When you want to frugally feed a crowd for game day, or a hungry family at dinner, it doesn’t get much tastier than French Onion Sloppy Joes!
Easy to make homemade ground beef sloppy joes are smothered with plenty of melted Swiss cheese and then are topped with a mound of deeply caramelized, thyme-infused, onions.
What’s not to love?!!
**Please Note – The printable recipe card with detailed instructions and complete ingredient measurements for making Game Day French Onion Sloppy Joes is available near the end of this post. OR click on the “jump to recipe” button (found above) to be taken directly to the recipe.
CLICK ON THIS BOX TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY KUDOS KITCHEN YOUTUBE CHANNEL. SEE YOU THERE! 🙂
The ingredient list:
**Note – The following lists of ingredients plus kitchen tools and equipment contain affiliate links (highlighted in blue) for your consideration and shopping convenience. #CommissionsEarned
- sweet onions, sliced
- fresh thyme sprigs
- ground beef
- chopped celery
- tomato paste
- brown sugar
- apple cider vinegar
- Swiss cheese slices
- grapeseed oil, or other neutral-flavored light oil
- butter
- salt and pepper
- buns
Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
- large skillet
- chef’s knife
- cutting board
- cooking twine (optional)
- measuring cups and spoons
- wooden spoon or spatula
How this easy sandwich recipe came to be:
This is a recipe idea that came to me in the middle of the night and made me grab my pen and paper.
When something like that happens it usually takes me a while to fall back asleep, but this time I drifted back easily, and you can bet that I was dreaming about these French Onion Sloppy Joes!
If you want to get fancier and add more ingredients to your ground beef mixture, have at it.
I, however, wanted to keep things simple so that the flavor of the thyme-infused caramelized onions would shine in this sandwich.
Why this recipe works?
And, when you factor in that these French Onion Sloppy Joes cost only pennies per serving, you’ll want to add these to the family dinner roster on a regular rotation! SCORE!
It honestly doesn’t get much easier or more delicious than this!
For great recipes for Father’s Day, click here to check out my Father’s Day Foods recipe roundup!
French Onion Pork Chops (shown in the featured video) is one of my most popular dinner recipes…EVER! Make sure to add it to your menu calendar too. 🙂
Can French onion sloppy joes be frozen after cooking?
Sure thing! Just don’t freeze the French onion sloppy joes already made as sandwiches as the buns will get soggy when thawed.
My suggestion is to cool the ground beef and the caramelized onion mixture separately in airtight freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat French onion sloppy joes after freezing:
Thaw the sloppy joe and caramelized onions completely.
Reheating can be done in microwave-safe containers on medium-high power, stirring occasionally.
OR, add the thawed sloppy joes to a skillet and reheat over medium/high heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.
Add cheese slices after heating.
How long will these sloppy joes keep in the refrigerator?
If kept in an airtight container, French onion sloppy joes will keep for 7 days.
To save on space, the sloppy joes and the caramelized onions may be kept in the same container if desired.
How to make thyme-infused caramelized onions:
- Melt butter and oil in a large, heavy skillet.
- Slice 3 – 4 sweet onions and add them to the skillet, tossing to coat with the butter.
- Make a thyme bundle and add them to the skillet along with the onions.
- Cook the onions over medium heat (stirring occasionally) until they’ve turned a deep golden brown and have cooked down considerably. *Note – this will take approximately 15 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Stir well.
- Remove the thyme bundle from the skillet and use the onions immediately, or store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to make French Onion Sloppy Joes:
- Brown ground beef and diced celery in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in tomato paste and brown sugar.
- Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and cook, stirring frequently until the beef is no longer pink and the sloppy joes are heated through.
- Serve on buns with a slice of Swiss cheese and mounds of thyme-infused caramelized onions.
Watch me as I demonstrated this recipe LIVE on Facebook but adapted it and served it over a baked potato:
CLICK ON THIS BOX TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY KUDOS KITCHEN YOUTUBE CHANNEL. SEE YOU THERE! 🙂
Want more easy recipes that everyone will love?
- Parmesan Onion Appetizer Squares
- Spicy Thai Pulled Pork Sandwiches for the Slow Cooker
- Cinnamon Praline Pretzels
- Hot Patty Melt Dip
- Sloppy Sausage Bean Dip
- Sloppy José Hot Dogs with Black Beans and Chiles
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate
Below is the printable recipe card along with the exact ingredient measurements and nutritional information for making today’s French Onion Sloppy Joes.
French Onion Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
For the thyme-infused caramelized onions;
- 4 sweet onions , sliced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 10 sprigs thyme
- butchers twine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For the homemade sloppy joes;
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup celery , diced
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- ¼ cup brown sugar , packed
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 10 slices Swiss Cheese
- 10 hamburger buns
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Instructions
To make the thyme-infused caramelized onions;
- Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion slices. Stir well.
- Make a thyme bundle by wrapping the thyme sprigs with butcher's twine or wrap them in cheesecloth.
- Add the thyme bundle to the onions. Cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are deeply caramelized and reduced. Remove the thyme and discard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.
- Keep the onions warm until serving or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days if making them in advance.
To make the homemade sloppy joes;
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and chopped celery.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 3-4 minutes until the flavors have married and the sloppy joes are heated through.
- Serve the sloppy joes on buns and top with slices of Swiss cheese and a helping of thyme-infused caramelized onions.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you so much for visiting me here today in my Kudos Kitchen!
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed today’s easy sandwich recipe for French Onion Sloppy Joes as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding this recipe or anything else you’ve seen on my site, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with a reply just as soon as I possibly can!
For more Kudos Kitchen recipe information, please follow me on my social medial channels (listed below), and don’t forget to TAG me @kudoskitchen with photos so I can view all your delicious recipe creations! It’s exciting for me when you share them, so don’t be shy!
Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube
Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube
Kudos Kitchen by Renee – BRINGING YOU EASY, ECONOMICAL, AND DELICIOUS DISHES TO FEED YOUR LOVED ONES!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
**Note – The post above includes affiliate links. As always, I truly thank you for your support!
Suzy
Friday 10th of April 2020
I love how you took this classic dish and kicked it up a notch! French onion anything is SO GOOD! Loved it!
Sophie Heath
Friday 10th of April 2020
These French dips are so good! So glad I found this recipe
Debbie
Friday 6th of September 2019
https://bakedbroiledandbasted.com/20-winning-game-day-recipes/
Great Recipe Thanks for sharing ..YUMM!
Renée
Monday 9th of September 2019
My pleasure, Debbie!! Enjoy!
Donna
Monday 29th of July 2019
This is amazing, so good! Love the little twist with adding thyme to the caramelized onions, makes such a great flavour!
Renée
Tuesday 30th of July 2019
It really does, Donna! Why not add more flavor whenever possible, right? Thanks so much!!
Linda
Friday 26th of July 2019
These look perfect for a game day treat! We must have been on the same wavelength because I just made French Onion Chicken with the same delicious onions. I think those onions can elevate any dinner! Great recipe that I'm keeping in mind for the upcoming football season.
Renée
Saturday 27th of July 2019
Everything's better with caramelized onions, in my opinion. Thanks. Linda!