Sloppy Joes

I saw a picture of a sloppy joe on instagram and it looked really good.  i couldn't tell you when was the last time I had a sloppy joe but I wanted to have a childhood classic.

Recipe adapted from thekitchn https://www.thekitchn.com/sloppy-joe-recipe-259083

Serves 6 to 8

Prep time: 15 minutes

cooking time: 25 minutes

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 6 to 8 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Method:

1.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the beef and cook, breaking it into large pieces with a stiff spatula, until browned and cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the browned beef to a plate; set aside.

2.  Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic, and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly; add the chili powder, paprika, and salt; and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

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3.  Add the liquids and return the beef to the pan. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, and mustard and stir to combine. Return the reserved beef to the pan.

4.  Mash the beef with a potato masher. Use a potato masher to mash the beef into small pieces and incorporate it into the sauce.

5.  Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 15 minutes.

6.  Taste, season, and serve. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. To serve, spoon onto the toasted buns.

this as the name can attest to was very sloppy but was delicious.  the original recipe had called for 2 tablespoons of brown sugar but i had found it a bit too sweet, so i had to add more spices and tomato paste to offset a bit of that sweetness.  it tasted good but i felt like something was missing, it just wasn't like how i had remembered.  So i then looked at other recipes for sloppy joes and saw that some had added Worcestershire sauce and/or some vinegar and even some ketchup, i might try to play with these ingredients next time to see if i can get the taste closer to what i want.  but in all it was an easy, delicious, but very messy dish that can be easily made for a weeknight dinner.

cooking, lactose free, gluten freeJackie Wongsloppy joe, ground beefComment