Have sloppy joes and looking for ideas for side dishes or salads to serve it with? Then this list of 25 recipes to serve with sloppy joes is for you!
Sloppy Joes are the classic year-round sandwich that we all like and kids love. The beauty of them is that there are so many ways to make sloppy joes. While ground beef is the go-to for a classic sandwich, you can also use ground turkey, chicken, venison, or opt for a vegetarian sandwich using tofu, seitan, or even mushrooms (you can even make vegan sloppy joes)!
But what do you serve with a sloppy joe? We’ve got some ideas!
There are a variety of great options to serve with your sloppy joes. We are going to, of course, recommend foods that just naturally fit with a warm sloppy joe. I am also going to put on my nutritionist hat and consider what our recommendations can do to provide a nutritionally balanced lunch or dinner. Let’s face it, sloppy joes aren’t green and don’t bring a lot of vitamins and minerals to your plate. We will balance a bit of nutrition with a lot of taste!
- Side Dishes To Serve With Sloppy Joes
- Salads To Serve With Sloppy Joes
- Desserts To Serve With Sloppy Joes
Side Dishes To Serve With Sloppy Joes
Sweet Potato Wedges
Our number one recommendation among sloppy joe slides is sweet potato fries or wedges. These oven-baked wedges are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and dipped in a roasted garlic mayo sauce, but if you think garlic is too much for your kids, just get out the ketchup. Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse potato. While they have about the same carbs as white potatoes, they have more fiber, twice the vitamin C, and WAY more vitamin A. Recipe: Oven baked sweet potato wedges.
Air Fried Sweet Potato Fries
With a slight variation on our first recommendation, use your air fryer to make simple but deliciously salty Sweet Potato Fries! They are healthier than eating regular fries and come out of the air fryer perfectly crispy. Made with only three ingredients (sweet potatoes, olive oil, and salt), prepare for these fries to be your new go-to side dish for sloppy joes, burgers, you name it. Recipe: Air Fried Sweet Potato Fries.
French Fries
Let’s face it everyone loves french fries, and potatoes bring some nutrition to the table (we are being generous here). Sometimes though when you just get the urge for something fresh and new, and amazingly melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Give avocado fries a try especially if you are serving an older crowd. These have everything you want in fries, creamy on the inside and extra crispy on the outside. Recipe: Baked Avocado Fries.
Corn on the Cob
Right after fries we think corn on the cob is the natural partner for sloppy joes. Ideally get it in the summer season with the husks still on, but the frozen precleaned cobs work just fine in the winter. The easiest way to prep corn on the cob is to wrap it in plastic wrap and microwave it. The second easiest is boiling. An elderly lady who sold us corn from her farm taught us to put the corn in a covered pot of water then turn on the heat. When the water boils turn off the heat, and let it sit until you want it. It always comes out great. Our preferred method is to peel back the husks, without removing it, so you can remove the silk. Wet the corn and pull the husk back over the cob then put it on the grill. If you want a bit more flavor from your corn check out our corn recipes with several for on the cob eating. Recipe: Corn Side Dishes.
Coleslaw
Coleslaw is another great complementary side for sloppy joes. You can easily just buy it pre-made at the store as a time saver, but our favorite recipe that is ready in no time is on a colleague’s site. And, we have to admit their recipe title is pretty accurate: Recipe: Best Coleslaw Recipe.
Air Fried Buffalo Cauliflower
Since sloppy joes are the ultimate “eat with your hands” food, we like to pair them with other finger foods. This brings us to a buffalo cauliflower. Since this cauliflower has no breading and is cooked in an air fryer, it’s a great healthy alternative to fried buffalo wings and goes great with a thick sloppy joe. I love to make this recipe for guests, as it’s a great finger food that’s perfect to eat when watching movies or just hanging out! Recipe: Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower.
Kale Chips
Okay, we probably know what you are thinking here. Aren’t kale chips eaten by hippies, and 98 lbs soccer moms? Maybe, but these things are good, and healthwise they’re definitely not potato chips. Don’t go thinking you can do a blindfold test and not be able to tell a difference. There is a difference, but it’s a difference we love. Kale chips are both crispy yet melt in your mouth, and don’t be surprised when your guests get to the bottom of the snack bowl faster than you thought possible! Just throw more in the oven. Recipe: Sea Salted Kale Chips.
Air Fryer Bloomin Onion
This isn’t the healthiest option we present here, but this simple air-fried version of the appetizer made famous by Outback is easy and always a hit. Find the biggest vidalia onion you can, follow this simple recipe with flour, eggs, milk, and spices to your taste, and you have the perfect appetizer to serve before sloppy joes. Recipe: Air Fryer Bloomin Onion.
Nachos
We won’t lie and tell you that nachos are a way to add nutrition to a sloppy joe lunch, but they do make a great appetizer that works right along with the eat-with-your-hands theme of sloppy joes. These air fryer nachos are so simple and ready in minutes. Recipe: Air Fryer Nachos.
Mozzarella Sticks
Who can resist a plate of warm, cheesy, mozzarella sticks? They’re crispy, savory, and a great appetizer before equally as warm sloppy joes. We make these in the air fryer as it avoids the hassle of deep frying and is a great alternative health-wise. Recipe: Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks.
Buffalo Dip
If you weren’t convinced by our buffalo cauliflower, perhaps go with a dip and homemade tortilla chips. Your crew will clean these out while you open a can of Manwich or prep your own favorite sloppy joe recipe. Recipe: Vegetarian buffalo dip. (While this is a vegetarian recipe, you can always add some grilled chicken to the recipe to make buffalo chicken dip.)
Salads To Serve With Sloppy Joes
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
This recipe is as simple as chop, toss, add dressing, and put it on the table. You can have this ready in 15 minutes. With apples, dried cranberries, fresh parmesan, and shaved fresh Brussels sprouts it brings a lot of nutrition to your plate. Recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Try this delightful medley of flavors and textures. We think it is a great pair with sloppy joes, or a light meal on its own if you have guests who aren’t excited about sloppy joes. With crispy beans, tangy feta cheese, and a zesty lemon dressing, this salad is a must-try for anyone looking to incorporate more veggies into their diet. Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Salad.
Zucchini Corn Salad
We normally make this in the summer as we grill both the zucchini and the corn, but this goes well with sloppy joes anytime of year. If you bring this salad to a cookout, we guarantee you will not bring leftovers home. It also packs a fair bit of nutrition not typically found in sloppy joes. Recipe: Zucchini Corn Salad.
Ramen Noodle Salad
You can whip up a ramen salad in no time making it a quick add to go with your ready made Manwich sloppy joes. With crunchy, toasted ramen noodles and slivered almonds, this salad is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The tangy dressing, seasoned with the ramen packet, is complemented by tricolor coleslaw and sliced green onions. Recipe: Easy Ramen Salad.
Sweet Potato Salad
This roasted Sweet Potato Salad is a combination of some of our most favorite ingredients. Sweet potato, quinoa, and arugula make up a bulk of the salad. But then we throw in their best friends, feta cheese and red onions and raisins! This warm Sweet Potato Salad recipe is a hearty side salad for serving with warm sloppy joes on a winter day. Recipe: Sweet Potato Salad.
Cucumber Salad
A refreshing cool cucumber salad is a great accompaniment to sloppy joes on a warm summer day. We like three different options that are all easy to put together but always crowd pleasers.
Mexican Street Corn Salad
This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob! Recipe: Mexican Street Corn Salad
Watermelon Fruit Salad
If you are serving sloppy joes in the summer, this is the perfect accompaniment. It is refreshing and brings a whole lot of nutrition to the table that sloppy joes alone can’t provide. Recipe: Grilled Watermelon Salad.
Desserts To Serve With Sloppy Joes
Homemade Popsicles
Easier to make than you may think, and you don’t need molds. When you are making sloppy joes for the kids during the summer a fruit filled yogurt popsicle is a great way to bump up the nutrition in their lunch. Recipe: Fruit and Yogurt Popsicles.
Caramel Dip and Apple Slices
Want to add a bit of nutrition to your kids’ lunch? Try a simple homemade caramel dip with apple or pear slices. These are always a kid-pleaser. We make this with dates vs a high-sugar commercial caramel to leverage the natural fructose in dates vs the corn syrup or sucrose you find in store brands. Recipe: Salted Date Caramel.
Brownies
While brownies are always a good dessert to go with sloppy joes, these black bean brownies up the ante on providing a healthy accompaniment. These bean brownies are perfect for healthy dessert lovers, gluten-free diets, or anyone who just wants to try a fun new recipe. You can easily modify the base recipe to make a sugar-free alternative or even vegan. Your kids, or Uncle George, don’t need to know any of that! Recipe: Black Bean Fudge Brownies (or, check out our well-tested blondies with white chocolate chunks.)
Cookies
Cookies are a great dessert to serve after or with sloppy joes. These sweet potato cookies with chocolate and oats are always a crowd pleaser. They are packed with healthy rolled oats and sweet potato (plus decadent chocolate chips). Sweet Potato Cookies. For a different, but oh so decadent taste consider our Chewy Date Cookies.
Apple Crisps
We prefer desserts you can eat with your hands to go with sloppy joes, but these crisps are a great healthy dessert option. They are made with zucchini to lower the calorie count and up the nutrition. zucchini crisps. Not sure zucchini is your thing? Stick with the tried and true apple crisp. Don’t forget to top either off with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or homemade nice cream.
Frozen Yogurt Bark
Feeding kids? They’ll love these frozen treats with their sloppy joes! Recipe: Frozen Yogurt Bark.
This wraps our look at what goes good with sloppy joes. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but some fresh alternatives to a bag of chips and Nabisco cookies. As always happy cooking from your friends at Live Eat Learn.
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