Sloppy Joes
Homemade Sloppy Joes! Brimming with a hearty browned beef, hidden veggies and a rich, lightly sweet, lightly smokey tomato based sauce. This version is fast, flavorful and sure to satisfy those old time cravings!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 lb lean ground beef*
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp)
- 1 tsp chili powder (regular or Ancho)
- 1 tsp paprika (sweet or smoked)
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup**
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp natural hickory smoke flavor
- Water or broth, for thinning as needed
- 4 hamburger buns, homemade or bakery fresh
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper, saute until nearly tender, about 6 minutes. Scoot to one far side of the pan.
- Crumble in beef, let sear until browned on bottom, about 2 - 3 minutes. Then turn and start to break up beef and toss with peppers and onions, continue to cook 2 - 3 minutes or until nearly cooked through.
- Drain fat from beef. Add garlic, chili powder, paprika, mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste and cook beef through, about 1 minute, tossing occasionally.
- Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, smoke flavor. Reduce heat and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Thin the mixture with splashes of water, beef broth or chicken broth as needed.
- Serve warm in hamburger buns.
Notes
- *Ground turkey can be substituted (don't use super lean).
- **I like to use a corn syrup-free ketchup such as Simply Heinz or Trader Joes.
- Pair with grilled corn, coleslaw, potato chips, pickle spears or potato salad.