Originated in the USA in the early 20th century, sloppy joe is a delicious dish adored by many. Sloppy Joes are made by stuffing ground meat (beef or pork) cooked with onion and bell peppers in a tomato based sauce inside a hamburger bun. If you intend to throw a party for a large number of kids or plan to have an outdoor birthday party for your kid or organize a gaming activity, sloppy joe is the best kind of easy and yummy dish you can ever think of preparing. Even though this classic sandwich is known to be a kid’s favourite, there is nothing wrong even if you crave for them as an adult.
To make a perfect and wholesome meal combination, you need to serve sloppy joes with some scrumptious side dishes. Here is a list of some creative side dish ideas you can accompany with sloppy joes.
What to Include in a Party Menu to serve along with Sloppy Joes?
Even though sloppy joes are a delicious meal by itself, when you plan a party menu and intend to serve sloppy joes as the main dish, you need to pair it with some side dishes that will please the appetite your guests. Here are some sides that you can include in a party menu to serve along with sloppy joes.
1. Tater Tots
Potato and cheese go together like bread and butter. Preparation of tater tots doesn’t consume a lot of time. You just have to boil the potatoes, shred them finely, mix them well with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian spices and some cheese, turn them into small potato balls and finally deep fry them until golden brown and crispy. Your tater tots are ready to go!
2. Dill Pickles
Pickles are a great option when you want to spice things up in your party menu. Sliced cucumbers and red onions are placed in a jar with some dill fronds and then a mixture of water, vinegar, salt and pepper is blended well with the vegetables to enhance the flavour. The tightly covered jar should be refrigerated for about an hour.
3. Onion Rings
Sloppy joes and crunchy onion rings are a great combination for a party. Cheese stuffed, battered and fried onion rings will be a side dish enjoyed by many.
4. Garlic Bread
Baked bread seasoned with garlic butter, fresh parsley and some added cheese is a filling side that perfectly goes with sloppy joes. You can also eat this garlic bread with the leftover meat sauce from your sloppy joe.
Salads that Go with Sloppy Joes
Vegetable salad is a must on every dinner table because it ensures that your family is fed with a well-balanced nutritious meal. Sloppy joes should also be combined with a vegetable salad in order to enjoy it to the maximum. Especially, if you serve sloppy joes for adults, they would always love to have some side salad on their plates. Here are some salads that you can serve with your sloppy joes.
1. Coleslaw
The sweet creaminess of coleslaw makes it a perfect contrasting side dish to sloppy joes. Finely shredded cabbage mixed with a mayonnaise based salad dressing is the simplest side dish you can ever make. You can also mix other crunchy and fresh vegetables such as carrots for this coleslaw. The secret is to combine the vegetables with the salad dressing right before serving to preserve the crunchiness of the vegetables.
2. Cucumber- Radish Salad
The vegetable salad prepared using finely shredded cabbage, radish, cucumber and avocado tossed in a salad dressing made with oil, lime juice, salt and pepper is also an amazing side salad to serve with sloppy joes.
3. Garden Salad
Butterhead lettuce leaves, shredded iceberg lettuce tossed together with ripened tomatoes and red onions in a large bowl and finally seasoned with a pinch of salt is a healthy and simple side salad you can accompany with sloppy joes.
4. Pasta Salad
Penne pasta mixed with cucumbers, basil, cherry tomatoes, black olives and red wine vinegar is a satisfying as well as a filling dish that you can serve your guests with sloppy joes. This will give an Italian touch to your American main dish.
Crunchy Fries with Sloppy Joes – Kids Will Love this!
If you plan to prepare sloppy joes as the main dish for a kids’ party, you should definitely prepare fries as a side dish. Here are some different variants of fries you can add to your menu.
1. Potato Chips
This most common meal is a great side idea to serve with sloppy joes. Children would love a bite of potato chips here and there and these crispy chips can also be eaten with the meat sauce of sloppy joes.
2. Waffle Fries
Crunchy and salty waffle fries with some ketchup is a perfect side for sloppy joes.
3. Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potatoes seasoned with garlic, paprika, salt and pepper are baked into golden brown and crispy perfection before they come to your table as an amazing side dish for sloppy joes.
Conclusion
Sloppy Joes are a scrumptious dish that is easy to prepare. They are perfect for both a weekend dinner night where only family members gather and a party where a large number of guests would participate in. If you are hosting a big kids’ party or an outdoor activity like a gaming event, preparing a big batch of sloppy joes would save the day. But, serving only sloppy joes is not sufficient. You have to accompany it with different varieties of side dishes; vegetable salads, fries, pasta salads, baked potatoes, mac and cheese and so on. This guide prepared after careful research will make you aware of the suitable side dishes and help you select ones that match with your requirements.
