Sloppy Ottos

I love sandwiches, but for years (years!) I considered them to be exclusively a lunch food—preferably assembled in a hurry before rushing off to the office. And hot sandwiches? Those were reserved for restaurants, not my home kitchen, which had no griddle, no panini maker, no frills. Since having kids, I’ve come to realize—in part through many variations of sloppy joes—that a good sandwich is, in fact, the perfect dinner food. And I love a good sloppy joe, but they can be really sweet. Enter sloppy ottos.

Think of Otto as Joe’s grown-up German cousin. Instead of the go-to ground beef, sloppy ottos are made with spicy ground sausage and sauerkraut, instantly jolting up the flavor. After spooning the spicy, vinegary, saucy meat onto buns, they’re topped with cheese and baked until melty and hot. (If you’re cooking for all ages, we’ve got plenty of tips for adjusting the recipe to go milder—or even spicier.) It’s an everyday dish elevated for game days, backyard barbecues or any weeknight.

Ingredients for Sloppy Ottos

• Spicy pork sausage: The star of the show is the sausage. Look for uncased, bulk sausage. If you can only find links, just remove the casings before browning the meat. If you don’t love heat, you can certainly swap a milder ground sausage.
• Sauerkraut: Lightly fermented sauerkraut packs a serious wallop of sour tanginess, perfect for balancing that hot, rich sausage. The recipe calls for canned sauerkraut, but you can also buy fresh kraut or even make homemade sauerkraut. Rinse and drain the sauerkraut if you prefer a milder sandwich, though many reviewers recommend stirring a bit of the juice into the meat with the kraut for extra flavor and moisture.
• Vegetables: Sauteed onions and sweet green or yellow bell peppers add crunch and sweetness to the spicy meat.
• Pretzel or regular hamburger buns: Lean into the German inspiration with dark, glossy, extra-flavorful pretzel buns. Or stick with tried-and-true burger buns and let the filling sing.
• Provolone cheese: Mild provolone cheese melts like a dream, transforming into a smooth, creamy cap over the sausage. The cheese traps the meat filling on the bun, making the sloppy ottos a little less sloppy.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the sausage

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat for four to six minutes or until it’s no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles. Drain off the excess fat.

Step 2: Add the mix-ins

Add the sauerkraut, peppers and onion. Cook the mixture, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes longer or until the vegetables are tender.

Step 3: Assemble the sandwiches

Spoon the meat mixture onto the bun bottoms. Place the sliced cheese over the meat. Top the buns.

Step 4: Bake the sandwiches

Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet. Bake them for four to six minutes or until the cheese is melted and the buns are toasty.

Sloppy Ottos Variations

• Change the buns: Use toasted French bread, or try pumpernickel or rye for extra flavor.
• Make open-face sandwiches: Skip the oven and put the meat over the whole bun or slice of bread, top it with cheese, and melt the cheese under a broiler.
• Change up the cheese: Use your favorite melty cheese, whether that’s provolone, pepper jack, Swiss or Gouda.
• Get saucy: Add condiments to the buns, or serve them on the side. Mustard is a fan favorite (spicy, stone-ground, and even honey mustard will work). Or add Russian or Thousand Island dressing for a Reuben sandwich vibe.
• Add mix-ins: Cook chopped celery, potatoes or apples with the sausage for extra crunch. Or stir in seasonings like pepper flakes, dried basil, oregano or caraway seeds.
• Use another sausage: Not a fan of spice? Try sweet Italian sausage, uncased bratwurst, or a mix of hot sausage and plain ground sausage.

How to Store Sloppy Ottos

For best results, store the meat filling and buns separately. Store the meat of sloppy ottos in the refrigerator, sealed in an airtight container, where it will keep for up to four days. Keep the buns in a sealed bag on the countertop. If you’ve already assembled and baked the cheesy sloppy ottos, then store them in the refrigerator for up to two days for best texture (though they’ll be safe to eat for up to four days). The buns will soften as they absorb moisture from the meat.

What’s the best way to heat sloppy otto filling?

Transfer as much sloppy otto filling as you’d like to eat immediately to a microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle it with a tablespoon of water to add moisture, cover it with a paper towel, and heat it in 30-second increments until it’s steaming. Top the buns with meat and cheese, and bake the sandwiches as directed.

Can you freeze sloppy ottos?

The meat filling of sloppy ottos freezes very well. Freeze leftovers, or you can even prepare a batch specifically to be frozen. Allow the sausage mix to cool completely. Transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze it for up to two months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before eating it.

Sloppy Ottos Tips

What else can you serve with sloppy ottos?

For a larger dinner, serve sloppy ottos with classic German dishes like potato salad, braised red cabbage or beet soup. No need to get too fancy, though. These hearty sandwiches are satisfying even with sides as simple as potato chips or boiled potatoes. A lively green salad tossed in mustard vinaigrette is a simple, delicious pairing that would work well with sloppy ottos.