This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Mississippi sloppy Joe recipe makes the most deliciously rich, buttery, and flavorful sandwiches ever! They’re simple to make and super satisfying with a tangy quality.
You may also like my Mississippi Chicken or Sloppy Joe Casserole next.
Why you’ll love it
I had a lightbulb moment when I combined my reader favorite Mississippi Pot Roast and Easy Sloppy Joes. You’ve got the tangy, savory flavors of the pepperoncini, ranch, and au jus paired with inexpensive ground beef and the irresistibly messy quality of sloppy Joes.
These sloppy Joe sandwiches are just SO good. I like to serve them on golden toasted brioche buns. There’s enough of a kick to make these sandwiches interesting but keep them a family-friendly option. They’re especially tasty topped with cooling, creamy coleslaw!
What you’ll need
- Ground beef – we’re using lean
- Onion – I like sweet (Vidalia) onions
- Butter – there’s plenty here to keep the sandwiches moist and rich
- Seasoning – the classic “Mississippi” seasoning includes garlic powder and packets of au jus and ranch seasoning
- Pepperoncini – these peppers aren’t what I’d call spicy, but they do have bold, tangy flavor. We’re using the juices as well.
- Beef broth – we’re using low sodium. It packs in even more savory flavor and moisture.
Helpful tips
- Try to let the onions and beef get nicely browned — it adds more flavor! Don’t stir it too often in step 1, and this will help.
- Can’t find sliced pepperoncini peppers? Buy a jar of whole ones and cut them up.
How to make Mississippi sloppy Joes
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a skillet, sauté the ground beef and onions until browned and softened. Drain any excess fat. Add in the butter, seasonings, pepperoncini peppers, pepperoncini juice, and broth.
Let it cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens up, stirring often, without it getting dry. Toast the buns with olive oil in a skillet, and top as desired. I love my Best Coleslaw.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here’s the cast iron skillet I use to make the seasoned ground beef.
- I love this butter dish since it has markings on it to easily measure it out.
- Chop up the onion with a chef’s knife, and store the rest in this cute onion saver.
Substitutions and variations
- You could get away with using a bit less butter if needed, but the original recipe is quite buttery as well.
- This recipe is fairly salty, so if you need to control the salt content a bit more, try making a homemade ranch seasoning.
- You could try making this with ground turkey or ground chicken or ground pork.
- This recipe has a bit of kick, so if making it for kids, you may want to use fewer peppers if they’re sensitive to spice.
What to serve with Mississippi sloppy Joes
- I like to serve these in toasted brioche buns (regular burger buns work too) with some of my Homemade Coleslaw and sweet pickles on the side. I put some mayo on the bun when I’m not serving it with coleslaw. For a kick, try this Jalapeno Slaw.
- If you want to add some cheese to this, you could try. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or any good melting cheese would work.
- Want a salad on the side? Try my Homemade Ranch Dressing and spring mix.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers of the Mississippi beef mixture will keep 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat on the stove in a covered saucepan or in your microwave.
- You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
If you made these Mississippi-style sloppy Joes, please leave a star rating and review below! I love reading reader comments. You can also tag me on Instagram.
Mississippi Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1/4 cup butter see note
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 1 tablespoon au jus seasoning
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup juice from pepperoncini peppers jar
- 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
- Coleslaw for serving (optional)
- For serving: buns, mayo, sweet pickles optional, to taste
Instructions
- Add the ground beef and onions to a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until browned and the onions have softened (about 8-10 minutes). Spoon out any excess fat.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the butter, garlic powder, ranch seasoning, au jus seasoning, pepperoncini peppers, pepperoncini juice, and beef broth. Let it cook for another 3-5 minutes or so, stirring often, until the sauce thickens up to your liking (don't let it get too dry).
- Serve as desired in toasted buns. To toast the insides of the buns, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the buns and watch them closely until the insides have browned nicely (you'll need to do this in batches).
Notes
- You could get away with using less butter if you really need to, but keep in mind the original roast is very rich and buttery, and if you’re serving these in buns/bread, the butter helps make it less dry and adds more flavor. It also helps keep leftovers moist. Use UNSALTED butter.
- As written, the recipe does have a little kick, so if you need them to be more mild for kids, use fewer pepperoncini peppers and/or serve with coleslaw so the creamy dressing helps mellow it all out.
- Recipe serves 4-6 depending on how much you stuff the sandwiches.
- Nutrition info is just for the Sloppy Joe mix itself (no buns/toppings) and will vary from brand-to-brand depending on what ingredients you use, so keep in mind it’s just a rough estimate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
Sloppy Joes are the bomb.
They are tastier then burgers and much easier and faster to prepare.
They can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the micro for a quick meal on the run. They require very few ingredients to prepare.
I like them with just hot sauce, barbi sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, salt, pepper and that’s it. I like mine served on burger buns with raw onions and jalapenos on top.
They are delicious even for breakfast. If you want to save money this is the way to go. They are
also tastier then cold sandwiches and subs.
I served it on Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. I did not think it was thick enough so I did take some potato water, flour and AuJu powder and made a little slurry to thicken it up. I liked it but my family still said it wasn’t “gravy enough”. I liked the overall flavor, and for a low cost hamburger meal it was fine. Family said they wouldn’t request it again, but thought it was fine. Kind of like homemade rocked up hamburger helper – It was worth trying. *I have done real Mississippi pot roast and family liked that.
New family favorite! I used 2 lb of Impossible burger instead of hamburger and my carnivore kid didn’t have a clue!!
Haha love it!
Easy for a weeknight meal and my husband who is not a sloppy Joe fan loved these!
That’s awesome!! Thanks for your review, Andrea!
I’m a fan of sloppy joes, but I’ve never had Mississippi ones before. I really liked these – they had a nice kick to them. I’m excited to have them again and will try them with ground turkey too.
That’s great!! 😀 Thanks for your review!
10 out of 10! Super yummy! Extra easy to prep and cook!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed them, Micki!! 😀 Thanks so much for your review!