Want to stretch your sloppy joes filling? Add some sloppy joes toppings to the sandwich. Find your new family-favorite topping ideas that will keep the crowd coming back for more.
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Are sloppy joes on the menu for dinner tonight? This popular sandwich meal is quick and easy to throw together. But to really make it shine, you need some toppings.
What are the best toppings for sloppy joes? The best toppings to load on sloppy joes are fresh coleslaw, melted cheese, or tangy pickles. And for a nostalgic topping, try Fritos or potato chips.
Use any of these toppings with jazzed-up Manwich sloppy joes.
Sloppy joes toppings can help stretch the meat when you serve it at a party. When you provide a variety of toppings, guests will spoon a little less filling on their bun.
And if you are serving this sandwich at a get-together, check out how many sloppy joes to plan per person. Not only will you learn how much meat to buy, but you will also get tips to stretch your ingredients.
You may also be interested in the best side dishes to serve with sloppy joes. Salads, veggies, pasta, and desserts. Grab all the recipes.
Coleslaw
Crisp, tangy coleslaw is a classic garnish for sloppy joes. The shredded cabbage and carrots in a sweet vinegary sauce is the perfect offset for the meaty tomato filling on your sandwich.
One of the best things about coleslaw is that it can be a topping or a side. Plus, it is inexpensive to make and will help fill everyone up.
Don’t serve sloppy joes without it.
Cheese
Shredded or sliced cheese on a hot sloppy joes sandwich is comfort food at its finest. And if your kitchen is like ours, cheese is a must-have on practically every sandwich.
Shredded cheese will melt more quickly, but sliced cheese might be more convenient.
The tastiest cheeses for sloppy joes are:
- Cheddar cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Pepper Jack cheese
- Meunster cheese
Fritos
You are missing out if you haven’t tried Fritos on your sloppy joes. Fritos are a side and a topping simultaneously.
Your kids will love the crunch of their new Fritos sloppy joes burger. Fritos are a topping you won’t want to skip.
Pickles
Thick pickles made for burgers are right at home on sloppy joes. Choose dill pickles or crunchy bread and butter pickles. The taste of either one complements saucy ground beef.
And if you want to change things up, any type of pickled vegetable is a welcome substitute for classic pickles.
Sauerkraut
Serve sauerkraut on top of sloppy joes when you want a thick and tangy topping. Sauerkraut is made of shredded cabbage, like coleslaw.
However, it is cooked. This means it does not have the crunch of fresh coleslaw. And the taste is distinctively sour.
Sauerkraut is an excellent topping for sloppy joes and most meaty sandwiches. Like bratwursts, hot dogs, and turkey burgers.
Lettuce
Treat sloppy joes like a burger and lay a leaf of fresh lettuce on top. With its crispy crunch, romaine lettuce is one of the best varieties. But green leaf or even iceberg lettuce are good options too.
You can also try baby spinach, kale, or arugula. Each leafy green offers a different flavor. But each one is a good choice for a topping.
Pickled Jalapenos
Pickled jalapenos are the perfect finish for sloppy joes. They add a tangy, spicy kick you won’t find elsewhere.
You may like them so much that you start serving them with all your meaty sandwiches. We do it at our dinner table. Give them a try.
Potato Chips
Garnish your sloppy joes with potato chips, just like you did as a kid. Brings back memories, right?
Ruffled or flat chips bring a crunch and flavor completely unique but complementary to your sloppy joes filling.
Onion Rings
Sliced red or yellow onions are always a welcome topping for sloppy joes. But fried onion rings are a real treat.
Fried onion rings offer a mild spice with lots of flavors. Get ready to liven up your sandwich with onions.
Bacon
Bacon makes every sandwich better. Garnish your sloppy joes with crispy or chewy bacon cooked in the oven.
You will love the salty, meaty flavor that only bacon brings. Bacon is a topping best reserved for sloppy joes at dinner with your family. It might be too much to serve at a party with many guests.
French Fries
French fries on a sandwich? You bet.
Crispy French fries lend a salty crunch to the joes. Kids of all ages will appreciate this side dish turned sandwich topping.
It is unexpected and delicious.
Roasted Red Peppers
You are missing out if you haven’t roasted your red peppers yet. Sweet and smoky, they are a fantastic garnish to sloppy joes.
You can buy a jar for dinner if you don’t have time to make your own. But after you roast your own, you won’t want the jar stuff anymore.
Sautéed Mushrooms
Mushrooms and ground beef are always a delicious pairing. Sauté a handful of mushrooms for your sloppy joes dinner.
Try white or baby bella mushrooms. Cook them with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. This simple topping delivers a load of flavor.
Tater Tots
Yes, tots are sides, but they can also be a topping. And a delicious one at that.
No kid will complain when tater tots are on the table. Eat a few. Put a couple on your sandwich. Enjoy.
The best tots for toppings are the round flat disks. They stay on the sandwich a little better. But you can make any tater tot work.
Guacamole
Guacamole makes an excellent garnish for sloppy joes. Cool, fresh, and flavorful, guacamole always adds a special something to anything it touches.
If you don’t have time to make guacamole, sliced avocados will do the trick. Picking the right avocado is the key to a great garnish.
While you’re here, don’t forget to check out the best bread/buns for sloppy joes.
When you make the sandwich, it’s important to know how long it stays fresh in the fridge and freezer. Read all about it. Plus, get tips to keep the filling warm during a party.
And if you are frugal, you will love this list of leftover sloppy joe recipes. Creative and tasty.
Hungry for More Sandwiches?
- Chicken salad sandwiches. You may also be interested in the best chicken salad sandwich toppings. Plus, get ideas for sides.
- Baked turkey sliders. Scrumptious sliders baked with a sticky brown sugar mustard sauce will be your new go-to dinner recipe.
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