Sloppy Joe Meatballs
9/8/2025
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Turn my classic sloppy joes into juicy delicious meatballs! Simmered in my tangy homemade sauce, these sloppy joe meatballs are perfect for serving in a bowl or on a sandwich for dinner, or even with toothpicks as a game day appetizer. I can’t wait for you to try this recipe in your own kitchen ❤️❤️.
recipe highlights ⤵️
High in protein — 27g of protein per serving in JUST the meatballs to be exact!
So so simple to make — no need to heat up the oven, this recipe is made completely on the stovetop.
Tastes JUST like sloppy joes — If you’re a sloppy joe lover like me, I also have a classic sloppy joe recipe and these sloppy joe bowls that are on the regular rotation at my house.
A Few Featured Ingredients
- Ground beef: I prefer using ground beef for my sloppy joes, but this recipe will also work with ground chicken, turkey or pork. Chicken and turkey are leaner than ground beef, and tend to need a little extra oil in the meatball mixture. Pork tends to be a bit fattier, so you may need to add additional breadcrumbs.
- Italian bread crumbs: this is what gets the meatballs nice and crispy on the outside while also adding savory flavor from the Italian seasoning.
- Parmesan cheese: you’ll put the parmesan cheese right in the meatball mixture. It not only adds rich and salty flavor, it also helps the meatballs retain their moisture (aka meatballs that are juicy and never dry!).
- Tomato sauce: the base of my homemade sloppy joe sauce! Don’t substitute this, please and thank you 😋😋.
- Light brown sugar: all sloppy joes need a little sweetness, and the brown sugar does just that!
Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below.
Time to Get Cooking
This recipe is really quite simple, and can be broken down into a few simple steps:
- Prepare the meatballs
- Prepare the sauce
- Cook the meatballs
- Add the sauce and simmer
- Serve and enjoy!
Find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
My Favorite Ways to Serve
I love serving these sloppy joe meatballs in a bowl! If you’re new around here, the gals and I at Fit Foodie Finds love a good bowl recipe, and honestly, nothing is more perfect for it than meatballs. My go-to for this recipe is pairing the sloppy joe meatballs with a simple slaw, diced sweet potatoes and topped with a burger sauce. Yum!
This recipe would also be delicious on a bun ala meatball sammies 😋😋.
Storage Directions
Let your sloppy joe meatballs and sauce cool completely. Then, transfer into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
How to Freeze Cooked Sloppy Joe Meatballs
- Brown meatballs: Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet making sure the pan is thoroughly greased. Brown meatballs on all sides for 8-10 minutes total. Use a pair of tongs to turn each meatball every few minutes, being careful not to burn the outsides. Cook meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Make sloppy joe sauce: Make the sloppy joe sauce and add it to the meatballs.
- Cool meatballs and sauce: Let the meatballs cool completely.
- Freeze: Once cooled, transfer them into a gallon-size freezer-safe bag with the sloppy joe sauce. Remove as much air as possible and then seal. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Stove Top Skillet Recipes
- Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
- One-Pot Pesto Chicken Quinoa Skillet
- Summer Squash Chicken Skillet
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- ALL Stovetop Recipes
Sloppy Joe Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground beef, 80% lean/20% fat
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, option to sub gluten-free or whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, + more for topping
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small white onion, finely grated (~¼ cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, separated
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a bowl. Use a spoon or your hands to mix the ingredients together until combined. Scoop 1.5 tablespoons of the meat mixture into your hands and roll it into a ball. Set aside and repeat until all of the meatballs have been made.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 1-2 minutes each side. Do not fully cook the meatballs, they will continue to cook in the sauce. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Next, prepare the sauce. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion to the saucepan and season with a pinch of salt and chili powder. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, saute for an additional minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar to the saucepan and whisk the ingredients together. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet with the meatballs back onto medium heat. Pour the sloppy joe sauce over the meatballs. Move the meatballs around so they are coated in sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook the meatballs in the sauce until they reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Remove from the heat and serve the meatballs in a bowl, on a bun or as an appetizer.
Tips & Notes
- Feel free to use any type of ground meat. Chicken and turkey are lean and tend to need a little extra oil in the meatball mixture. Pork tends to be a bit fattier, so you may need to add extra breadcrumbs.
- This recipe can be made gluten-free if you use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Make your own bread crumbs by combining ½ cup panko, ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning and ½ teaspoon salt.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
