Sloppy Joes for a crowd. This is a recipe from our old Church cookbook for Sloppy Joes to serve a large group. This recipe from the book is titled Sloppy Joes for 60. So if you’re looking for a recipe for Sloppy Joes for a crowd for your next party, this will fit that bill. Let’s take a look.
Where did this Sloppy Joe Recipe Come From?
This old fashioned sloppy joe recipe is from my church cookbook. The church that I attended when I was growing up in the middle of Kansas.
You’ll find Sloppy Joes for 60 along with Baptist Punch for 100, which is an odd combination of ginger ale, Kool-Aid, Hawaiian Punch and 7-Up. I was surprised to see they didn’t add five cups of sugar, I wonder if it’s sweet enough. Do they even make Hawaiian Punch anymore?
Church ladies often published these types of recipes serving large groups because of Church socials or Church suppers. And most of these church dinner ideas are cheap recipes for large groups.
This is a great recipe to keep on hand in case you’ve invited 58 friends over for dinner, or if you’re the Osmonds and have 58 of your great grandchildren over for lunch (hey, I–am–not–making–that–up, it was on Oprah on Friday).
Or if you’re empty nesters like us it will yield you 30 Sloppy Joes each. 🙂
For tonight’s dinner we weren’t all that hungry, so I decided to scale the recipe down from 60 servings to 2. 😉
But below you’ll find the original recipe.
The flavor of this recipe is perfect sloppy joe flavor in our books. Sweet tangy and savory.
Ingredients to Make Sloppy Joes for A Crowd
- Hamburger Buns: Not all hamburger are created equal. There are some very large buns available for sale. Choose the smaller 3 ½ inch buns for this recipe to accommodate the number of servings.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Brown Sugar: Dark or light brown sugar will work for this recipe.
- Mustard: Plain ol’ yellow mustard. Keep in simple with good old fashioned flavor.
- Ketchup
- Onion: Chopped sweet or yellow onion is best for this recipe. A red onion will add too strong of flavor and may compromise the overall flavor.
- Celery: Chopped
- Ground Beef: Save the 80/20 blend of ground beef for those burgers on the grill. Buy lean or extra lean ground beef for this recipe, 90% lean is a good guideline. You can use 80-20 but you’ll need to drain the grease before adding ingredients and the yield of final beef amount will lessen.
- Flour: We’re adding just a little all-purpose flour to the mix to thicken the consistency. If you need to make gluten-free Sloppy Joes, omit the flour.
How many pounds of hamburger do I need for 50 Sloppy Joes? 7 – 8 pounds of hamburger is am ample amount for 50 – 60 Sloppy Joes, depending on the bun size. The celery, onion, and liquid ingredients bulk up the hamburger weight to make enough fill a smaller burger bun.
How To Make Sloppy Joes for 60
Once you’re done chopping the onions and celery, this recipe is very easy to throw together.
- Step 1: Brown the ground beef. Find the largest fry pan you can and brown hamburger meat in three batches. Once the first batch is about half way browned, add ⅓ of the onion, ⅓ of the celery and ⅓ of the flour. Once the meat is browned, move the mixture to a big soup pot and repeat with two more batches.
- Step 2: Use an 8 quart soup pot. I have used a 6 quart, it works but a little tight on space.
- Step 3: Once all of the ingredients are in the big soup pot, add remainder of the ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes. If the mixture seems dry, or needs a little punch of flavor, I add a little bit of your favorite bottled bbq sauce.
Important Note: Please make sure to check the notes in the recipe card below, depending how the amount served per bun, this recipe can be a recipe for Sloppy Joes for 50, if using ½ cup servings per bun, or ⅓ cup servings will give you a Sloppy Joes Recipe for 60. And then there’s always that Sloppy Joe Sliders equasion.
The History of Sloppy Joes
When I decided to prepare this recipe, I wondered about the origin of the name “Sloppy Joe”, so I Googled “Where did the name Sloppy Joe come from” sure enough I was rewarded with answers:
One web site claims: The Original Sloppy Joe Sandwich was invented at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West. The original is still available and consists of ground beef in a sweet rich tomato sauce, with onions, peppers and spices.
Hence the sandwich was named for the establishment, not the consistency, as suggested by the Manwich recipe people.
(Ok now this really bothers me, what’s up with those Manwich “people” starting ugly rumors?)
Another web site suggests that it was named after a Green Bay Packer team member Joe Krzrwinski … aka “Sloppy”, a nickname given to him for his inconsistent play on the field. The first creation was made with ground sausage during 1930.
According to another story, the sandwich was named after the Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Havana, Cuba which was the first to serve a sandwich of this variety.
So depending on if you’re a Cheese Head, or a Parrot Head you’ve got your answer.
Even James Beard, the 20th Century Godfather of American cooking wrote about Sloppy Joes: “This is a product of the modern age, and though it is not a palate-tingling delight it has a large public.”
Perhaps Beard’s generous use of a ¼ cup of Worcestershire sauce in his version of Sloppy Joes had something to do with his unenthusiastic view. Plus I think it’s a slap in the face to white-trash food. Just who does he think he is??? (Oh, that’s right, he’s the 20th century godfather of American Cooking.)
Sloppy Joes for large group gatherings are an easy way to feed that crowd.
Sloppy Joe Recipe For Large Crowd
These Sloppy Joes are a super easy way to serve a main course to a large group.
I made these for a block party a few years ago, and I can’t tell you how many times I was asked for the recipe.
I hope you give this Sloppy Joe Recipe a try next time you’re hosting a large group. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a message about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a recipe for feeding a large group, let me know, I’d love to give it a try. I host our yearly block party and am always looking for recipe ideas.
What Side Dishes Go With Sloppy Joes?
Looking for side dish recipes to serve a crowd with these Sloppy Joes? Just double or triple these recipes. Pioneer Woman’s Best Pasta Salad, Classic Potato Salad, or a big pot of Calico Beans.
More Recipes To Feed A Crowd
If you’re looking for cheap recipes for large groups take a look at these. You’ll need to double or triple these recipes, depending on the size of the crowd.
- Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
- Brine for Pork Butt, Makes Great Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Large Batch Skirt Steak Fajitas
- Hatch Green Chili, Colorado Style
And if you’re in the sandwich mood, don’t miss my Sandwich Category. You’ll find lots of fun ideas. Including the most popular sandwich recipe on my site for my Party Sub Club Sandwich. A party sandwich that’s big on flavor and popularity.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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Church Supper Sloppy Joes for 60
Ingredients
- 8 pounds ground beef extra lean
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 ½ cups celery diced
- 2 ½ cups onion diced, about 2 medium onions
- ½ cup mustard or more to taste
- ½ cup vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar light brown, or dark brown
- 28 ounces catsup 3 ½ cups
- 2 cups water
- 60 Hamburger buns small ones, but not slider buns
Instructions
- In a very large fry pan, brown hamburger meat in three batches. Once the first batch is about half way browned, add ⅓ of the onion, ⅓ of the celery and ⅓ of the flour. Once the meat is browned, move the mixture to a big soup pot and repeat with two more batches.
- Use an 8 quart soup pot. I have used a 6 quart, it works but a little tight on space.
- Once all of the ingredients are in the big soup pot, add remainder of the ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes. If the mixture seems dry, or needs a little punch of flavor, I add a little bit of your favorite bottled bbq sauce.
- Adjust seasonings to taste and serve on hamburger buns.
Notes
Nutrition
Sloppy Joes for a Crowd …It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
For feeding a large crowd at a picnic would it be best to make these and wrap them in foil or Saran Wrap or let the attendees serve themselves?
Absolutely. Purchase those large disposable aluminum trays and cover with heavy duty foil. I would think meat mix would stay warm enough to get everyones served.
Delicious! Fed a crowd!
I added 1/4 C of worcestorshire & there were no left-overs! Served 50 people at an end of the year party. We are all school bus drivers. Several people asked for the recipe and said the sandwiches brought back childhood memories! Thank you!
Could I get the recipe for the Punch for 100?
Baptist Punch
4 packages raspberry Kool-aid
2 5-3/4 ounce frozen lemon juice
4 1/2 cups sugar
46 ounces of orange juice
36 ounces pineapple juice
2 gallons water
1 quart ginger ale (add just before serving)
Tip: make extra kool aid and freeze it for the ice cubes and it will not weaken the punch. The raspberry Kool – aid makes this a pink punch. If you use cherry Kool-aid it will be a red color.
Served this to 100 this weekend and it was so delicious! It is truly sloppy, so if you want it a bit firmer to make sandwiches, you could cut back on the water. We made 25# for 100 and that was perfect with a little left over.
Received many compliments on this easy, but delicious recipe. The celery was a wonderful addition.
Thanks for sharing.
I made this for the homeless shelter that I cook for. The guests loved it and so did the staff, no leftovers . I made 6 lbs of ground beef and cut the recipe accordingly.
It was delicious! Served it with coleslaw, vegaterian baked beans and sweet & sour beans , nothing left! Some guest had thirds. Perfect!
Thank you for this great recipe.