Homemade Sloppy Joes
Hands down THE BEST sloppy joes made from scratch! So saucy, so hearty. Serve in hamburger buns for a quick dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, 90/10
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in beef stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir in ketchup, Dijon, Worcestershire and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavors have blended, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use 90% lean ground beef. 85-90% lean ground beef is ideal for sloppy joes - more fat will make it too greasy, too lean will make it too dry.
- Finely dice the onion and bell pepper. The onion and pepper add texture to the sloppy joes, dicing finely to melt in the sauce (and to avoid large chunks).
- Let it simmer. Let the mixture simmer for at least 15-20 minutes for that "sloppy" consistency - thick, rich and saucy!
- Adjust the consistency. For a thicker consistency, simmer for longer. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out as needed by stirring in 1 tablespoon of water, adding in more as needed.
- Toasting the buns is key. Toasting the buns beforehand will make a huge difference, preventing the buns from becoming soggy and the sandwich from falling apart.
- Freeze as needed. The leftovers can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, ideal when frozen in single-serving portions for easy reheating. To freeze, let cool completely and portion into plastic freezer bags, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat and stirring occasionally until heated through.