Gumbo Soup Sloppy Joes

Gumbo Soup Sloppy Joes are a sweet & smokey mix of chicken gumbo soup, curry powder, ketchup, and brown sugar that cooks in one skillet pan. You won’t believe how delicious these are and they’re simple to make thanks to the canned gumbo soup and two types of ground meat; ground beef and ground turkey. This dinner recipe is one that will be on repeat!

Gumbo Soup Sloppy Joes Recipe

I am a big believer that one cannot have too many sloppy Joe recipes! Sloppy Joes are one of my family’s favorite dinner recipes because they’re kid-friendly, delicious, they usually cook up in one skillet pan, and you can eat them with your hands like a sandwich.

These sloppy joes have the perfect mix of sweet & smokey ingredients that work perfectly together. The ‘secret’ is a can of condensed chicken gumbo soup and the two different types of ground meat… ground beef + ground turkey. 

The curry powder adds such a great smokey flavor and the ketchup and brown sugar add some sweetness. You may be skeptical, but trust me when I say that these might be our very favorite. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients that you will need to make this recipe for your own family. I also share some tips so that you can recreate this recipe exactly in your own kitchen. 

• Ground Beef : I use 96/4 because that’s what I prefer. You can use any fat percentage of ground beef because you will be draining the excess grease anyways. I don’t love greasy food which is why I like to use a really lean ground beef. 
• Ground Turkey : I use 93/7 ground turkey for this recipe. The beef & turkey pair perfectly together in this recipe. I highly recommend using both kinds!
• Yellow Onion : I prefer a yellow onion because it’s much milder in flavor than a white onion. You can substitute with a white onion or even a sweet onion. 
• Kosher Salt : This is my preferred cooking salt. It elevates all the flavors without making the food taste ‘salty’.
• Condensed Chicken Gumbo Soup : I have only ever seen this soup made by the Campbell’s brand. You will find it by the other condensed soups (i.e – cream of chicken, etc) at the grocery store. It’s important that you get the Campbell’s condensed soup because the other chicken gumbo soups are actual soups and not the condensed version. 
• Ketchup
• Water
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Light Brown Sugar
• Curry Powder
• Black Pepper

How To Make Chicken Gumbo Sloppy Joes

Learn how to make sloppy joes with chicken gumbo soup with the easy steps below. Be sure and read to the bottom of the post where there is a printable recipe card, a pin it button so you can save it to Pinterest, and a recipe card with all the ingredients and detailed instructions. 

• Ground Meats : In a skillet pan, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef, ground turkey, onion, and kosher salt until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the excess grease/liquid from the pan. 
• Gumbo Soup : Add the chicken gumbo soup (do not prepare it beforehand, just dump it in), ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a low boil.
• Simmer : Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes. You want to simmer it with no lid on it because we want the extra moisture to evaporate so it thickens. 
• Serve : Using a slotted spoon, serve a spoonful inside toasted buns and enjoy!

Tips For Success

Here are a few of my helpful tips that will hopefully make this recipe easy to recreate in your own kitchen. 

• Use Both Kinds of Ground Meat : It may not seem like a big deal, but using ground beef + ground turkey, makes a huge taste difference in this recipe. I can’t describe it well, but all I can say is that I tested this recipe with only using ground beef and it did not taste nearly as good. For best results, I highly recommend following the recipe as written and using ground beef & ground turkey when making this recipe. 
• Let It Simmer! : It’s important to let the sloppy Joe mixture simmer for at least 20-25 minute before serving it. It needs time to thicken up and for the flavors to develop and come together. 
• Gumbo Soup : I am not sure if there is a generic, store-brand that makes the condensed chicken gumbo soup but it’s important for this recipe that you use the correct one. You want to use the smaller condensed can (10.5 oz) of chicken gumbo soup. It’s in the same size can as condensed tomato soup and condensed cream of chicken soup. Don’t think that you can just substitute it with any gumbo soup.
• Toast The Buns : Sloppy joes in general taste so much better on a butter toasted bun. I separate the top bun and bottom bun and place them both on a cookie sheet (repeat with however many more buns you need). Spread butter on all of them and then broil on low heat for a few minutes. It makes such a big difference in the taste of the sloppy joe!

Chicken Gumbo Soup Sloppy Joes FAQ’s

• How To Store Leftovers
  • Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container, in the fridge, for 3-4 days. 
  • When reheating leftovers, you can microwave them or heat it up in a saucepan on the stove top. 
  • If the leftovers seems dry try adding just a little bit of water when reheating. 
• Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
  • This recipe does have to simmer for 20-25 minutes, which means that you have to plan ahead a little when making it. If you want to make it hours ahead of time, or maybe you’re taking it to an event or gathering, I would prepare as directed and then instead of simmering it on the stove top, move the sloppy Joe mixture into a slow cooker and let it cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. If the low temperature is too hot, reduce it to the warm setting. 
• Serving Suggestions
  • Toasted Hamburger Buns are the best way to serve these sloppy joes. 
  • Separate each hamburger bun and put both pieces on a cookie sheet. Spread all the buns with butter and then broil, on low heat, for 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully because they do burn fast. The toasted buns add such a great flavor and crunch.
  • You can even try adding a slice of cheese!
  • My family’s favorite way to eat sloppy joes, of any kind, is with Lay’s reduced-sodium potato chips. Just the plain potato chips adds a slight salty crunch and it’s so good in sloppy joes. 
• Variation & Substitution Ideas 
  • Make It Spicy! : Use a hot spicy jalapeño ketchup. Add some chili powder, cayenne red pepper, or red chili flakes in with the other dried seasonings. Serve the sloppy joes with jalapeño chips inside. Top the sloppy Joe mixture with sliced jalapeños. 
  • Ground Meat : Although I highly recommend using both kinds of ground meat in this recipe, you can just use one if wanted. Or try using ground chicken or ground pork as a substitute. 

More Sloppy Joe Recipes You Need To Try

• BBQ Turkey Sloppy Joes
• Crockpot Sloppy Joes
• Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
• Frito Pie Sloppy Joes
• Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes