Maid Rites (Loose Meat Sandwiches)
Maid Rites are a popular Midwest sandwich (and for good reason!) This copycat loose meat sandwich recipe is made with perfectly seasoned ground beef and can be ready in just 35 minutes!
A MIDWESTERN DINER CLASSIC!
These Iowa favorite, super simple Maid Rite Sandwiches, are a family favorite dinner! Seasoned ground beef and finely chopped onions are the stars of the show bringing flavor to every bite! It sort of brings all the Sloppy Joe vibes without the sloppy sauce. Your first thought (if you aren’t familiar with these) is “Aren’t these dry? They look dry without a sauce” and I can tell you they aren’t. The look is deceiving! I think so many of us are used to having ground beef mixed in with some type of creamy gravy or tomato sauce so it seems strange that the meat is literally loose but beef broth is added to help make sure the meat is not dried out and stays juicy.
These did not taste like the Maid-Rites I get in Iowa. They were BETTER!!
Easy to make, and delicious. I will be making these part of our regular dinner rotation.
– Randy
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
The name “Maid Rite Sandwiches” comes from a restaurant chain that originated in Iowa in the 1920’s. It’s a sandwich that has cooked ground beef, onions and mustard, then loaded on a sandwich bun.
I made our sandwiches and served them with French Fries. But they’ll go with any of your favorite sides like Southern Baked Beans, Macaroni Salad, tangy Coleslaw, or a heaping pile of your favorite Mac and Cheese. Even just potato chips work just fine!
There is no right or wrong way to top your Maid Rite Sandwiches (although many Iowans would disagree – ha!) The most common toppings are pickles and yellow mustard. You could also add ketchup, extra chopped onions, or classic hamburger toppings like sliced tomatoes and lettuce. In general, whatever you like on a hamburger will work here. I know people get caught up in making everything exactly like the original (which for some folks can taste pretty plain) so I say to use whatever you enjoy to make it how you and your family will like it.
You can prep and cook the meat up to 2 days in advance and store it in the fridge! Also, this recipe freezes well and is great to make ahead of time. Cook your meat and store in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Store any leftover meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep the buns separate.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef– I used an 85/15 ground beef mixture for this recipe. The fat content helps keep the meat nice and moist and adds great flavor, even though we are draining the excess off. You could absolutely use a leaner mixture, but I would recommend adding a bit more beef broth or some butter during the cooking process.
- beef broth– beef broth will give you the best flavor, but you could also substitute just plain water in a pinch. Another good alternative, if you have it on hand, would be a bouillon cube dissolved in the water to make the broth. In addition, you can use low or no sodium beef broth if you need to cut back on the salt.
- yellow mustard
- Worcestershire sauce – you could also use soy sauce but I found that to be a bit too salty for my tastes, I think between the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and the other seasonings added, it was perfect!
- light brown sugar – this does not make it sweet, it just offsets a bit of the tanginess from the Worcestershire sauce and mustard (this is optional)
- finely chopped onion – we prefer a really finely chopped onion in ours but you could certainly just dice it up if you like bigger chunks.
- salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder – these are the typical seasonings that I use. I think it’s important that you have really well seasoned meat. Some folks like it pretty plain (why just salt and pepper) and that is fine too. After making these a few times, I decided it needed a bit more flavor so I added the additional seasoning.
- hamburger buns – try to find a nice, soft white hamburger bun. The meat and the bun should kind of melt into each other with every bite.
- dill pickle chips – for serving
HOW DO YOU MAKE MAID RITE SANDWICHES:
In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown the ground beef and finely chopped onion together. Cook until the beef is cooked through, and the onion is translucent. Drain any excess fat. I like to use a food processor to finely chop the onions. It does it nicely and doesn’t require extra time on my end. But, if you want to chop by hand using a knife and cutting board, you absolutely can.
Add in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together and the liquid to reduce.
While your meat simmers, steam (or toast) buns if desired. Once your meat is done simmering, spoon it on to the bottom halves of the buns. Top the meat with pickles. Place the top halves of the hamburger buns over the filling to assemble the sandwiches. Serve hot and enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Maid Rites (Loose Meat Sandwiches)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef (I used 85/15)
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 Hamburger buns
- dill pickle chips (for serving)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown 1 ½ pounds ground beef and 1 cup finely chopped onion together. Cook and crumble until the beef is cooked through, and the onion is translucent. Drain any excess fat and put back into skillet.
- Add in ½ cup beef broth, 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Stir well to combine.
- Reduce heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together and the liquid to reduce.
- While your meat simmers, steam (or toast) 6 Hamburger buns if desired.
- Once your meat is done simmering, spoon it on to the bottom halves of the buns. Top the meat with dill pickle chips.
- Place the top halves of the hamburger buns over the filling to assemble the sandwiches. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Cannot express enough that this recipe exceeds the original Maid Rite. The garlic and onion powder are new to me for this recipe and I think they are the big win. THANKS for this recipe
This recipe is so good. After making the first time, I double the recipe with venison burger on the flat top and use the leftover meat for enchiladas or spaghetti for another meal.
I did everything as called for, except I skipped the Worcestershire. Good flavor for a Maid Rite. I also added canned mushrooms.
I LOVE mushrooms – good idea. Going to try that
Hello from Japan! Tasted great and didn’t take a lot of time. Will definitely add this to my regular rotation.
The perfect Iowa Maid Rites (coming from a native Iowan!) Tastes fantastic!
these are soooo good, easy summer night recipe! I remember eating at a Maidrite in Coralville Iowa back some years ago. Thank you for this recipe, Chris
Love hearing that Chris – thanks so very much!
Thanks so very much Chris! I always appreciate when folks take the time to come back and comment on the recipe!
I made these and they’re delicious.
These did not taste like the Maid-Rites I get in Iowa. They were BETTER!!
Easy to make, and delicious. I will be making these part of our regular dinner rotation.
Oh wow Randy – thank you SO very much! That really means a lot and I really do appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!