You remember the sloppy joe that they used to serve in school in the 80s and ’90s? Well, this is the recipe that your lunch lady used. It comes from quantity recipes for school food service from 1988. And it is exactly how you remember it. The original recipe makes 50 servings. And while I could eat that many, I’ve scaled it down to a more sensible 10 servings. Now, today when we think of sloppy joe’s, this is the dish that most people are picturing. But that wasn’t always the case. Because beginning in the 1930s, a sloppy joe could really refer to any sandwich with lots of meat on it. In fact, they likely descend from a sandwich from the Midwest that was called the loose meat sandwich, which does does not sound appealing to me at all. Not that sloppy joe really does. Anyway, by the 1950s, the term seems to have settled to mean something like this 1988 version where you brown some ground beef, then stir in some onion and garlic powder, then add tomato paste, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, dry mustard, pepper, and brown sugar, and then let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Now, for extra authenticity, I think it needs to be served on the very cheapest hamburger buns that you can possibly find. And they are absolutely delicious. These sandwiches are a little sweet and a little tangy, and they’re packed with a whole lot of nostalgia. Definitely try this. It’s super easy to make. full videos up on YouTube and the recipes at tastinghistory.com.
26 Comments
You forgot the Campbells alphabet soup.
Serve with Baked Tater Tots….
I put Worcestershire sauce in it
I'm thinking more like 1970
What if you don't like onions?
Why do Americans feel the need to put sugar in everything? No need to put sugar in minced meet for god's sake 😮💨
Can confirm it is spot on.
Now do the taco meat that Ponderosa served for nachos in the salad bar
I will always think of It Takes Two.
Still eat 'em about once a month.
Loved them but the onions always got to me (caramelized never crunchy is ok in small amounts) but they always had onion bits too big, numerous and crunchy in every bit and it put me off so much. Thanks for the recipe! Now we can make with the right spices!
Sloppy Joes are a classic americana dish imo
Looks ideal for pasta
Crazy that school lunches were actually food at some point. Everything they served for lunch were prepackaged or frozen from boxes. All they did was put stuff in the oven from a pre made thing or put the stuff in plastic bags into boiling water to heat up. Then once warm dumped into those trays.
Loose Meat sandwiches are actually amazing
I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't really like sloppy joes. Haha! This video helped me figure out why though. I think it's the tomato paste. Haha!
A variant of the sloppy joe is the juicy lucy, which is a burger with cheese stuffed inside the patty.
This is ground beef + all the ingredients for barbecue sauce
You forgot the sliced cheese on top it was served that way in grade school. delicious
I really want a sloppy joe now.
Sometimes in the winter my mom will make the “man”wich sloppy joes and slap a piece of cheese and just the tiniest tinest amount of mayo and it’s honestly so comforting and good
Will eat a sugar filled dog food sandwich but loose meat sounds grose riiiiiight
Does this taste the same as Manwich sauce?
Loose meat sandwich is my lady’s nickname 😂
Loose meat is just another term from shredded. Like shredded chicken. It does sound crazy tho
I wasn't really a fan of the school's sloppy Joes. I preferred my grandmothers, which was basically ground beef mixed with condensed vegetable soup. I still make it when I'm feeling nostalgic.