Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe
This Sloppy Joe recipe is quick and easy comfort food that makes tasty sandwiches that are perfect for busy weeknights. Our version has a special ingredient to make them next level!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
- 3/4 cup tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika see note
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup beef broth or water
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a skillet over medium-high heat and break it up a little bit with your spoon, leaving large chunks. Let it cook, undisturbed, for about 8 minutes, or until it forms a nice browned crust. Give it a stir/flip it and cook for another 5 minutes or so. If there's a lot of excess fat in the skillet, spoon it out (leave about a tablespoon or so in there).
- Stir in the onions and green bell pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. As it cooks, break the beef up into smaller pieces with your spoon.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and beef broth. Let it cook for another 5 minutes or so, stirring often, until the sauce thickens up to your liking (don't let it get too dry).
- Give it a taste and season with salt & pepper as needed. If you want really sweet Sloppy Joes, add in some brown sugar (I don't add any since I think the ketchup is sweet enough).
- Serve in toasted buns. To toast the insides of the buns, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the buns and watch them closely until the insides have browned nicely (you'll need to do this in batches).
Notes
- I add smoked paprika to these Sloppy Joes to give them a nice smoky flavor. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- If you want a shortcut or prefer not to add the onion and green bell pepper, you can leave them out.
- Recipe serves 4-6 depending on how much you stuff the sandwiches.
- Buns are not included in the nutrition info (calories vary a lot depending what you buy).
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 629mg | Potassium: 635mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 609IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 3mg
