Classic Sloppy Joes
This Classic Sloppy Joes Recipe is simple to make with inexpensive ingredients and it's something the whole family will love for dinner! Sloppy joes are an easy ground beef dinner that's ready for the table in just 30 minutes and there is no canned sloppy joe sauce involved.
Servings 6
Calories 297kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup finely diced green pepper (about 1 small green pepper)
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a skillet pan, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef, diced onion, and diced green pepper until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add in the ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, mustard, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt, and garlic powder. Stir to combine everything together.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.* Stir it several times during the simmer time to prevent it from burning to the pan. You may need to turn down the heat if necessary. * If the mixture is looking too thick, or you want it thinner, try adding 1/4 cup of water, beef broth, or chicken broth into the meat mixture while it's simmering.
- Serve inside hamburger buns.
Notes
Serving Size : My kids don't eat a ton so I can easily get 6 servings from this recipe for my family of 4 kids and 2 adults. If you're feeding teenagers or hungry adults (larger portion sizes) then I would plan on 4 servings from this recipe.
Nutrition Information : This is based off one serving of the sloppy joe mixture + 1 hamburger bun. It's also based on getting 6 servings from the recipe.
Recipe Tips -
- Simmer Time : This is so important because it brings all the flavors together and gets the meat really soft & tender, which is what you want for a sloppy joe. You should let it simmer for at least 15 minutes for good results, but closer to 20 minutes for the best flavor. If the mixture is too thick or getting too hot, reduce the heat and you can also add some water or broth into the pan for a thinner sloppy joe filling that is more wet.
- Toasted Hamburger Buns : Toasting the hamburger buns before serving is the best way to eat a sloppy joe. The crisp and browned bun pairs perfectly with the softer sloppy joe meat. Separate each bun and place them onto a baking sheet or cookie sheet. Spread butter on each one. Broil for a few minutes until they're browned to your preference. Add a slice of cheese if wanted for a cheesy sloppy joe.
- Seasonings : Feel free to reduce the mustard or vinegar if wanted. Those are two pretty strong flavors so if you know you're sensitive to them, or you want to make sure your kids will eat it, reduce each of them to 2 teaspoons instead of 1 tablespoon. This recipe is super adaptable so you can add, change, decrease, increase anything you want. Use more garlic powder. Add some onion powder instead of using freshly diced onion. Add chili powder for some spice. Add basil, Italian seasoning. The possibilities are endless with this one.
- Ground Meat : Ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef. Also, any fat percentage of ground beef works just fine in this recipe. You will end up draining the excess fat/oil from the pan, so it probably does not matter much what you choose to use. I prefer using 96/4 whenever I cook ground beef for dinner.
- Mustard : Any mustard works great in sloppy joes. Yellow mustard is recommended and it's the classic flavor choice, but there are lots of options like spicy brown mustard, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, etc. For a less strong mustard flavor try reducing it to 2 teaspoons instead of 1 tablespoon.
- Looser Sloppy Joe Filling : This recipe yields a thicker & more set sloppy Joe filling but if you prefer a more moist/looser filling, then simply add some water to the pan (start with 1/4 cup) along with the other ingredients. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat and let it simmer. As you're stirring it randomly during the simmer time, you'll be able to tell if you need to add more water or not. You can also use beef broth or chicken broth as well.
- Make It Spicy! : Add some chili powder, cayenne red pepper, or try using a spicy mustard or spicy ketchup.
- Tomato Paste : Instead of classic tomato paste try using a seasoned tomato paste.
Nutrition
Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 942mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 3mg