Learn the history behind this amazing loose meat sandwich recipe that is simply made right! Your family will go nuts for the new-to-them classic Maid Rite sandwich, which are also referred to as “loose meat sandwiches.”
These sandwiches are perfect for an easy dinner recipe and are ready to enjoy a dinner in under 30 minutes!
Tired of the same old recipes? Look no further – this loose meat sandwich brings lots of great flavor to the table, and has a fun story to boot! Your family will be intrigued by this new type of burger recipe as they load up on their favorite toppings.
I love using ground beef for dinner as it’s an economical cut and a favorite of many. If sandwiches are on your dinner meal plan, you can also make some easy Cheeseburger Sliders. They are perfect for game day, too. In the mood for pasta? Skip the box mix and make your own skillet cheeseburger mac.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fun tradition: Share in this classic sandwich recipe with your family and tell them the origins.
- Feed a crowd: You can easily double this to make a lot for a crowd or to have leftovers throughout the week.
- Ready in only 30 minutes: Cooking ground beef is all you need to do, so it’s perfect for those busy nights.
Ingredients Needed
I’ve highlighted a couple of ingredients below with some relevant notes. Aside from this, the ingredients needed are pretty basic.
- Ground beef – Use 85/15 to stay true to the original recipe for maid rites. You can swap it out though if you only have leaner cuts at the store.
- Beef bouillon – A cube gives us extra salt and lots of flavor. We are using less water than called for on the jar for that extra flavor. Be sure and dissolve it in hot water before adding to the pan to make sure it’s completely dissolved!
- Worcestershire – If you don’t normally keep this on hand, try steak sauce or soy sauce for the boost of umami.
- Onion – Finely diced, this brings a great bit of texture to the loose meat.
- Buns – Go all in with classic white burger buns!
Substitutions
Sometimes substitutions are necessary because of ingredients that are unavailable or needed for dietary restrictions. Here are some suggestions that can help:
- White Onions – if you’re in a pinch, throw in some dehydrated onions instead.
- Meat – you can use ground chicken or turkey here, but it won’t be the classic recipe. This is a great way to reduce the fat content though.
- Bouillon – no cubes? I don’t recommend simply using a half cup of beef broth as it won’t taste the same. An option is to use the amount of Better Than Bouillon that yields one cup of broth, but using only ½ cup of water.
How to Make Original Maid-Rites
You’re in for a treat here! One skillet and ready in under 30 minutes.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
STEP 1. Make broth. Dissolve the bouillon cube in hot water (Image 1). This allows you to make sure it is all dissolved!
Tip: 85/15 ground beef tastes the most authentic. If this is too greasy for you, feel free to drain off the excess before serving.
STEP 2. Make sauce. Add remaining ingredients except beef and onions, and combine well (Image 2).
STEP 3. Brown beef. Add ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks (Image 3).
STEP 4. Add onions. Once the beef is cooked through and the liquid is evaporated, add diced onions. Cook until softened (Image 4).
Recipe Pro Tips
- Let the liquid cook off. This is a “loose meat” sandwich and isn’t meant to be sloppy and saucy.
- Toppings galore. This is a fun meal to make for a crowd because you can set out an entire “burger bar” of toppings as these are essentially loose meat burgers. You can even make these easy fried pickles to serve on the sandwich or alongside of them.
Recipe FAQs
As the story goes, an Iowa butcher combined various cuts of meat with seasonings until he liked what he had. When a delivery man had a taste, he proclaimed the sandwich was “made right” and it is made the same to this day!
There really is no comparison! A traditional sloppy joe recipe has a tomato sauce, and is, as the name goes, messy to eat. Meanwhile a maid-rite sandwich, you cook off the liquid so it is quite dry overall, and is topped like a hamburger patty.
A sloppy joe has sauce, enough so that the sandwich is considered wet and can soak into the bun. Loose meat is basically eating a hamburger but in crumbles. While the meat is cooked in flavorful liquid so it isn’t a bad sort of dry, all that liquid does evaporate or cook into the meat, so that your sandwich is essentially dry.
What to Serve with This Simple Maid Rite Recipe
I love to serve french fries or chips with sandwiches. Think outside the box, too, and give eggplant fries a chance! If frozen fries are more your speed, you can make fries easily in the air fryer. Dip your choice of fries in a nice Chipotle aioli! You can also add this red potato salad or a quick green salad.
Or if you love restaurant-style side dishes, these easy fried pickles are a hit.
Storage
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove or microwave, splashing in more broth or water as necessary.
More Sandwich Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Maid Rite Sandwiches (Loose Meat) Copycat
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 4 hamburger buns
Optional Toppings:
- Mustard
- Ketchup
- Pickles
Instructions
- Dissolve bouillon cube in hot water. Set aside.
- In a skillet over medium high heat, add the bouillon mixture, Worcestershire, sugar, mustard, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the ground beef and chop it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Once liquid is evaporated, stir in onions and cook for 1-2 minutes until onions are just softened. Drain any grease if necessary.
- Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Steak sauce or soy sauce may be substituted for the Worcestershire sauce.
- Using a ground beef that is not super lean, such as 85/15, will give this dish a more authentic taste.
- We like to top ours with mayo, ketchup, and pickles, but you could also use lettuce, tomato, mayo, cheese, extra onion, or anything you like on a hamburger.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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