Sloppy Joes for a Crowd

Total Time

Prep: 15 min. Cook: 1 hour

Makes

16 servings

Updated: Oct. 21, 2022
My mother-in-law created this recipe in the early 1950s. She prepared it many, many times before she was happy with the end result. Our family likes these satisfying sandwiches served with pickles and potato chips. -Sharon McKee, Denton, Texas

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons celery salt or celery seed
  • 2 teaspoons onion salt or onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 16 hamburger buns, split

Directions

  1. In a Dutch oven, cook beef and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
  2. Cook, uncovered, 30-40 minutes longer or until thickened. Discard bay leaves. Serve 1/2 cup of meat mixture on each bun.

Nutrition Facts

1 sandwich: 249 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated fat), 28mg cholesterol, 547mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate, 4g fiber), 16g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 meat.