, or cilantro, while dairy can also work wonders. In Watkins's opinion, "A cup of grated cheddar added during that last 5 minutes of the cook makes for magical results."

You can also change up some of the core ingredients, most notably the meat and the bread. For the former, Watkins says ground chicken or turkey would work, as would a plant-based ground meat substitute. In place of the bread, Watkins suggests biscuits, Texas toast, or garlic bread, while swapping burger buns for hot dog ones might make your joes less sloppy. If you want to go the low-carb route, you could even opt for a lettuce bed instead of bread.