This easy and delicious recipe for Texas Toast Sloppy Joes is not your ordinary sloppy joe recipe. It has a perfectly seasoned ground beef mixture that is topped with pickled veggies and melty gouda cheese that is all sandwiched between thick slices of Texas toast griddled with garlic butter.
This sandwich is a bit spicy and a little sloppy, but so very worth it!
If you were looking to take your dinner game up a notch, this Texas Toast sloppy joe will do it for you. This sandwich is full of so much flavor and will definitely be a family favorite.
Make this recipe for a football Sunday crowd or for busy weeknights at home. You can make the ground beef mixture up at the beginning of the week and warm it up to make sandwiches for lunch or dinner all week long!
For more ground beef recipes, try my: Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme Recipe or Homemade Big Mac Tacos. Both are easy and huge hits!
Ingredients for Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
You can buy the ingredients you need for this Texas toast sloppy joe recipe at your local grocery store or from an online retailer.
- Water
- Sugar
- Salt – I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, if you’re using Morton’s Kosher salt then use about 3/4 of the amount called for.
- Rice vinegar
- Onion
- Jalapeno
- Butter
- Garlic
- Bell pepper
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Ground beef
- Tomatoes
- Worcestershire sauce
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Sugar
- Sriracha
- Mustard
- Texas toast
- Gouda
How to make Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
For the full Texas Toast Sloppy Joes ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
Make the pickled veggies
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine the hot water, sugar and salt. Stir with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the rice vinegar.
Step 2: Add the sliced red onion and jalapeno. Press the veggies down so they are fully submerged in the liquid. Set this aside while you prepare the rest of the Texas toast sloppy joes.
Make the garlic butter
Step 3: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and stir it to combine. Remove this from the heat and set it aside while you prepare the ground beef mixture.
Make the Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
Step 4: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper then sauté 2 minutes.
Step 5: Next, add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Step 6: Add the beef and salt to the pan then continue cooking until ground beef is no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
Step 7: Once the meat is fully cooked, add chili powder and cumin. Cook for an additional minute.
Step 8: Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha and mustard. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and break up tomatoes as you go.
Griddle the Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
Step 9: Heat your grill pan or large skillet over medium heat until warm then reduce to low-medium.
Step 10: Brush Texas toast with garlic butter then place buttered side down in the skillet. Add one slice of cheese to one slice then the sloppy joe mix on the other slice. Cook until cheese is melty and bread is golden brown.
Step 11: Top the sloppy joe mix with pickled veggies, flip the slice of bread with the cheese over the top of the meat and remove from pan. Cut Texas Toast Sloppy Joe in half and serve hot.
What is Texas Toast?
Texas toast is typically soft white bread that is sliced at about double the size of a regular piece of bread. When grilled or toasted, it gets crispy on the outside but maintains a pillowy soft inside.
It is perfect for sandwiches of any kind because it is strong enough to hold all the things, like this sloppy joe meat, and it is delicious with the melted cheese on top! Here is more information about Texas toast if you want to know more!
Texas Toast Sloppy Joes are probably my favorite thing I’ve had on Texas toast!
Equipment
- Sharp knife – Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the peppers and onions.
- Griddle pan – There are a couple different options for griddling Texas Toast Sloppy Joes. You can use a cast iron griddle, cast iron pan or large skillet.
- Small skillet – Use a small skillet to melt the butter for brushing on the Texas toast.
- Medium bowl – Use a medium bowl to pickle the jalapeno and red onion in.
- Cutting board – A cutting board is needed for cutting the peppers, onions, jalapenos and Texas Toast Sloppy Joe in half.
Expert Tips for Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
- Keep the heat low when melting the cheese or else the garlic will burn.
- Pickle the veggies at least 3 hours ahead of time if possible. They will last up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Pickle the onions without jalapenos if you’re not a fan of spicy things.
- Make the sloppy joe mix on the weekend then pull it out to use whenever you’d like through the week to quickly put together Texas Toast Sloppy Joes.
- Make a batch of Texas Toast Sloppy Joe mix and freeze it. It will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer in an airtight container.
- Pickle the red onion and jalapeno in a large mason jar so you can seal it up and store leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Serve this Texas Toast Sloppy Joe recipe as an open faced sandwich. Top the toast with the cheese, then meat and pickled veggies. Toast until the bread is toasted and cheese is melted.
Storage
Store the cooled leftover assembled and grilled Texas Toast Sloppy Joes in an airtight container or zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to five days. Heat sandwiches wrapped in a paper towel in the microwave until heated through.
Store leftover sloppy joe mix in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Heat in a saucepan or the microwave until heated through and assemble Texas Toast Sloppy Joes as directed in the recipe.
Freeze prepared sloppy joe mix in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat in a saucepan or in the microwave until heated through before assembling Texas Toast Sloppy Joes as directed in the recipe.
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FAQs
You could substitute frozen Texas Toast garlic bread in this Texas Toast Sloppy Joe recipe if you wanted but it isn’t quite the same. It will also be a little messier.
The frozen garlic bread will be very greasy to pick up. Your best bet would be to make an open face sandwich if you decide to use frozen Texas Toast Garlic Bread.
It’s been attributed to a cook named Joe in Sioux City, Iowa. It’s said that he added tomato sauce to his loose meat sandwiches and the name “Sloppy Joes” was born.
These Texas Toast Sloppy Joes are still messy but the thick bread helps a little.
They are made of ground beef and onion mixed with a tomato sauce and spices. Sloppy Joes are typically served on a hamburger but and sometimes topped with cheese. This sandwich has many variations depending what area you’re in.
These Texas Toast Sloppy Joes get there name from the bread they’re served on.
Substitutions
Texas Toast Sloppy Joes are pretty versatile. You can use any of the following in your recipe if you don’t have something on hand.
- Gouda cheese – Use Havarti, American or Cheddar instead.
- Whole tomatoes – Use diced Tomatoes instead of whole peeled tomatoes.
- Sriracha – Your favorite hot sauce can be used instead of Sriracha.
Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
Equipment
- 1 griddle pan or large skillet https://amzn.to/3RKQ9gC
- 1 large skillet https://amzn.to/3WosWTC
- 1 small skillet https://amzn.to/3TFsiyL
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 sharp chef's knife
- 1 large cutting board https://amzn.to/3BlDHOP
Ingredients
Pickled Veggies
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- 1 red onion sliced very thin half moons
- 2 fresh jalapenos sliced thin circles
Garlic Butter
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pinch kosher salt diamond crystal brand
Sloppy Joe
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 green bell pepper small dice
- ½ cup yellow onion small dice
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ tbsp chili powder
- 1½ tsp cumin
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- 1½ tsp kosher salt diamond crystal brand
- 15 oz canned whole tomatoes
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 8 slices Texas toast
- 4 slices gouda cheese
Instructions
Making the Pickled Veggies
- Pour hot water into a medium bowl then whisk in the sugar and salt until dissolved
- Add the rice vinegar, onion and jalapeno. Press down to submerge veggies and let sit while making the sloppy joes
Making the Garlic Butter
- Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat, add the minced garlic and remove from heat. Set aside until needed
Making the Sloppy Joes
- Melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper then sauté for 2 minutes
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the beef and salt, cooking and breaking up the meat as you go
- Once the ground beef is fully cooked add chili powder and cumin. Stir and cook 1 minute
- Add tomato, Worcestershire, vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha and yellow mustard. Stir together, bring to a simmer then turn heat to low-medium and let simmer for 20 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes and stirring occasionally
Griddling Sandwiches
- Heat your grill pan or a clean large skillet over medium heat until warm then turn down to medium-low
- Brush the outsides of the bread with garlic butter and place them butter side down on the pan. Add cheese to one side and sloppy joe mix to the other side. Cook until cheese is melty and bread is lightly toasted
- Add the pickled veggies on top of the meat then flip the bread with the cheese over the top of the meat. Serve while hot
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