Canning Sloppy Joes: An Easy Meal in a Jar Recipe

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Canning sloppy joes is one of my favorite ways to turn ground beef and tomatoes into an easy, shelf-stable meal in a jar. Everything is already cooked and seasoned, so dinner is as simple as opening a jar, heating it and piling it onto hamburger buns.

This recipe makes approximately 7 quarts, enough to fill my pressure canner. If I’m going to spend the time pressure canning, I want to finish with a full canner and seven easy meals on the pantry shelf.

I also make my sloppy joe filling fairly thick. The point of a meal in a jar is heat and serve, not opening a jar and still having to make dinner.

Canning Sloppy Joes at a Glance

YieldApproximately 7 quarts
MethodPressure canning
Jar sizeQuarts
Pack methodHot pack
Headspace1 inch
Processing time90 minutes

Sloppy joe filling contains ground beef and vegetables, making it a low-acid food that requires pressure canning. The National Center for Home Food Preservation lists 90 minutes for hot-packed ground or chopped meat in quart jars, with pressure adjusted for elevation.

Canning Sloppy Joes With Fresh Garden Tomatoes

If I have fresh tomatoes, I use them rather than opening tomato sauce.

Most of the time I’m making sloppy joes right in the middle of tomato season anyway. When I’m putting up my Stewed Tomatoes, I intentionally save out some peeled and chopped tomatoes to make this sloppy joe mixture the following day.

Use enough peeled, chopped tomatoes to replace the 28 ounces of tomato sauce. Fresh tomatoes contain more water, so expect the mixture to need additional simmering time. I want the finished filling thick enough to cling to the meat while still being moist and easy to ladle.

When tomatoes are coming out of the garden faster than we can eat them, I try to preserve them in several different ways. Along with stewed tomatoes, I’ll put up Homemade Ketchup, Tomato Soup Concentrate and Bloody Mary Mix..

And when I’m staring at tomatoes that simply refuse to ripen, my Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce puts those to work too.

A quart of tomatoes is useful. Turning some of the harvest into complete meals is even better.

Canning sloppy joes easy meal in a jar recipe with homemade sloppy joe sandwich

Pressure Canning Sloppy Joes Recipe

Makes 7 quarts
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 7 pounds ground beef
  • 5 1/4 cups chopped onions
  • 2 1/2 to 3 medium bell peppers diced
  • 4 2/3 cups ketchup
  • 28 ounces tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • 5 1/4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 7 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 3/4 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper

Method
 

  1. Prepare the Canner and Jars
  2. Prepare your pressure canner according to the manufacturer’s directions. Wash and inspect seven quart jars and keep them hot until you’re ready to fill them.
  3. Brown the Ground Beef
  4. Brown the ground beef, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Work in batches if necessary.
  5. Drain the excess fat well and transfer the meat to a large stockpot.
  6. Cook the Vegetables
  7. Add the chopped onions and bell peppers to the ground beef. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften.
  8. Make the Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce
  9. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, prepared mustard and black pepper.
  10. Stir well and bring the sloppy joe mixture to a boil.
  11. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
  12. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to the ground beef but still moist and easily ladled. Don’t reduce it until it becomes dry or paste-like. The goal is a sloppy joe filling that will be ready to heat and serve once the jar is opened.
  13. Filling the Jars
  14. Ladle the hot sloppy joe filling into hot quart jars, distributing the meat and sauce evenly.
  15. Leave 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and check the headspace again.
  16. Wipe the jar rims, center the lids and apply the bands fingertip tight. Place each filled jar into your prepared pressure canner.
  17. Pressure Canning Sloppy Joes
  18. Vent the pressure canner with a steady stream of steam for 10 minutes before pressurizing it, following the directions for your particular canner.
  19. Process quart jars for 90 minutes.

Notes

Adjusting the Sweetness

Sloppy joes are one of those recipes where everyone seems to have a different opinion about how sweet the sauce should be. This version has a little brown sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar without making the filling overly sweet.
If your family prefers a sweeter sloppy joe, taste the mixture while it’s simmering and add brown sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring and tasting between additions. Small adjustments to the sugar for flavor do not change the pressure-canning processing time, so adjust the sweetness before filling your jars.
ElevationDial GaugeWeighted Gauge
0–1,000 ft11 PSI10 PSI
1,001–2,000 ft11 PSI15 PSI
2,001–4,000 ft12 PSI15 PSI
4,001–6,000 ft13 PSI15 PSI
6,001–8,000 ft14 PSI15 PSI

These pressures and processing times correspond to NCHFP/USDA recommendations for ground or chopped meat.

When processing is complete, turn off the heat and allow the canner to depressurize naturally. Follow the manufacturer’s directions before opening your canner.

Remove the jars and let them cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals, remove the bands, label the jars and move them to the pantry.

How to Serve Home-Canned Sloppy Joes

One of the reasons I keep home-canned sloppy joes on the pantry shelf is that they’re useful well beyond an ordinary weeknight dinner. On busy days, I can have a meal on the table in minutes, and if the power is out, the sloppy joe filling can be heated over a camp stove, grill or open flame. No freezer and very little preparation required. Heat it, add buns or bread, and enjoy a hot meal.

I’ll usually serve sloppy joes with potatoes, coleslaw or something I’ve already canned. A jar of Garlic Dill Pickles or Bread and Butter Pickles makes this about as easy as dinner gets.

Important Canning Safety Note

This is an adapted home-canning recipe. This exact formulation has not been independently laboratory tested by the USDA or National Center for Home Food Preservation.

The 90-minute processing time and pressure adjustments above are based on NCHFP/USDA recommendations for hot-packed ground or chopped meat in quart jars.

Ingredient proportions and density can affect heat penetration. For the most conservative home food preservation practices, use laboratory-tested recipes from USDA, NCHFP or Cooperative Extension.

Do not add flour or cornstarch before canning, and don’t reduce the filling until it becomes extremely thick or dry.

Frequently Asked Questions About Canning Sloppy Joes

Can you water bath can sloppy joes?

No. Ground beef and vegetables are low-acid foods and require a pressure canner.

How long do you pressure can sloppy joes?

Quart jars are processed for 90 minutes in this recipe, using the NCHFP/USDA processing recommendation for hot-packed ground meat. Adjust pressure for your elevation.

Can I use fresh tomatoes?

Yes. That’s actually how I prefer to make it during tomato season. I use peeled, chopped garden tomatoes instead of tomato sauce and simmer the mixture longer to cook away the additional moisture.

Can I add tomato paste?

I leave tomato paste out of the published recipe because concentrated tomato solids change the formulation and density. I prefer to control the consistency by simmering the mixture uncovered.

Can I use flour or cornstarch to thicken sloppy joes?

I don’t recommend adding either before canning. Added starch changes the density of the product and can interfere with predictable heat penetration.

How thick should the sloppy joe filling be?

The homemade sloppy Joe sauce should cling to the ground beef while remaining moist and easily ladled. Think traditional sloppy Joe filling rather than a thin spaghetti sauce or a dense paste.

How long do home-canned sloppy joes last?

For best quality, store properly sealed jars in a cool, dark place and plan to use them within about a year. Always inspect the seal and jar before using any home-canned food.

More Canning Recipes From the Farm

If the canner is already out, keep going. Along with my tomato recipes, you might like my Pickled Beets or Peaches Canned in Honey.

The more I’ve canned over the years, the more I appreciate having a mixture of individual ingredients and complete meals on the pantry shelf. Canning sloppy joes gives me seven jars that don’t require a dinner plan.

Open one, heat it up and feed everybody.

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