I was going through my daily blogroll last night when I came across this recipe. I was initially intimated from the endless list of ingredients, but when I realized that I already had most of them right in my pantry, I couldn’t wait to make it!

The prepping of the sloppy joes was a bit tedious but cooking it was actually a breeze. It tasted amazing with the blend of spices and the burst of freshness from the vegetables, and the avocado slices made everything even better. And even though the original recipe called for hamburger buns, I used hawaiian bread, creating the ultimate sloppy joe on crack.

Southwestern Sloppy Joes (adapted from For the Love of Cooking):

Yields 3-4 servings

  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 80/20)
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, mined
  • 5 small pearl tomatoes, diced
  • 1/3 cup of ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sweet yellow corn (frozen or canned)
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Hawaiian sweet rolls, toasted
  • Avocado

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened.

Add the lean ground beef.

Make sure to break it up into crumbles as it cooks.

Add the chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, coriander, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Mix the ingredients so the spices are evenly coating the beef and onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the beef is cooked through.

Add the garlic, tomatoes, and jalapenos and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Add the ketchup, brown sugar, corn, and cilantro.

Cook for 2 minutes. Taste and re-season if needed.

Scoop filling onto toasted roll and top with avocado slices. Serve immediately.