Cuban Sloppy Joes with seasoned ground pork with citrus flavors topped with Swiss cheese pickles and mustard is a Cuban take of the favorite sloppy joes!
Monday folks! You know that means is Sloppy Joe time! We love the classic Ultimate Sloppy Joes but we’re having a lot of fun with all these new flavor combinations!
Cuban Sloppy Joes
I bet you’re wondering if we ever get tired of sloppy joes. Noooope. We (and I even mean the kids here) have had an absolute blast testing each one of the almost 40 sloppy joe recipes coming to the blog!
And if you really think about it, with different flavors the use of ground meat is an easy and obvious choice for weeknight meals. Plus Wednesdays are something the kids look forward to now instead of feeling like they’re in the doldrums of the week!
Now let’s discuss the Cuban authenticity of this meal. It’s not. I mean, logically, it just isn’t and if you’re making these sloppy joes you just have to know you’re getting some fun Cuban flavors in 30 minutes like you get Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes without shaved ribeye in just 20 minutes.
Or if you’re feeling nostalgic for more childhood favorites I highly suggest Tater Tot Casserole and Frito Pie.
An authentic Cuban Pork Sandwich? It contains roasted pork, ham, pickles, Swiss cheese and mustard on a crusty roll, pressed and toasted. That sandwich? COMPLETELY DELICIOUS.
In fact I once did a Miami Cubano Sandwich crawl where we taste tested 6 different Cubanos.
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In most of my sloppy joes recipes I try to hide vegetables in the recipe so I feel like a better parent (my working mom guilt is real).
If you would like to add vegetables into the recipe I’d recommend:
- green bell pepper, chopped finely
- red onions, chopped finely
- black beans
- canned diced tomatoes, water drained
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What goes good with Cuban sloppy joes for a side dish?
These Cuban Sloppy Joes would be delicious served with plantain chips or Lime Chips and Guacamole.
tips for making these cuban pork Sloppy Joes:
- Make sure your ingredients are ready ahead of time, don’t let the pan scorch.
- Mix the spices together in a small bowl while cooking the pork hand for easy adding.
- Stop cooking when its just slightly too wet still, it will thicken as it sits for a couple minutes.
- If you want to meal prep just leave the sauce extra saucy before shutting off the heat. You may need a bit of water when reheating.
- Add the Swiss cheese in between scoops of the filling so it melts nicely.
Are you going to join us and enjoy this recipe on Wednesday? Remember if you make this dish this Wednesday, we’ll be having the same dinner.
I’d love to know how it turns out for you so if you do make the recipe pretty please come back and leave a comment letting me know how you enjoyed them.
We put a ton of effort into recipe testing almost 40 Sloppy Joes for this weekly series!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 4 brioche buns
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced pickles
- mustard optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add in the pork, crumbling it up with a spatula as it cooks for 5-7 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium and add in the garlic, brown sugar, allspice, coriander, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice and lime zest, stirring and cooking for 2-3 minutes. and lime zest and juice.
- Add in the stock and tomato sauce stirring well then letting reduce for 5-7 minutes.
- Scoop onto toasted buns, top with Swiss cheese and another spoonful of the pork mixture with pickles and mustard on top (optional).
Nutrition
My 1.5 year old loved it, and it’s hard to get him to eat meat. My husband’s comment was that it was the best sloppy Joe I’ve made. So thank you!! This will be on rotation.
Just outstanding. Followed the recipe perfectly. I’ll be using this one again and again. Thank you!
You are very quickly becoming my favorite blogger! I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes and they are all so wonderful! The Cuban sloppy Joe’s included! The only thing I changed was how to serve them. After making the sauce, I added slices of Swiss cheese on top, added pickles and mustard, and then added cut up biscuits on top. I cooked it all at 350 for about 20 minutes. All I can say is this dish is fabulous! Full of flavor and something we will be making again. Husband approved! Thanks so much for all your efforts!
I’m making this tommorow. Is there a way to do in the slow cooker
I’ve not tested it using a slow cooker. You’ll still have to cook the pork and the spices so I’m not sure it would even save you any time.
So good!!! Everyone loved it and wanted me to make it a part of the rotation. Great recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed it so much, Caroline. Thanks for the 5 stars.
This recipe was great. Everyone in my family loved it. I doubled it so we had left overs for the next day. Awesome recipe thank you
So glad you enjoyed it, Sylvia.
OMG these were amazing, I’m so glad I tried it, I didn’t have ground pork so I used ground Turkey it was delicious thanks for sharing! Now I will have to try the other recipes!!!
That’s such a great substitution. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Erika.
Just made this tonight and my husband and I loved it! Thank you for sharing, can’t wait to try your other sloppy joe recipes!
So glad you both loved it. I really appreciate the 5 star rating.
Very tasty! My wife and I both enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for sharing another great recipe. I have made a number of your recipes and we have enjoyed every one of them. Please keep doing what your doing and know that your talents are greatly appreciated!
That’s so sweet of you to say, Jim! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes.
I’m gonna try making this but to make it even more “Cuban like” I might add either chopped up ham and cook it with the pork or just put sliced ham with it.
Sounds amazing!
It doesn’t just look good, it taste amazing!! Made tonight for the first time!!
My kids said “mom this is BOMB”
Thanks again for another awesome recipe!
Wow!! So glad to hear this, thank you so much for coming back and telling me what you thought of it!
The recipe sounds good and easy to make. I will have to try it out this weekend.
Hope you enjoy it!
That looks mouthwateringly delicious! Totally have to make this asap!
Thanks Abeer! Hope you enjoy it!
Cuban anything is always amazing! Love this flavor combo!
Thanks Andie!
Oh my gosh, these are making my mouth water!
Definitley drool worthy!!
I want this right now! Looks freaking amazing!!
Thanks Erin!
Oh wow! These sound incredible! What a great twist on the original sloppy joe!
Oh mylanta!!!! This looks incredible! I’m also swooning over all of the other sloppy joe recipes that you have too! SO so good.
Thank you!
I’ve never used pork to make sloppy Joes. I love this idea!