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These French Onion Joes are an easy alternative to traditional sloppy joes without the tomatoes. With just four ingredients, this loose meat sandwich is quick dinner option. Using a can of condensed French Onion soup, these ground beef sandwiches can be on the table in less than 20 minutes.
Table of Contents
French Onion Sloppy Joes
I love meals that are made with ground beef because they are kid-friendly and husband-friendly, and they typically go together easily. Ground beef is a versatile protein and it is budget-friendly. We love that you can really stretch a pound of ground beef to serve a crowd. You can even brown up ground beef, drain, and freeze for even quicker meals.
It’s no secret, our family is crazy for Sloppy Joes. We loveEasy Sloppy Joes,Classic Sloppy Joes, and we use our leftovers forSloppy Joe Cups. There’s something about these saucy sandwich that we go nuts over.
French Onion Loose Meat Sandwiches
We were so excited when a co-worker of mine shared a new version of “joes” with us. This is her mom’s version of sloppy joe. It’s nice to have a version for those who have aversions to tomatoes which are found in traditional sloppy joes. These are really similar to the classic Iowa Maid-Rites.
Ingredient List
Ground beef
Water
Flour
Condensed French Onion Soup
Salt and Pepper
This skillet ground beef dish is always a hit when we make it. We have even made it into French Onion Joe Sliders where we spread it Hawaiian rolls, add cheese and cover with a delicious butter drizzle before baking.
We love using condensed French Onion soup…so much that we have an entire post highlighting all of our dishes made with canned French Onion Soup.
If you want a more traditional loose meat sandwich, check out our Stroganoff Loose Meat Sandwiches.
How to Make French Onion Joes
Step By Step Instructions
Brown ground beef in a large skillet and drain off any excess grease.
Let the meat mixture simmer over medium heat until thickened, approximately 5 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and serve on buns. Optional toppings include sliced Colby cheese, mustard or pickles.
Full recipe and ingredient list for loose meat sandwiches is at the bottom of this post.
Check out some of our other favorite ground beef meals, including Aunt Shannon’s Lasagna, Cheeseburger Quiche, Cheeseburger Turnovers and Crock Pot Ground Beef Acapulco Enchiladas. Want even more ground beef recipes? 8 Great Ground Beef Recipes over at Recipes the Crock!
We are linking up to Weekend Potluck. Check out all the great recipes there!
Print Recipe
4.75 from 4 votes
French Onion Joes
These French Onion Joes feature just four simple ingredients, including ground beef, and are an easy weeknight sandwich option.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: French Onion Joes, French Onion Loose Meat Sandwich, french onion sloppy joes
Servings: 6
Calories: 224kcal
Author: Barbara
Ingredients
1lb.ground beef
10.5oz.condensed French onion soup
1/3cup water
3Tablespoonsflour
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Brown ground beef in a skillet; drain excess grease.
In a bowl, mix water and flour together until smooth.
Add cooked ground beef, french onion soup, and water/flour mixture back to the skillet. Simmer over medium heat until thickened.
Serve on buns. Optional toppings include Colby cheese, mustard or pickles.
Notes
Using a can of condensed French Onion soup, these ground beef sandwiches can be on the table in less than 20 minutes.
I love meals that are made with ground beef because they are kid-friendly and husband-friendly, and they typically go together easily. You can even brown up ground beef, drain, and freeze for even quicker meals.
It’s no secret, our family is crazy for Sloppy Joes. We loveEasy Sloppy Joes,Classic Sloppy Joes, and we use our leftovers forSloppy Joe Cups. There’s something about these saucy sandwich that we go nuts over.
In general, we call for 1 pound of ground beef to make 6 sandwiches in our sloppy joes recipes. That works out to 3 ounces of ground beef per sandwich. Depending on the size of your bun and how meaty you like your sandwich, you can increase or decrease that amount an ounce or two either way.
Some other names for sloppy joes include: barbecues, dynamites, gulash, sloppy janes, slushburgers, steamers, wimpies, and yum yums. What do you call sloppy joes where you live? Just like the many names for sloppy joes, you'll also find all sorts of variations on the recipe.
Some attribute the original Sloppy Joe to a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, where, many years ago, in 1930 a cook named Joe added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches. Voila: a new between-the-bread offering, and the sandwich's official name.
An appetizer of raw, lean ground beef served on bread (especially rye co*cktail bread) with sliced onions, salt and pepper. Also known as "tiger meat," "steak tartare," or simply "raw beef and onions," the sandwiches have traditionally been served at holiday parties and other festive gatherings in the Milwaukee area.
Once your onions start to brown (not caramelize, but brown), cook for another minute or two and then add the beef. Actually, once it starts to brown, add some spices, seasoning, and garlic, and then cook that into the onions for a minute or two.
My mom always made sloppy joes with sauce from a can. Remember that stuff? If you use that, you have to try this easy homemade version that is so much tastier! This recipe uses 2 lbs of ground beef and serves about 8 people.
Try serving your sloppy joes with their own toppings such as slaw, melty cheese, grilled pineapple, or Hatch green chile. Even just adding a pickle gives extra flavor and crunch, transforming it from a bland sandwich into something great, like the recipe below!
What is the sloppy joe sauce made of? It's made with ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire, chili powder, garlic, dry mustard, and a little Tobasco (if you want). That sauce coats the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper to make the filling.
Several variations of the sloppy joe exist in North America. In Quebec, Canada, sandwiches of stewed ground beef such as pain à la viande and pain fourré gumbo are usually served on hot dog buns.
If you're aiming to eat a lower-fat diet, then consider fixing yourself a sloppy jane. This variant on the sloppy joe swaps out regular ground beef for leaner beef. It also places a higher focus on vegetables and other low-calorie ingredients.
Cooking ground beef with sauces, vegetables and seasonings is done in one way or the other all across the world. Who knew that the Amish and others living in Pennsylvania had their own version of a sloppy joe: wimpies.
A sloppy joe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings served on a hamburger bun. The dish originated in the United States during the early 20th century.
Don't overcook the meat, when it starts browning on both sides, then remove them from the pan and set them aside. Use the same pan and add the onion and season with a pinch of salt. Stir, and cook until tender. Season with soy sauce and add the cooked beef.
The onions will help add flavor to the beef and the beef fat will fry the onions, this is why it's important to smash them together during the process of making them.
It depends on the goal. I often do beef first, remove a bit of liquid/fat, and then add in onions and keep cooking. This works if you let only some of the beef get browned (don't stir), and then are ok with the onions cooking down only lightly (until translucent) but aren't looking for much more.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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