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Tex Mex Sloppy Joes have a taco twist to them with ground beef, seasonings, corn, and green chilies. Switch up classic sloppy joes and make this delicious taco-inspired version.
We can’t get enough of sloppy joes for dinner at my house. Try our other faves like these BBQ Turkey Sloppy Joes, Gumbo Soup Sloppy Joes, Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes, or these Copycat Manwich Sloppy Joes.
Tex Mex Sloppy Joe Recipe
Sloppy Joes are a dinnertime classic at my house. So simple to make, so much versatility with all the different flavor options of sloppy joes, and my kids love to eat them! Sloppy joes are like deconstructed hamburgers and that’s something anyone can behind.
Ground beef simmers in a perfectly seasoned tex-mex taco inspired sloppy joe mixture with corn, green chilies, tomato sauce, and some brown sugar for sweetness. Serve inside warmed hamburger buns and add a slice of cheese if wanted.
Ingredients Needed
- Olive Oil – I use ‘light tasting’ extra-virgin olive oil. You need the oil to cook the onion, bell pepper, and ground beef in.
- Finely Diced Yellow Onion
- Red Bell Pepper – Diced small so it cooks fairly quickly.
- Ground Beef – I use 93/7 but you can use whatever fat percentage you prefer.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves that have been minced or pressed, use chopped garlic from a jar, or use garlic paste.
- Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Oregano, Salt & Pepper – Dried seasonings for our sloppy joe meat mixture.
- Tomato Sauce
- Corn – Make sure this is drained well before adding it into the skillet pan.
- Diced Green Chilies – Use mild, medium, or hot canned diced green chilies.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Brown Sugar
How To Make Tex Mex Sloppy Joes (Step-by-Step Process Instructions)
- Add the oil, finely diced onion, and diced red bell pepper into a skillet pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes, over medium-high heat, until the veggies are softened.
- Add the ground beef and cook & crumble it until it’s no longer pink. Drain the excess grease/moisture from the skillet pan.
- Add the dried seasonings and stir together. Let it cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato sauce, corn, diced green chilies, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Stir together and bring to a boil. One boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved.
- Serve warm on hamburger buns (toasted or softened, or as is).
Can I Make Tex Mex Sloppy Joes Spicy?
The recipe as is, is not too spicy. But you can easily spice it up (as much as you want) as needed. Here are some ideas – use cayenne red pepper instead of black pepper, use a can of hot diced green chilies, you can also serve the sloppy joes with a slice of Pepper Jack cheese. Alternately, if you want to make the recipe less spicy try using less chili powder, less paprika, and/or add more brown sugar.
What Percentage Ground Beef Is Best For Sloppy Joes?
This entirely depends on personal preference. Some might prefer the flavor that the higher fat ground beef provides while others might want a ‘lighter’ dish and less grease/fat and choose to use a lower fat option of ground beef.
You do end up draining the extra grease/moisture after cooking and crumbly the ground beef so use whatever you prefer. My preference is to use 93/7 ground beef for most recipes that call for ground beef in them.
My Helpful Tips
- Instead of canned corn you can use 2 cups of frozen corn. No need to thaw the corn first. Just throw it in the pan.
- Toast the hamburger buns for the best sloppy joe ever! I place the hamburger buns (divided into halves) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then I spread some butter on each half and broil it for a few minutes until brown and toasty. If you want cheese, add a slice of cheese and put the baking sheet back into the broil oven for 1 minute or until the cheese is melted.
- Potato chips in sloppy joes is totally a thing and something my family loves! Try it. We love adding some classic Lay’s potato chips inside our sloppy joes or try adding some taco seasoned tortilla chips or Doritos inside these tex mex taco-inspired sloppy joes. The crunch and crisp pairs perfectly with the warm and soft sloppy joe meat mixture, soft bun, and gooey cheese.
More Ground Beef Dinner Recipes
Tex Mex Sloppy Joes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced small
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (15.25 oz) corn drained
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Instructions
- In a skillet pan, over medium-high heat, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the veggies are softened.1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper
- Add the ground beef into the skillet pan. Cook and crumble until it's no longer pink. Drain the excess grease/moisture from the pan.1 lb ground beef
- Add the garlic cloves, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine well. Cook for about 30 seconds or until very fragrant.3 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Stir in the the tomato sauce, corn, green chilies, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. * You may need to decrease the heat to low depending on how hot your stove runs. No need to cover the pan with a lid, because we want the excess moisture to evaporate which will thicken the sloppy joe mix. You can use a lid during the simmer time to really infuse the flavors, and then take the lid off to let the excess moisture thicken. * A gentle boil is when it's lightly bubbling all over, usually more so around the edges of the pan.1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce, 1 can (15.25 oz) corn, 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- Serve immediately inside toasted buns.
Notes
Nutrition
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