Did you know that Manwich can be used in recipes for tacos, chicken wings, even pizza
Turns out this grocery staple is a lot more than just your average sloppy joe
So to learn all about the untold truth of Manwich, keep watching
Manwich got its start back in 1969. Marketed as a quick and easy shortcut for one-pot meals
it provided all of the seasonings you needed to turn a simple pan of ground ground meat into a meal
Contrary to what you might believe, however, Manwich didn't actually invent the sloppy Joe
That honor, according to The Takeout, may belong to one of several possible inventors
an actual Joe in the kitchen of Maid Wright in Muscatine, Iowa, or the Havana-based Jose
Abilatero, the proprietor of a bar that shared the name of the sandwich
If the latter story is to be believed, legend says it was Ernest Hemingway himself who convinced
his buddy Joe Russell to use the name for his own Key West establishment in the 30s
Either way, the Sloppy Joe was well-established before Manwich entered onto the scene
Have some more Sloppy Joes! Much like Hamburger Helper, Manwich doesn't actually contain the beef you need to turn
it into a meal. That honor falls to Manwich's Heat & Serve, a product launched in 2004 that
combines the beloved sauce with the meat for an even easier dinner The traditional can of manwich is filled not with beef but with the ready sauce It intended to be added to a skillet of browned beef thus transforming it into the ideal sandwich filling
The company's original sloppy joe sauce is made with a tomato puree base
sweetened with both regular and high-fructose corn syrup. A touch of distilled vinegar adds a pleasant kick of acidity
The sauce also contains spices like chili pepper, as well as aromatics like garlic
The result is a flavorful way to jazz up dinner quickly and easily
While the original Sloppy Joe sauce is a surefire classic, the company now makes its sauce in several different flavors
In addition to the original recipe, Manwich makes a bourbon barbecue version
This Manwich flavor contains honey, molasses, mesquite smoke flavor, mustard, paprika, and actual bourbon
in addition to the aromatic tomato and spice blend of the original. The thick and chunky variety, meanwhile, relies on dried onions and diced green and red bell
peppers to deliver on the promise. While the bold sauce certainly promises to kick up the flavor a
few notches, the Florida Times-Union notes that tasters found the flavor of the sauce
zesty rather than bold. In a taste test, the reviewers said that the sauce tasted more like
barbecue sauce — sweeter and more tomatoey, for sure, but perhaps not deserving of the moniker
proudly displayed on the front of the can. While some testers enjoyed it, noting that
they would nevertheless serve it with more beef in the future others said that it just doesn hold a candle to the original From I loving it to eat fresh it seems a food company is only as good as its catchy
slogan, and Manwich has had more than its share over the years
However, Manwich's best-known slogan is… The authors of the Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising claim that this particular
slogan proves particularly catchy, thanks to its use of parallelism. It pairs two clauses
that are nearly equal in meter and length. The tagline featured in 70s ads invited association
between the canned sauce and perceived manliness of activities, like chopping wood. In turn
it cemented Manwich's connotation as a hearty, delicious dinner option. These days, Manwich's website more prominently features the simpler slogan
In 2009, Manwich jumped on the health-conscious bandwagon, with an ad that focused on the
sauce as containing a full serving of vegetables. The new campaign was in line with other moves from
producers of shelf-stable goods, reflecting a real shift in its brand messaging. The new ads
even boasted a brand new tagline, Manwich, meet your vegetables. The company's VP and general manager Michael Lacasio told Adweek
Our focus group research showed that moms had misconceptions about Manwich's nutritional value
We think these new ads will give moms another reason to love Manwich the fact that it has a full serving of vegetables in each serving Of course its health benefits aren exactly all that they seem to be While it all well and good to focus our attention on nutrition Manwich may not be as nutrient as it claims While SFGate notes that the tomatoes
contained in a can of Manwich do indeed contain nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium
as well as the antioxidant lycopene, which may lower risk for certain cancers
the benefits kind of end there. Not only does a can of Manwich contain quite a bit of sugar
but the sugars come in part from high-fructose corn syrup. As the Cleveland Clinic notes
high-fructose corn syrup is absorbed more quickly into the body and can lead to metabolic issues
like insulin resistance, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Manwich sauce was designed to jazz up a
simple skillet of ground beef and turn a sandwich into a meal. But that's not the only thing it can
do. Since the can of sauce is made up of a simple combo of tomato puree and seasonings
it can actually be used to flavor a whole variety of dishes, something Manwich is happy to help
home cooks accomplish. Recipes on the brand website offer creative ideas, including using
the can of sauce to season taco filling, chicken wings, or even mini pizzas. Manwich also makes a
great saucy base for casserole or a marinade for grilled meat. While there are over 50 recipes
already published on the site's database, we're sure that creative home cooks can put
their minds to the task and come up with even more delicious meal options