Sloppy Joes
Sloppy joes are such a great choice for summer or fall meals or family get togethers. Hearty ground beef with tomato sauce on a bun is a true classic all-American dish! They go well with my crockpot baked beans which are a favorite side dish. This recipe is made with more tomato sauce and less ketchup to cut down on the sugar. This is a rib-sticking, mouth watering dinner or lunch that will satisfy your hamburger cravings!
What you need to make sloppy joes:
- 1 pound of ground beef at least 85/15 or 80/20 fat content. I used 85/15 because that is what I had. You want a little fat for flavor and juiciness.
- Small can of tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of ketchup (not pictured above). I used tomato sauce to cut down on the sugar.
- Tomato paste (I like to use tomato paste in a tube because you can just use what you need.)
- Water
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 large Hatch chili pepper or a small green pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Chili powder
- Dry mustard
- Dried red pepper flakes
- Fine sea salt and pepper
How to make sloppy joes:
- First break up ground beef in a large frying pan and start to brown it.
- Add chopped Hatch chili or green pepper and chopped onion and cook until beef is browned and veggies are transluscent.
- Add minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed. You can leave a little of the grease in the pan for flavor.
- Add small can of tomato sauce, ketchup, tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, and worcestershire sauce.
- Stir to combine ingredients and then add brown sugar, dry mustard, chili powder, dried red pepper flakes, and sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer hamburger mixture for about 15 minutes. Taste the mixture and add more seasonings as needed. You may also need to add a little more water if the mixture is too thick. The mixture should be a little juicy.
- Take the hamburger buns and spread with butter. Broil in the oven or brown them in a skillet. This will keep the bun from getting soggy.
- Spoon the sloppy joe mixture on the hambuger buns and serve immediately.
- This recipe serves 4 but can be doubled if you have more than 4 people to serve.
- If you have leftovers, cool the meat mixture and place in a tightly covered container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. The sloppy joe meat can be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Other great recipes to try:
Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwich
Sloppy Joes
Sloppy joes are such a great meal for summertime or fall. Hearty ground beef with tomato sauce on a bun is a classic!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef, 85/15 or 80/20 fat content
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large Hatch chili pepper or 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp Wortestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- Fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- First break up ground beef in a large frying pan and start to brown it. Add chopped Hatch chili or green pepper and chopped onion and cook until beef is browned and veggies are transluscent. Add minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed. You can leave a little of the grease in the pan for flavor.
- Add small can of tomato sauce, ketchup, tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, and worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine ingredients and then add brown sugar, dry mustard, chili powder, dried red pepper flakes, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Simmer hamburger mixture for about 15 minutes.
- Taste the mixture and add more seasonings as needed. You may also need to add a little more water if the mixture is too thick. The mixture should be a little juicy.
- Take the hamburger buns and spread with butter. Broil in the oven or brown them in a skillet. This will keep the bun from getting soggy.
- Spoon the sloppy joe mixture on the hambuger buns and serve immediately.
- Calories based on meat mixture only. Bun not included.