Sloppy joes are a fun, tasty way to feed a crowd. But when making sloppy joes for 50 people, how much ground beef do you need? In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know to make the perfect amount of sloppy joe filling to serve 50 hearty sandwiches.
An Intro to Making Sloppy Joes for a Group
Sloppy joes have a nostalgic fun appeal that makes them a great choice for large gatherings like potlucks parties, church events, and family reunions. Their saucy, handheld format also makes them super easy to serve to a crowd. But nailing the right ratio of ground beef to servings can be tricky. You want to make enough so there’s plenty to go around, without ending up with loads of leftovers.
So let’s take a detailed look at how to figure out the right quantity of ground beef needed to make sloppy joes for around 50 people.
How Much Ground Beef for 50 Sloppy Joes
When making sloppy joes for 50, here is a good rule of thumb for the ground beef:
- For 50 sloppy joes, use 7-8 pounds of ground beef
This will provide a generous 1/2 cup of sloppy joe filling per sandwich once the meat is cooked and mixed with the other ingredients
The saucy filling tends to slightly reduce in volume as it cooks. So for 50 servings, 7-8 pounds of ground beef allows for that reduction and ensures you’ll have plenty of delicious sloppy joe mixture to pile high on buns or slider rolls.
More Tips for Calculating Ground Beef for a Crowd
Here are some more useful tips to ensure you get the measurements right:
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Go for an 80/20 or 85/15 lean/fat ratio ground beef. The higher fat content provides the classic sloppy joe flavor and texture.
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Browning the beef in batches helps render out fat and creates delicious fond for building flavor.
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Onions, celery, ketchup, mustard, and other sloppy joe ingredients will add bulk and volume to the meat.
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Use smaller slider-sized buns to stretch the filling further. Standard hamburger buns may require more beef per sandwich.
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Leftover sloppy joe mixture freezes well for future meals. So making extra isn’t a waste.
Nutrition Information in Sloppy Joes
One serving of sloppy joes made with 85% lean ground beef contains approximately:
- 263 calories
- 28g carbs
- 12g protein
- 11g fat
- 393mg sodium
So while tasty, keep portion sizes of the sandwich in check when feeding a crowd. An 8 ounce serving provides enough satisfaction.
More Tips for Making Sloppy Joes for 50 People
Here are some bonus tips to ensure sloppy joe success when serving 50:
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Make the filling in advance and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld. Just reheat gently when ready to serve.
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Set up a topping bar with shredded cheese, crispy onions, pickles, and condiments for customization.
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Pair with easy side dishes like baked beans, coleslaw, chips or potato salad to round out the meal.
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Bake a sheet cake decorated like a hamburger for a fun sloppy joe-themed dessert.
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Use disposable serving ware for easy clean-up after big events.
Now that you know how much ground beef you need, you’re ready to whip up the perfect amount of tasty sloppy joe filling to serve 50 fun and satisfying sandwiches. Adjust the recipe up or down based on your final guest count. Just remember – go big on flavor when feeding a crowd!
How to Make Your Favorite Childhood Sloppy Joes
FAQ
How many pounds of ground beef for 50 people?
How much does 1 lb of sloppy joes feed?
How much ground beef do I need for 60 people?
How many people does 1lb of ground beef feed?
How much Hamburger do I need for 50 sloppy joes?
It is so much better than anything you will get from the Lunchlady or the premade can. How many pounds of hamburger do I need for 50 Sloppy Joes? Our recipe calls for 1 ½ pound of ground beef, which makes enough for six servings. To make 50 sandwiches, you would need to purchase 12 ½ pounds of meat.
How much meat do you need to make sloppy joes?
But at a party, if you have a limited budget : You need about 1 pound of ground meat to make sloppy joes to feed 6 people. However, you can stretch the meat for a large crowd. Increasing other non-meat ingredients in the sloppy joes filling adds bulk, reducing the quantity of meat you need. Add more onions and bell peppers.
How many sloppy joes sandwiches per person?
Supply enough filling and buns for 1½ sloppy joes sandwiches per person. Some people will have two, most will have one, and a few won’t eat one at all. (Like the vegetarians in the crowd.) If you plan on 1½ sandwiches per person, you should have enough food for everyone. Especially if you have sloppy joes toppings and generous side dishes.
What is the serving size of sloppy joes?
A typical serving size for sloppy joes is about 1/2 cup of the sandwich mixture. However, this can vary depending on the recipe and how much of the mixture is used per bun. For example, some recipes may call for only 1/4 cup of the sloppy joe mixture per bun, while others may use closer to 3/4 cup.