A big batch of sloppy joes is great for any kind of party or big get-together with a lot of people. This recipe is even better made in advance and is perfect reheated in a slow cooker or roaster.
Large gatherings need large amounts of food. These sloppy joe sandwiches are an easy way to feed a lot of people.
You could also make a lot of it now and freeze it in smaller pots for easy dinners later. Now that’s meal planning!.
As you all know, we hosted a science birthday party for Little Dude a couple of weeks ago. It was a blast but there was a lot to keep straight between the food and the experiments.
I’ll admit that I get a bit extra when it comes to hosting a themed party. Especially when it’s for Little Dude!.
This year he requested we have hot dogs on our hot dog roller. That thing really does come in handy for a party!.
But I know not everyone is overly keen on hot dogs, myself included. I don’t mind cooking one or two over a campfire every once in a while, but I don’t want to eat them all the time.
So I started thinking about what else to make. I thought it would be good for kids, and it would be even better if I could make it ahead of time or in a slow cooker.
As there were going to be a lot of things to do, I knew that food would take up as little time as possible during the party. That’s when it struck me.
A few years ago, for our friend Dana’s birthday, our friend Julie made a huge batch of sloppy joes. I remembered there being a ton and they were delicious.
Luckily she was generous enough to share the recipe. She even said she thought they tasted better if they were made ahead of time and then heated up, or if they were frozen ahead of time and then heated up.
Now that is exactly what I was looking for! So I couldn’t wait to make a batch.
She sent over the recipe. It turned out she was making a batch for an event as well!
I was surprised to see a can of corned beef in the mix. I didn’t know there was such a thing.
She said I wasn’t the only one that was caught off guard for that. The last time she sent someone to the store for food, they came back with corned beef hash.
The story goes that they still tasted great, but some people were shocked to find potatoes in them!
Luckily I was able to find canned corned beef minus the hash. It was with the other canned meats and sausages and in a rectangle can like spam.
I knew I was making a big batch, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how big. I ended up browning the ground beef in batches despite using my 5 quart Dutch oven.
If you want to try to do it all at once, use a big soup pot or Dutch oven. Once the meat is browned and drained, you only need a few simple ingredients to make it taste great.
I made mine the weekend in advance and froze it. I did a few large containers for the party and several smaller ones for dinners later.
It did thaw and reheat beautifully and people kept commenting about how good they were. People who wanted the best of both worlds could also eat the meat on top of hot dogs.
So keep this recipe in your back pocket for your next get together. It will certainly come in handy!.
Sloppy joes are a classic American sandwich that is easy to make and feeds a crowd. But when cooking for a large group, it can be tricky to figure out how much ground beef you need to buy. This article will provide a detailed guide on how much ground beef to purchase and prepare when making sloppy joes for 50 people.
Calculating How Much Ground Beef Per Person
The first step is calculating approximately how much ground beef each individual sloppy joe sandwich requires. Here are some guidelines:
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For adults, plan on 1/4 pound of ground beef per sloppy joe. This will make a nice full sandwich.
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For children, you can go a little smaller with around 1/8 pound of ground beef per sloppy joe.
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When in doubt, round up and make them a little bigger. People tend to enjoy seconds with sloppy joes!
So for 50 people consisting of a mix of adults and children, a rough estimate would be:
- 25 adults x 1/4 pound = 6.25 pounds
- 25 kids x 1/8 pound = 3.125 pounds
- Total: Approximately 9-10 pounds of ground beef
This is a rough starting point, but you’ll want to add extra
Factor In Extras
When cooking for a crowd, it’s always smart to add a little extra. Here are some tips:
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Add 1-2 extra pounds to account for second helpings You want people to be able to enjoy seconds!
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Consider adding veggie toppings. Onions, peppers, mushrooms can bulk up the sloppy joe filling while adding more nutrition. You won’t need as much ground beef.
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Leftovers aren’t a bad thing! Having extras to freeze can be helpful for quick meals later on.
With those factors in mind, 12-15 pounds of ground beef is ideal for making sloppy joes for a group of 50 people. You can stretch the meat further by adding grated vegetables like potatoes, carrots or beans to the filling.
Choosing the Right Kind of Ground Beef
When buying ground beef for sloppy joes, here are some tips:
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Choose a leaner ground beef, 80% lean or higher. This will limit grease without sacrificing texture and flavor.
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Ground chuck or ground sirloin are good options. They have nice beefy flavor.
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Ground turkey or chicken can be used too. They produce a lighter, healthier sandwich.
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Consider partial ground beef/ground sausage combo. The sausage adds nice spice and flavor.
No matter what type you choose, make sure to break up and cook the meat thoroughly before adding to the sloppy joe sauce.
Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe for 50
Here is an easy recipe to feed a crowd of 50 with sloppy joes:
Ingredients:
- 3 bell peppers, diced
- 3 onions, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 15 pounds ground beef (or turkey, chicken)
- 1⁄4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1⁄4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 3 cups water or broth
- Burger buns
Instructions:
- In a large pot, cook ground meat over medium-high heat until browned. Drain excess fat.
- Add diced veggies and cook 5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, mustard, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water/broth.
- Simmer 20-30 minutes, until thickened.
- Serve heaping spoonfuls on burger buns. Add cheese, pickles, and condiments as desired.
This recipe makes enough to fill 50 burger buns, with some extra for seconds and leftovers. Adjust seasoning to taste and enjoy!
Tips for Serving a Large Group
Here are some logistics to think through when serving sloppy joes for 50:
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Make ahead and reheat. Can be made 1-2 days in advance.
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Keep warm in a slow cooker or over low heat.
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Set up a “build your own” station with buns, toppings, and condiments so people can customize.
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Use disposable servingware for easy clean-up.
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Have extra napkins and wet wipes on hand for messy eaters!
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Offer sides like coleslaw, baked beans, chips and pickles.
Get Creative with Leftovers
Having leftovers of sloppy joe filling? Here are some creative ways to use them up:
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Mix with macaroni and bake as sloppy joe casserole.
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Top baked potatoes instead of hamburger buns.
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Stuff into peppers or zucchini boats.
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Top nachos and bake for sloppy joe nachos.
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Add to a breakfast hash with potatoes and eggs.
With the right amount of ground beef and a delicious sauce, you can easily feed a crowd with budget-friendly sloppy joes. Now get ready for some seriously happy eaters!
Frequency of Entities:
ground beef: 25
sloppy joes/sloppy joe: 22
pounds: 10
people: 7
burger buns: 5
50: 5
recipe: 4
cooking for a crowd: 3
leftovers: 3
toppings: 2
servings: 2
sandwich: 2
1/4 pound: 2
meat: 2
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Ideas for leftover sloppy joe meat:
- Put sloppy joe meat inside a baked potato and cheese on top!
- Put meat on top of fries or tater tots and cover them with cheese. Heat until melted and eat like nachos/chili cheese fries.
- Turn it into chili.
For a small batch recipe, try making cola sloppy joes on a skillet on the stove. Or, make sloppy joes for 20 in a crockpot.
Check out my recipe for maid rites if you like hot sandwiches as much as we do. You could easily scale that and serve it at a party as well.
We also like doing slow cooker chicken parmesan sandwiches. In fact I need to whip up a batch of those again soon!.
Tips and Variations for Making Big Batch Sloppy Joes
A bit of chili powder can add a roundness to the flavor. You can add it in when you are browning the beef.
If your pot isn’t big enough for 10 pounds of beef at once, brown it in batches. The smaller amounts are easier to stir and drain anyway. Once it is cooked down, it can be combined.
I like to add a quarter cup or so of water to the beef before I brown it. It helps the final texture to be fine and less chunky.
Let the mixture thaw overnight, and then heat it up on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in an electric roaster.
Serve on buns with toppings like pickles, mustard, diced onions, or slices of cheese.
How to Make Sloppy Joes | Get Cookin’ | Allrecipes
FAQ
How much meat do you need for sloppy joes for 50 people?
How many pounds of ground beef to feed 50 people?
How much does 1 lb of sloppy joes feed?
How much beef do I need for 50 adults?
How much ground beef for sloppy joes?
A good starting point for a serving size of sloppy joes is about 1/2 cup of ground beef per serving, which is roughly 4 ounces or 113 grams of ground beef per serving of 1 cup (8 ounces) of chili. This amount can be adjusted based on personal preference or the size of your buns.
How much sloppy joe filling per person?
Plan on ½ cup (approx. 4 oz) of Sloppy Joe filling per person. So, 1 lb. of ground beef will serve around 4 people (I would plan on 5 people if you are feeding kids). For example, 10 people would require 2.5 lbs. of ground beef, and 25 people would require 6.25 lbs. of ground beef.
How to cook Sloppy Joes for a big group?
If so, then you have come to the right place! To cook sloppy joes for a big group, the following is needed per person: 1/2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp green bell peppers, 2 tsp onion, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 and 1/2 oz lean ground beef, 1/8 tsp prepared yellow mustard, and enough salt and pepper to taste.
How to cook sloppy joe for 100 people?
Here is a recipe that you can follow when cooking sloppy joe for a crowd of 100 people. Serving: 100 servings Prep and cook time: 3 hours Ingredients Directions 1. Prepare a large skillet and cook the ground beef and onion over medium heat. Cook and stir constantly until browned on all sides for about 10 minutes. 2.