When I was growing up, my family always called sandwiches like this Wimpys. I’m not sure how old I was when I figured out that everyone else calls the Sloppy Joes.
When I made these, my intention was to just use a can of Manwich. But I couldn’t find it anywhere in the grocery. I looked in all the logical places, but no Manwich.
So, I decided to make some homemade. This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes. Her recipe has ketchup and carrots. I used chili sauce and red peppers. Mine also has more meat, but I liked her base of seasonings although I skipped a few of the herbs and spices. Change this up for your tastes and pantry.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Wimpys aka Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 12 oz chili sauce
- 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs. worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbs. brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- buns
Instructions
- Brown ground beef, onion and garlic together in a large pan.
- Add celery and red pepper when the beef is about half way cooked. Continue cooking till beef is done.
- Drain and rinse beef in colander under hot water to remove grease. Return to pan.
- Add remaining ingredients (except buns).
- Heat over medium heat till hot through.
- Serve meat on buns.
Do you call these sandwiches Sloppy Joes, Wimpys or something else?
Sloppy Joes…An American Classic. Thanks for the recipe. I think I might try this out before the end of the New Year
Dave
Wow
My mum used to make these when I was a kid . She called them whimpys too!
Years later as an adult we called them sloppy joes …. What a wonderful throw back!
Wimpy’s I believe is referring to Popeye’s friend who was always eating sloppy burgers. Love the recipe.
They have always been called wimpys in our family too — we only referred to them as sloppy joes if we got perplexed looks from others. Not sure if it was a reference to the Popeye character, or just the tendency of the “wimpy” buns to fall apart. I’d be curious to know if there’s a geographic or generational aspect to what the sandwich is called. Our family was from the Southern Tier of New York State, and I was born in 1968. But, my grandmother, born in Pennsylvania in 1912, also called them wimpys. I never got a chance to ask when she and others of her generation started serving them to their families, but by the time I was a kid in the 70s, they were on the dinner table about once a month in the summer, and were always a favorite among the grandkids. -Al
Oh, so similar. Being originally from PA, mother born in 1910, always made wimpies. I grew up with these on a regular basis for a casual Saturday night super. My children really liked Grandma’s wimpies so I continued the tradition. We refer to Sloppy Joe’s when adding ground beef from the store bought can of Sloppy Joe starter. Recipes are similar. I think maybe wimpies are regional. Now living in FL my new friends have no idea what wimpies are but are familiar with Sloppy Joes.
In Richmond, IN all the local Dairy Queens (old school walk ups, no Braziers here) serve Wimpy sandwiches. Until I saw this I was sure Richmond was the only place on earth that ever called Sloppy Joes Wimpys.
Brian, you may be right about Richmond, IN. That’s where I grew up 🙂 We used to walk down to the Dairy Queen on 9th St. Good memories!
They were good for lunch time at Hibbard school
Hello Tiffany, I’m a Richmond, Indiana native and still live there. The DQ on South 9th is still there and the Wimpy tastes excellent as ever.
I have lived in Richmond, IN for all of my 57 1/2 years. I have eaten wimpys all my life. I won’t eat a sloppy joe. It must be a Richmond thing.
I grew up in Richmond and ever time I go back to visit I have to go to DQ on S. 9th to grab a couple of wimpys.
Same!!! I’m in Cali now. Miss sloppy Joe’s at DQ!!
It’s a small world, Richmond Dairy Queen’s had the best Wimpys. My parents just went and they said DQ changed the recipe and added some nasty filler mystery that tasted horrible and that’s what brought me to this web page. Hopefully it was just a one time issue.
I’m from Richmond, Indiana and I get so hungry for the Dairy Queen whimpy sandwich!! So good!!! Every time I go home I must have one or two :). I hope they still have the same recipe when I go home next time🙏❤️ Yummy 😋
I also am from Richmond and all I knew growig up was Whimpys. From Parkview Elementary PTA meetings to Church Socials and yes, DQ on 9th AND National Rd West it was WHIMPY!
I grew up in Sturgis, SD & we always called them wimpys too. I don’t know either if referenced back to Popeye/Wimpy–in own mind that is what I think of. Wasn’t til I moved to MN did I hear them called sloppy joes. We got weird looks/ heard static from Minnesotans about never hearing them being called wimpys!
im from richmond indiana ive been telling people about the wimpys from dq for years. crissy from richmond is right its not a saucy beef its dry with seasoning and the bun and all seemed steamed. it was a good hot sandwich and it had great flavor. im sure its easy to replicate i may try, but i think the onion and maybe a slight amount of cream of mushroom soup may be accurate. and i went to hibberd middle school. long live the wimpy and hibberd middle school!! (we had a pool at the middle school) eat that dennis and test middle schools you guys had to come there to swim!!
I am also a Hoosier. My aunt and uncle lived in Centerville and I was friends with the girls across the street. Their family made wimpies and sloppy-jo for family functions. But the wimpies were made of ground beef and cream of mushroom soup. I have asked several people and family members from the area and no one has ever heard of it.
I am from central Iowa and Wimp’s is what we called hamburger with mushroom soup and Sloppy Joe’s were hamburger with a tomato sauce. Both delicious!
I tried this recipe last week. It was wonderful! I sent the link to my daughter.. her hubby gave it a keep making this one review. thanks for sharing this one. Cu dos
Glad your family enjoyed it! It’s always nice to have a quick tasty recipe to turn too 🙂
I’m from northern Wisconsin and we always called it Barbecue. Then we moved to Atlanta and learned what real Barbecue was lol! They called our BBQ sloppy joe’s. But I love “wimpy’s”.
and for a true NEPA Wimpy, no chilly sauce, chopped onion, green pepper, celery with ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, tomato, brown sugar, and add your own signature ingredients!
Hey!
I grew up in Richmond, IN TOO and graduated from Richmond High in 1977 and am craving the wimpies from DQ. I’d LOVE TO GET THE RECIPE. It’s not sweet, so the brown sugar doesn’t sound right to me. Also an entire green pepper sounds like a lot. HELP PLEASE!!
Adrienne C in Chicago
So fun to see someone else from Richmond! I actually don’t remember the wimpies from DQ, although I have many memories of walking to the S. 9th street DQ! I’m not much help with their original recipe though.
I still live in Richmond, always went to DQ on S 9th, unfortunately they have new owners and they don’t taste the same. The original was as you said a dry crumbly mixture, not saucy like a sloppy Joe. I worked there, but can’t remember how I made them. Grrr
My parents grew up in Richmond and I in New Paris. When my husband and I moved to southern Indiana no one had heard of wimpies. I taught my kids to call them wimpies too.
They’ll always be Wimpys in my mind! We grew up in NE Pennsylvania in the early ’60s and Sloppy Joes didn’t exist–these were always Wimpys. I don’t recall my mom’s recipe; I’ll have to ask her, but I’ve returned to the homemade version as the canned additives just don’t do it for me.
I stumbled onto this recipe and may give it a go.
Thanks!