Instant Pot Roseanne’s Loose Meat Sandwich–a mustard based loose meat sandwich on a hamburger bun. Satisfying and super easy to make!
NOTE: the slow cooker instructions are listed in the recipe card below.

Instant Pot Roseanne’s Loose Meat Sandwich
This sandwich comes from the 80’s/90’s sitcom “Roseanne.” In the show Roseanne sells her loose meat sandwiches at a restaurant called The Lunch Box. In one episode country star, Loretta Lynn, tries to buy one of the sandwiches.
This is like a mustard-based sloppy joe instead of a tomato-based sloppy joe. Which I am so down with. I love ketchup but I’m also a huge fan of mustard and mustard-based bbq sauce. It’s a simple sandwich but really satisfying. My family all ate happily and stole bites from each other’s plates.
You’ll definitely want to remember the pickles on your sandwich! Mmm mmm. I even diced up some extra pickles and stirred it in with the meat.
Try doubling the recipe to feed extra mouths. One pound of beef will make about 4 sandwiches. This is a great recipe to make extras of and freeze some for a later date. It freezes great! Then when you have a busy day you can just rewarm the meat and serve on some buns for an easy dinner.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Ground beef–or ground turkey
- Diced onion–sometimes I buy frozen diced onions to save time
- Better than Bouillon beef base
- Seasoning salt–I used Lawry’s brand
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Water
- Yellow mustard
- Sliced dill pickles
- Hamburger buns
Steps
- Brown the beef: Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up (I like to use a hamburger chopper tool*). Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Deglaze pot: Stir in the Better than Bouillon, seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Add in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Stir in the mustard.
- Serve: Pile meat onto a hamburger bun, top with sliced pickles and cover with top half of bun. Eat and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with fresh fruit like grapes or watermelon and potato chips.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- This recipe can be gluten-free if you use gluten free Worcestershire sauce and gluten-free buns.
- Other recipes you can make with seasoning salt are Instant Pot Poor Man’s Meal or Instant Pot Great Steak Sandwich.

More Amazing Loose Meat Sandwich Recipes…
- Instant Pot Sloppy Joe Cosmo
- Instant Pot Canteen Sandwich
- Instant Pot Sloppy Dorothy Sandwiches
- Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
- Straight From Heaven Sandwich
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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Instant Pot Roseanne’s Loose Meat Sandwich
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A mustard based loose meat sandwich on a hamburger bun. Satisfying and super easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp Better than Bouillon beef base
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- Sliced dill pickles
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Stir in the Better than Bouillon, seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Add in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Stir in the mustard.
- Pile meat onto a hamburger bun, top with sliced pickles and cover with top half of bun. Eat and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add raw beef (use lean ground beef, so it’s not swimming in grease), onions, Better than Bouillon, seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and water into slow cooker. Break up the meat.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours. Break up the meat again.
- Stir in the mustard.
- Pile meat onto a hamburger bun, top with sliced pickles and cover with top half of bun. Eat and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
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Actually it was Jackie the sister of Roseanne who had this whole idea of opening a restaurant and she had to convince the family.
But great little restaurant and pickles are a must with this. Someone suggested sliced red onions may work for this, too.
★★★★★
Oh haha! Shows how much I know!
Thank you for a recipe that does NOT have tomato products. What a great alternative!
You’re welcome Linda! Enjoy!
Believe it actually is a version of the Maid Rite loose meat sandwich.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid-Rite
You can search this site for the Maid-Rite Sandwich (Iowa) that Karen did for us back in 2020 when she was doing the 50 states. It was delicious & I’m sure this Roseanne one is as well. Can’t wait to try it!!