Taco Sloppy Joes

Taco Sloppy Joes has all the scrumptious flavors as classic sloppy Joes only with a Mexican twist. Ground beef seasoned with taco spices and mild taco sauce, then piled high on soft burger buns with lots of taco toppings.

We love our sloppy Joes around here. If you’re looking for a delicious, healthy version, The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe has been a family favorite for over 15 years!

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What You’ll Love About Taco Sloppy Joes

If you’re family loves taco night and welcomes a casual meal of sloppy Joes, they will fall fast for Taco Sloppy Joes. This recipe is the perfect mash-up with savory saucy beef and zesty Mexican flavors. My family loved this version.

Taco Sloppy Joes Recipe

The fantastic part about this recipe is the simple, no fuss ingredients. You basically have your ground beef, onions, taco seasoning and taco sauce as the sloppy Joe foundation–then you pile on classic taco toppings like melty cheese, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, zesty red onion, and a dollop of cool sour cream or Mexican crema to take it over the top. So good!

Sloppy Joes is also inexpensive to make, so it’s the perfect meal when you’re on a budget. It’s family-friendly, filling, and easy to customize so everyone at the table gets exactly what they like.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Beef– I use lean ground beef but you can also use ground turkey. If using a higher fat beef make sure to remove the excess grease after browning the beef.
• Onions– Onions will enhance the flavor of the beef.
• Taco seasoning– Make sure to use low-sodium taco seasoning as the taco sauce has plenty of salt to season the beef. You can also use my easy homemade taco seasoning.
• Taco sauce– This will be the base for your sauce. I love the La Victoria mild taco sauce. If you enjoy spice, use the medium or hot version.
• Black olives- (not pictured) black olives are optional but add texture and a subtle flavor.
• Cheese- Cheddar and pepper Jack cheese was the combination I used but feel free to use your favorite cheese blend. For convenience, use a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend from the grocery store.
• Buns– Choose your favorite burger buns–potato buns, onion, whole wheat, Hawaiian, gluten-free, or classic burger buns with sesame seeds.

Burger Toppings

• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Sour cream or Mexican crema
• Red onion
• Cilantro

Step By Step Directions

See full instructions in recipe card below

• Step One. In a large skillet brown ground beef with onions.
• Step Two. Next stir in taco seasoning, water, and taco sauce. Simmer until thickened then toss in sliced black olives if desired.
• Step Three. Add a big scoop of the beef mixture to the bottom bun, then top with cheese, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, red onions, and sour cream or Mexican crema. Add the top bun and enjoy with lots of napkins. 😊

Tips

Variations

Use taco sloppy Joe filling for other meals like–

• Tacos– use the filling as the foundation for hard shell or soft tacos.
• Bowls- make burrito bowls with rice, sloppy joe filling, fresh tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream. Yum!
• Nachos– make sheet pan nachos by adding a layer of chips to a sheet pan, then lots of cheese, sloppy Joe filling and more cheese. Melt in the oven until bubbly and add fresh toppings.
• Baked potatoes– add a big scoop of filling over a baked russet potato or sweet potato, topped with cheese, onions, and sour cream. So good!

Storage, Reheating and Make-Ahead

• Storing leftovers. Make sure to allow the meat mixture to cool completely, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freezing. Cool completely and freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
• Reheating. If frozen, make sure to thaw completely. Reheat over the stove with a splash of water until heated through, or place in the microwave, covered, and heat on high until heated.
• Make-Ahead- Prepare the sloppy Joe filling and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Prepare the toppings up to one-day in advance and store separately in containers in the refrigerator.

What Can I Serve with Sloppy Joes?

• Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Avocado Corn and Tomato Salad
• Fruit Salad with mint dressing
• Healthier Creamed Corn

More Ground Beef Recipes To Enjoy

• Sloppy Joe Sliders
• One-Skillet Taco Pasta
• Beefy Slow Cooker Chili
• Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Taco Sloppy Joes

Taco Sloppy Joes has all the scrumptious flavors as classic sloppy Joes only with a Mexican twist. Ground beef seasoned with taco spices and mild taco sauce, then piled high on soft burger buns with lots of taco toppings.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 5

Calories: 352kcal

Equipment

• 1 large skillet

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 packet, low sodium taco seasoning or use homemade
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup mild taco sauce such as La Victoria
• 1 small can, sliced black olives, drained optional
• 1/2 cup pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 5 regular size burger buns

Toppings

• shredded lettuce
• cilantro
• red onion
• tomatoes
• sour cream or Mexican crema

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet to medium heat and brown beef and onions until meat is no longer pink. If you have excess grease make sure to remove that now.

  1 lb lean ground beef

  1/2 cup onions, diced
• Next add taco seasoning and toast for 30-seconds, then add water and taco sauce. Turn heat down to simmer until mixture is thickened and you don't see anymore liquid, about 5-minutes.

  1 packet low-sodium taco seasoning

  1/4 cup water

  1 cup taco sauce
• Once beef mixture is thickened stir in black olives. If you don't like olives just leave them out.

  1 small can sliced black olives, drained

Assemble Taco Sloppy Joes

• Add a generous scoop of meat mixture to the bottom half of one bun, top with a little of both pepper Jack and cheddar cheese, then lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, red onions, and a drizzle of sour cream or Mexican crema. Place the other half of the bun on top and enjoy right away.

Notes

Tips

• Toast the buns- For extra flavor and texture, toast the inside buns until golden. You can do this under the broiler in your oven or in a skillet with a little butter.
• For extra spiciness– Use a medium taco sauce or add fresh or pickled jalapenos along with the other fresh toppings for additional spice.

 

Variations

• Tacos– use the filling as the foundation for hard shell or soft tacos.
• Bowls- make burrito bowls with rice, sloppy joe filling, fresh tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream. Yum!
• Nachos– make sheet pan nachos by adding a layer of chips to a sheet pan, then lots of cheese, sloppy Joe filling and more cheese. Melt in the oven until bubbly and add fresh toppings.
• Baked potatoes– add a big scoop of filling over a baked russet potato or sweet potato, topped with cheese, onions, and sour cream. So good!

 

Storage, Reheating, and Make-Ahead

• Storing leftovers. Make sure to allow the meat mixture to cool completely, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freezing. Cool completely and freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
• Reheating. If frozen, make sure to thaw completely. Reheat over the stove with a splash of water until heated through, or place in the microwave, covered, and heat on high until heated.
• Make-Ahead– Prepare the sloppy Joe filling and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Prepare the toppings up to one-day in advance and store separately in containers in the refrigerator.

 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 676mg | Potassium: 553mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 435IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 246mg | Iron: 4mg

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