Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes!! Do you love sloppy joes? I hadn't had one in years and made these last night. These were super good. Probably because these are fresh and homemade and a can of Manwich was not in the picture. This is the Pioneer Woman's recipe which automatically tells you it's delicious. Thanks PW, your recipes rule the Earth.

Makes 4 sandwiches.
Prep and cook time: 30 minutes or less


Ingredients:

• 1 T butter
• 1.25 lbs ground beef
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1/2 large green bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 c ketchup
• 1/2 c water (optional- I forgot this step and they still turned out great..just less sloppy)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• Worcestershire sauce
• Tobasco sauce (optional)
• 4 kaiser rolls or large hamburger buns

Feel free to skip past the picture demonstration to get straight to the listed directions.

Melt the butter in a large skillet or stove pot. Add the ground beef and cook until brown, breaking the meat into crumbles as it cooks. I typically use ground turkey when any recipe calls for ground meat, but I thought the turkey might not be sloppy joe material. 

Once the meat it brown, add the diced green bell pepper, onion, and minced garlic. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the ketchup, water (if using), brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tobasco sauce (if using). Stir until combined. If you add the water to the mixture then simmer it for 15 minutes before serving. I forgot this step and didn't realize it at the time. They still turned out great! Just a little less sloppy than what I was expected, which was fine with me. Add more ingredients if needed to adjust the taste according to your preference. I added in a little bit more of all the spices.

Spread the bread with butter. Brown on a skillet or griddle. I used spray butter because it's zero cals.

Spoon the sloppy joe mixture onto the bread and serve warm.

Directions: 

1. Melt butter in a large skillet or pot. Add the ground beef and cook until brown. Add the onion, green bell pepper, and minced garlic. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients- if you decide to use the water, simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. I didn't have to simmer mine at all since I forgot to add the water- I just heated it a few more minutes.
2. Spread the inside of the bread with butter. Brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon the mixture onto the bread and serve warm.

Suggestions:

• Serve with potato salad, chips, or cole slaw.
• Melt a slice of cheese over the the meat on your sandwich.