Open Faced Sloppy Joes Recipe on Sourdough Toast

Sloppy Joes are one of those classic comfort foods that you can’t go wrong with. It’s hard to mess up a sloppy joe! I have discovered that this open face sloppy joe recipe takes the classic recipe to a whole new level. The tang of the sourdough with the savory meat and tomato sauce on top is perfecto. Add some cheese and pickles and it’s so so good! My kids love it too which is a win. I can’t wait for you to try this sloppy joe variation! 

This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon affiliate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. If you have questions, please read my full privacy policy.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

A Healthier Twist on a Classic Recipe: This recipe doesn’t use any sugar! I think that the tomato sauce makes it plenty sweet. Eating it on homemade sourdough is also a great way to reduce unwanted ingredients found in most hamburger buns! The bonus is that sourdough is gut-healthy. 

Open-Faced Style = Less Carbs: I really don’t have a problem with carbs – I think they are important (the right carbs!). However I do always try and get more protein than carbs in my meals and this is a great way to do that! You can pile as much sloppy joe meat mixture on your one slice of bread as you want. 

A Quick, Healthy Dinner! Who doesn’t love 30-minute meals? This family favorite recipe is easy to make any night of the week. It’s an easy dinner you can come back to when you are in one of those meal planning ruts.

Ingredients To Make Open Faced Sloppy Joes

This hearty meal comes together so easily with just a few simple ingredients. 

For The Sloppy Joe Mixture: 

• 1 Medium Onion
• 1/2 Bell Pepper – You can use any color that you want. I’ve used green bell peppers, yellow and orange bell peppers and all are good! If you use a color besides green it does add a touch more sweetness. 
• 1 1/2 tsp Yellow Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 15 oz Tomato Sauce- Use your favorite sauce. My favorite is a homemade tomato sauce that my mother-in-law makes, but any tomato sauce works great!
• 1 lb Ground Beef – I always recommend grass-fed beef to avoid GMOs.
• Butter or Avocado Oil
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• Salt & Pepper to taste

For Serving:

• 4 pieces of sourdough bread – I love to use my homemade sourdough bread for this recipe. If you don’t have sourdough, you could also purchase some. I would recommend a bakery that makes it fresh as opposed to the grocery store for the best nutrition, and to avoid junk ingredients. 
• Pickles (Grillos pickles are my favorite kind!)
• Sliced Cheese of choice – my favorite is irish cheese, but any cheese would be good.

Other Supplies You Will Need

For best success of this recipe, you will need:

• A large skillet or dutch oven
• A large wooden spoon for stirring
• Knife & Cutting Board

How To Make Open Face Sloppy Joes on Sourdough:

One thing that I love about this meal is that it doesn’t take that long to make. Who has hours to make dinner on a weeknight?! Once you get all the ingredients combined it really just has to simmer and it’s ready to go. Here’s how you make these delicious sloppy joes!

Step One: Finely dice the onion and bell pepper. Set aside

Step Two: Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once it’s warm, add a little bit of butter or oil. Add the chopped onions and ground beef to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes.

Step Three: Add the bell pepper and continue to cook until the beef is cooked through and is no longer pink. 

Step Four: Season with salt and pepper, and add the minced garlic. Cook for a few more minutes until the garlic is fragrant. 

Step Five: Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until you like the consistency. 

Step Six: While the sloppy joes simmer, prepare you sourdough toast and toppings. Slice the cheese, and place them on the sourdough bread. Use a toaster oven or regular oven to toast your bread. In the oven, put all slices of bread on a baking sheet and  broil until the cheese is melted. Be careful not to burn your toast, broil is powerful!

Step Six: Once the sloppy joe sauce is done, taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. 

Step Seven: Serve warm on cheesy sourdough toast, and top with fresh pickles.

How To Store Leftover Sloppy Joes

I think this is one of those great meals that still tastes good the next day. Maybe even better because the flavors all really marinate together as they sit.  I always make a double batch so we can enjoy the leftovers! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. My favorite way to reheat is on the stovetop in a small saucepan, but you can also microwave it. 

You could also freeze sloppy joes in a freezer safe container for up to 2-3 months. When you are ready to eat it, just let it thaw overnight in the fridge. 

Open Face Sloppy Joe Variations

Spice It Up: Add diced jalapeño in with the bell peppers for an extra kick. Or, if you have kids like mine who don’t like spice as much as you do, you can top your sloppy joe with a dash of hot sauce or red pepper flakes!

Garlic Butter Variation: Before toasting your sourdough, try spreading butter and minced garlic on it for garlic bread sloppy joes.

Try Different Kinds of Cheeses: Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, or pepper jack cheese all add a little bit different flavor to your sloppy joes! 

Did you enjoy this open face sloppy joe recipe? I’d love it if you could leave me a review!